MUSCAT: The second round of the Middle East Rally Championship will begin this weekend in Qatar, with the participation of Omani drivers Abdullah al Rawahi, Zakaria al Amri and Abdullah al Zubair. The trio seek to achieve positive results after the conclusion of the first-round competitions that took place in the Wilayat of Suhar, in which Qatari champion Nasser al Attiyah won the title.
After the first round of the championship, Abdullah al Rawahi occupies eighth place in the overall championship standings, while Abdullah al Zubair leads the Merc 2 group with 30 points, followed in second place by Zakaria al Amri with 24 points.
Omani star Abdullah al Rawahi hopes to return to the podium this time in Qatar after he was forced to withdraw from the first day of the Oman International Rally in the Wilayat of Suhar. He was able to enter the rally on the second day via the Super Rally and achieved the fastest time in four of the six stages the next day.
Al Rawahi mentioned that he was hoping to be crowned in his country’s rally, but circumstances forced him to withdraw on the first day of the competition, and the result he achieved was not satisfactory for him or his team.
He said, "for the Qatar Rally, it is more difficult for us than for the home drivers. They are more familiar with the type of stages, for example, Nasser al Attiyah and other locals. They enter and exit stages in their own ways, but we have to take careful notes of the stages. We hope that the organising committee will be more careful about this point in the stages. Last year, we got third place in Qatar, and we aim for a better position this time."
Zakaria al Amri also faced problems with the car from the first day, especially in the turbo system, which prevented him from competing for the overall top positions in the rally.
He said, "we have complete knowledge of the Qatar Rally and its stages. There are some differences in the stages and some difficulty in navigation, but our goal is to win the category so that we can go to the third round in Saudi Arabia while remaining at the top of our category. I have a good and well-known navigator, Mohammed al Mazroui, and we have previously competed in many races together. We wish success to everyone. We thank all those who supported us in the championship."
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