MEDIA INFORMATION
Oman Rally Sohar International
2022 FIA Middle East Rally Championship – January 27th-29th
For immediate release
Saturday, January 29th, 2022
AL-WAHAIBI SETS STRING OF FASTEST STAGE TIMES AND FINISHES SIXTH IN OMAN
MUSCAT (OMAN): Omani rally driver Hamed Al-Wahaibi bounced back from the bitter disappointment of retiring prematurely from the challenge for outright honours at the Oman Rally Sohar International by setting a string of fastest stage times on Saturday.
The 53-year-old and his New Zealand co-driver Tony Sircombe guided their Škoda Fabia Evo to the quickest time on five of the day’s six gravel special stages to confirm sixth place in the final classification.
Admittedly, runaway rally leader and eventual winner Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah had opted to ease his pace over the remaining six gravel stages to conserve his car and his advantage. But Al-Wahaibi was on a mission to enjoy himself and make up for the disappointment of retiring with mechanical issues at the start of day one.
He steered his Škoda Fabia Evo to the fastest time on each of the morning’s three special stages, the Omani beating Al-Attiyah by 16.3 seconds through Abyad, 44.6 seconds in Qalqal and 32.6 seconds in the Nakhal special through Wadi Al-Hadak Al-Hasanat. It strengthened his grip on seventh overall and enabled him to pull well clear of Abdullah Al-Rawahi.
Al-Wahaibi continued his blistering form after the lunchtime regroup and service at Sandan. He beat his previous run through Abyad by nearly 18 seconds on the second pass and Al-Attiyah by 19.3 seconds.
There was no respite and he shaved another 20 seconds off his morning run through Qalqal and was 45.4 seconds faster than Al-Attiyah. Zakariya Al-Aamri’s late retirement lifted Al-Wahaibi into sixth overall at the finish in Nakhal but time loss on the last stage with a punctured tyre prevented the Omani from claiming a clean sweep of stage wins for the day.
“It was a good rally and we had a great run, but had a puncture in the last one,” said Al-Wahaibi. “I really attacked this afternoon. I took it a bit easier in the morning and pressed hard this afternoon. We’ve certainly got the car set up for Qatar. I think we have found something very positive for there. All is good. Looking forward to the next one. I had a very fun day today and that’s what it’s all about.”
Co-driver Tony Sircombe added: “Today was a much better day for us. There was no pressure and it was more about concentrating on the driving and the notes. It was also a bit of a test for the next rally in Qatar. We were pushing pretty hard on the first loop of stages, setting fastest times, so we weren’t playing around.
“On the second group of stages we changed the set-up to what we may use in a couple of weeks’ time. That enabled us to improve on the rougher stuff. All in all, it was pretty good and we are looking forward to the next rally in Qatar.”
Action in the FIA Middle East Rally Championship resumes with the Qatar International Rally on February 10th-12th.
Ends
For further information: contact Ameen Jarrar, Marketing and PR, Oman Rally Team, Tel: +968 9543 9859.