2009 NBK Qatar International Rally
For immediate release
Thursday, January 22nd 2008
QATAR’S NASSER SALEH AL-ATTIYAH ISSUES PUBLIC
APOLOGY TO QMMF PRESIDENT AND BOARD MEMBERS
· “I am sorry for my actions,” says five-time regional champion
· “I want to put this behind me and support the QMMF”
DOHA (Qatar): Defending FIA Middle East rally champion Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah issued a public apology to Nasser Khalifa Al-Attiyah, President of the Qatar Motor & Motorcycle Federation (QMMF), and all board members at a special press conference at the Losail International Circuit, north of Doha, on Thursday afternoon.
Al-Attiyah, a five-time regional rally champion who is bidding for a seventh successive victory in the NBK Qatar International Rally this weekend, had publicly and personally criticised the QMMF president and several policies followed by Qatar’s motor sport federation in a series of newspaper, magazine and television interviews. The spat has been simmering for several weeks, but Al-Attiyah apologised for his actions after the official pre-event press conference for this weekend’s rally.
“I would like to apologise to Nasser Khalifa Al-Attiyah and all members of the Board of the QMMF for my actions in the media and in public,” said Al-Attiyah. “I was wide of the mark and made a mistake by saying what I did in the past. I hope that this will now be the end of the matter and I can continue to support the QMMF in 2009 and into the future.”
Al-Attiyah lines up as the top seed in this weekend’s NBK Qatar International Rally with a new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X and a new female co-driver, Sweden’s Tina Thörner.
Ends
Neil Perkins, NDP Publicity Services, Chief Press Officer, 2009 NBK Qatar International Rally, Losail International Circuit, Media Centre, Doha, Qatar, Tel: + 974 4728623, Fax: + 974 4728653, Qatar mobile: + 974 432 19417, UK Mobile: + 44 7831 123153, E-mail: NDPPublicity@compuserve.com www.ndp-publicity.com (press releases)
www.qmmf.com
www.merc-fia.com