2011 KUWAIT INTERNATIONAL RALLY, March 10-12, 2011
FIA Middle East Rally Championship, round two
For immediate release
Monday, February 28th, 2011
MEXICO-BOUND NASSER SALEH AL-ATTIYAH
TOPS KUWAIT INTERNATIONAL RALLY ENTRY
· Drivers entered from the UAE, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Jordan
· UAE’s Rashid Al-Ketbi returns in Fazza Team Skoda Fabia S2000
· 23 teams provisionally set to start second round of 2011 MERC
KUWAIT CITY (Kuwait): Six-time FIA Middle East rally champion Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah will start as the favourite to take his second victory in the Kuwait International Rally, round two of the regional series, which takes place on March 10-12.
Entries for the revised event, which is being organised by the Kuwait International Automobile Club (KIAC) and the Kuwait Quarter Mile Club, closed on Saturday with a provisional 23 cars set to start the rally.
The event runs under the chairmanship of Sheikh Duaj Fahad Al-Duaj Al-Sabah, chairman of the higher organising committee of the KIAC, and the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Ahmad Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the deputy prime minister for development affairs and chairman of the Kuwait Olympic Committee.
Al-Attiyah and Italian co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini are taking part in Rally Mexico – the second round of the FIA World Rally Championship – this weekend and face a race against time to jet back from Central America to take their place on the start line of the Kuwait event four days later.
In that time they will also have to carry out their monitored reconnaissance of the special stages in the Kuwait desert before the start ceremony gets underway at the Holiday Inn Salmiya Hotel from 6pm on Thursday, March 10th.
Sharjah’s Sheikh Abdullah Al-Qassimi is another of the top international seeds to enter the Kuwait Rally in the Ford Fiesta S2000 in which he finished second overall behind Al-Attiyah in last month’s Qatar International Rally.
Rashid Al-Ketbi returns to the regional rally series after missing the opening round. The Emirati teams up with Khalid Al-Kendi to run a Skoda Fabia S2000 entered under the Fazza Team banner.
The experienced Qatar duo of Jaber Al-Marri and former regional champion Sheikh Hamed Bin Eid Al-Thani also represent the State of Qatar alongside Al-Attiyah and Abdullah Al-Rabban.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be represented by Ahmed Al-Sabban, Ammar Hijazi and Mazen Tantash have entered from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and Lebanon’s Michel Saleh joins an impressive line-up of 13 drivers from the State of Kuwait.
Further details are available from the Kuwait International Automobile Club (KIAC), PO Box 2100, Safat, 13021 Kuwait, Tel: + (965) 2482 7521 and 253 55522, Fax: + (965) 2484 1433, E-mail: kiac@kiac.com.kw or abuarja@kiac.com.kw
Ends
For further information:
Neil Perkins, NDP Publicity Services, International Media Liaison, 2011 Kuwait International Rally, Mobile: + 44 7831 123153, E-mail: ndppublicity@googlemail.com,
www.ndp-publicity.com (press releases).
www.merc-fia.com
www.kuwaitrally.com