Kuwait International Rally, March 10-12, 2011
2011 FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC), round 2 of 7
For immediate release
Wednesday, March 9th, 2011
JORDAN’S AMMAR HIJAZI SET TO RUN HIS NEW SKODA
FABIA S2000 IN 2011 KUWAIT INTERNATIONAL RALLY
· Lebanon’s Joseph Matar set for second ride as co-driver
· Al-Mimari Est. for Trade & Industry supports Skoda programme
KUWAIT CITY (Kuwait): Jordanian rally driver Ammar Hijazi has arrived in the State of Kuwait and is making his final preparations for this weekend’s Kuwait International Rally, the second round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship.
Hijazi debuted his exciting new Skoda Fabia S2000 rally car in last month’s Qatar International Rally and finished in an excellent sixth position overall. The result also catapulted the Amman-based businessman into fourth position in the Drivers’ Championship behind Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, the UAE’s Sheikh Abdullah Al-Qassimi and Kuwait’s Essam Al-Nejadi.
Ammar’s new Skoda is supported by Al Mimari Est. for Trade & Industry and has been supplied by top Lebanese rally driver Roger Feghali, who will run the Czech car under his Motor Tune banner in Kuwait.
For the second successive event, Hijazi will be partnered by the experienced Lebanese co-driver Joseph Matar, who also holds fourth position in his respective Co-drivers’ Championship after the first of seven rounds. Matar has 12 points and trails Italy’s Giovanni Bernacchini, England’s Steve Lancaster and Kuwait’s Anawr Al-Shraah.
“We made a good positive start to the new season and I am looking forward to the rally in Kuwait immensely,” insisted Hijazi. “There is a good strong entry from Kuwait and some top class international drivers, so it will not be easy to reach the top five and score points.”
Hijazi is one of two Jordanian entrants on the provisional 23-car entry list. Mazan Tantash and co-driver Zeid Abu Zeid have also entered the rally in a Subaru Impreza and join an international field of drivers that includes the in-form Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, the UAE’s Sheikh Abdullah Al-Qassimi and Rashid Al-Ketbi and Saudi Arabia’s Ahmed Al-Sabban.
The event timetable kicks off with scrutineering and documentation on Thursday, March 10th and the two days of competitive action take place over sandy and gravelly special stages in the Kuwait desert on Friday, March 11th and Saturday, March 12th.
There will be a ceremonial start outside the Holiday Inn Salmiya Hotel in Kuwait City from 18.00hrs on Thursday evening.
2011 FIA Middle East Rally Championship
Positions after round 1 of 7
Drivers’ Championship
1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QA) 25 pts
2. Abdullah Al-Qassimi (UAE) 18 pts
3. Essam Al-Nejadi (KT) 15 pts
4. Ammar Hijazi (HKJ) 12 pts
5. Nancy Al-Majali (HKJ) 10 pts
6. Fahad Ashkanani (KT) 8 pts
Co-drivers’ Championship
1. Giovanni Bernacchini (I) 25 pts
2. Steve Lancaster (GB) 18 pts
3. Anwar Al-Shraah (KT) 15 pts
4. Joseph Matar (RL) 12 pts
5. Nadia Shnoudeh (HKJ) 10 pts
6. Husein Gadanfar (KT) 8 pts
Ends
Neil Perkins, NDP Publicity Services, UK Mobile: + 44 7831 123153, E-mail: NDPPublicity@googlemail.com, www.ndp-publicity.com (press releases)