Muscat, Sept 16
Omani rally driver Zakariya al Amri led the Merc2 section after finishing second in RC2 class in the Rally of Lebanon, the fourth round of the 2026 FIA Middle East Rally Championship (Merc).
The 48th Rally of Lebanon was held on September 11–13, in and around Jounieh and the areas north and east of Beirut.
In the championship’s only all-tarmac event, Zakariya al Amri and his co-driver Mohammed al Mazroui, driving a Subaru Impreza (N14) earned more points to solidify his lead in the section.
Zakariya now leads the Merc 2 section of the championship with two rounds remaining in
Cyprus and Saudi Arabia.
The round, which took place on asphalt roads near Beirut, saw the absence of Qatari champion
Nasser al Attiyah and young Omani star Abdullah al Rawahi for various reasons. It featured a
fierce competition between Lebanese driver Roger Feghali and Saudi driver Basil Abu Hamdan,
through which Roger secured the title after the conclusion of all stages.
Commenting on his participation in this rally, Al Amri said: “First of all, I would like to thank
everyone for the excellent organisation and for ensuring everyone arrived safely. I’m happy to
have secured second place in the class here in Lebanon despite the difficult conditions and the
asphalt roads, which differ from those in the rest of the Middle East rounds. As I’ve stated
previously, we’re aiming to clinch the Merc 2 class title by the end of this year, and we’re
working to maintain our lead in the class for this year’s rounds."
"Our goal is to participate in the remaining rounds, and we hope to be able to compete in them all. I would like to thank the technical team as well as all my colleagues who were present to offer their support. I would also like to thank the Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman in Beirut for personally attending the rally to watch the competition; this is a source of moral support for us as competitors. I would also like to commend Dr Mohammed bin Sulayem, President of the International Automobile Federation (FIA), for attending the rally, supporting the event, and presenting awards to the competitors,” Zakariya added.
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