Jordan Rally
2016 FIA Middle East Rally Championship, round 3
For immediate release
Wednesday, May 4th, 2016
AL-ATTIYAH TO LEAD INTERNATIONAL FIELD INTO JORDAN
RALLY FROM ABDALI START ON THURSDAY AFTERNOON
· Action starts with super special stage in Abdali from 16.55hrs on Thursday
DEAD SEA (Jordan): Less than seven months after claiming a ninth victory on the shores of the Dead Sea, Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah returns to rallying action in the Hashemite Kingdom at the Jordan Rally this weekend.
One of the most popular counting rounds towards the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) has returned to its regular May date. An international field of competitors from 11 nations will tackle 19 special stages and 222.77km of competitive action in a route of 640.63km through the Dead Sea and Jordan Valley areas to mark the 198th event in MERC history.
Al-Attiyah holds the record for 62 regional championship rally wins and is chasing Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s record of 12 triumphs in Jordan. He surpassed the UAE driver’s long-standing record of 60 victories back in February and is keen to press on towards an unprecedented 100 wins.
“Its always important to take a close look at the stages to make sure that there are no significant changes and the winter weather has not altered the nature of the roads,” said Al-Attiyah, who is partnered in Jordan by the French navigator Matthieu Baumel, himself a winner of 11 MERC rallies.
Arch rival Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari has endured a fraught start to his 2016 campaign in a Skoda Fabia R5. The Qatari crashed heavily out of his home event in an incident that hospitalised navigator Marshall Clarke and he has since refocused and regrouped.
A retirement in Rally Mexico was followed by third in WRC 2 in Argentina, but Al-Kuwari remains pointless in the MERC after missing an outing in Kuwait at the 11th hour. He teams up with Irishman Killian Duffy again in Jordan.
The third of the R5s and the last realistic competition for Al-Attiyah comes from former Kuwait Rally winner Khalid Al-Suwaidi, partnered by the top seed’s former co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini, with whom he won 24 rounds of the MERC. Al-Suwaidi drives a Ford Fiesta on this occasion.
The impressive field of MERC 2 drivers in a variety of Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions and Subaru Imprezas makes up the bulk of the entry. Qatar’s Rashed Al-Nuami leads the region’s secondary championship by two-points from Abdullah Al-Kuwari heading into the Jordan showdown. Local hopes rest on the shoulders of Husam Salem, Khaled Juma, Ihad Al-Shorafa and Lina Hadadi.
The Jordanian duo of Asem Aref and Musa Djiyerian bring up the rear of the field in a diminutive Renault Clio. Aref finished seventh overall in a two-wheel drive Fiat Stilo last October.
The event gets underway with a Q&A session with several of the leading drivers on the podium, the ceremonial start and a 2.37km super special stage in Abdali, Amman’s new business, commercial and leisure hub, on Thursday afternoon.
Timetable of events – Thursday, March 5:
15:00 onwards Pre-event Q & A, podium In Abdali
16:15 Ceremonial start, Abdali
16.55 Super Special Stage in Abdali, 2.37km
2016 Jordan Rally – leading starters:
1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Matthieu Baumel (FRA) Skoda Fabia R5
2. Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Killian Duffy (IRL) Skoda Fabia R5
3. Meshari Al-Thafiri (KWT)/Nasser Al-Kuwari (QAT) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X
4. Khalid Al-Suwaidi (QAT)/Giovanni Bernacchini (ITA) Ford Fiesta R5
5. Rashid Al-Nuami (QAT)/Nicola Arena (ITA) Subaru Impreza
6. Abdullah Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Adel Hussein (QAT) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X
7. Khalifa Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Savvas Laos (CYP) Subaru Impreza
8. Husam Salem (JOR)/Nancy Al-Majali (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IIX
9. Khaled Juma (JOR)/Emad Juma (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII
10. Rodolphe Asmar (LEB)/Joseph Matar (LEB) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX
11. Vedat Diker (TUR)/Erdal Oral (TUR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X
12. Rakan Al-Rashed (SAU)/Jarkko Kalliolepo (FIN) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX
14. Ihab Al-Shorafa (JOR)/Hazem Attiyat (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX
15. Lina Hadadi (JOR)/Barkev Shadian (JOR) Subaru Impreza
16. Asem Aref (JOR)/Musa Djiyerian (JOR) Renault Clio
2016 Middle East Rally Championship – drivers’ positions after round 2:
1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT) 78 pts
2. Khalid Al-Suwaidi (QAT) 43 pts
3. Meshari Al-Thefiri (KWT) 30 pts
4. Rashed Al-Nuami (QAT) 29 pts
5. Abdullah Al-Kuwari (QAT) 25 pts
6. Yigit Timut (TUR) 24 pts
7. Rodolphe Asmar (LEB) 22 pts
8. Khalifa Al-Attiyah (QAT) 19 pts
9. Stephano Marrini (ITA) 12 pts
10. Rakan Al-Rashed (SAU) 11 pts
11. Husam Salem (JOR) 3 pts
12. Vedat Diker (TUR) 2 pts
13. Saleh Ali (KWT) 1 pt
Ends
Neil Perkins, News and Information Officer, 2016 Jordan Rally, Petra Hall 2 Media Centre, King Abdullah Bin Talal Convention Centre by Hilton, Jordan Rally Media Service, UK mobile: + 44 7831 123153, E-mail: NDPPublicity@googlemail.com and media@joc.jo – www.ndp-publicity.com (press releases). Twitter: @LordPerkins. Facebook Group: MERC
www.jordanrally.com
Facebook Group – Jordan Motorsport (الأردنية لرياضة السيارات)
Twitter: @motorsportjo