MUSCAT: Omani racer Abdullah al Rawahi added another achievement to the Sultanate motorsports by winning the driver’s title of Jordan National Rally championship 2019.
The youngster dominated the fifth and final round of the championship, which took place at the Dead Sea region of Jordan.
At the wheel of Subaru Impreza (N14) with navigator Atta Hammoud, Abdullah completed the six stages of the rally passing by Rama, Bahath and Baptism site twice in 51 minutes and 8 seconds for a total distance of 193 km, while Jordanian racers Salameh al Gammaz finished second and Yusef al Asmer took third place.
Al Rawahi and navigator Atta Hamoud had put in a flawless performance over all of the stages of the rally in their Subaru Impreza. Al Rawahi led the first three stages in Rama, Bahath and Baptism site with subtle difference from Jordanian Khalid Juma, who won the fourth stage. Championship leader Juma was eventually disqualified in the final round through a timing infringement at the final service.
The Omani driver came back to win round 5 and 6 to finish on top with 37.5 points and 4 minutes difference from second-placed Salameh al Gammaz and navigator Faisal al Gammaz.
Abdullah al Rawahi has been in top form this season and became the first GCC and Oman driver to claim the title in the 45-year history of the Jordan Rally.
After receiving the winner’s trophy, Abdullah said the rally was tough in all stages with strong competition from the rest of the Jordanian racers. “We had some technical issues with the car but the technical team managed to carry out all of the repairs required within the allocated maintenance periods and we completed the rally to keep our good speed,” said Abdullah.
“Winning this championship is an honour. I dedicate the win to all Omani people. Thankfully this season was very fruitful especially in Jordan and we hope that this will strengthen our participation abroad next year in other competitions and bigger championships.
“However, we need the support of both government and the private sector. I would like to thank everyone that supported us in our journey this year in all local and international competitions, hoping that we have the chance to add more titles next year,” Al Rawahi added.
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