Middle East's Leading Drivers Line-Up for Qatar Rally

Doha, January 22 (QNA) - The Middle East s finest rally drivers have completed day one of their reconnaissance of the new special stages in the Qatar desert that will become the battleground for this weekend s Qatar International Rally, round one of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC), organised by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF). Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah is now back from his recent foray on the Dakar Rally in South America and keen to continue his tremendous run of form in the MERC that has seen him win the regional title eight times in the last 10 seasons and the Qatar Rally nine times in the same period. Al-Attiyah will run one of a fleet of Ford Fiesta RRCs looked after on the event by Autotek Motorsport and several of the rally technicians who supported him for those nine thrilling stages of the recent Dakar where he pushed Mini s St?phane Peterhansel all the way and secured three stage wins in a virtually new Californian-built-Buggy. "The Dakar was a fantastic experience for me and I am proud of what we achieved in such a short space of time," said Al-Attiyah. "But now it s back to the business of the Middle East Championship and making sure that I start the season with a win here. The entry is strong and it will not be easy." The UAE s Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi won the regional rally series in 2004 and has won seven MERC rallies but never the event in Qatar. At the helm of a new Abu Dhabi Racing Team this season, and with the experienced Scott Martin as his new co-driver, Khalid is relishing the start of his 2013 season and his new association with the Citron team. Al-Qassimi will drive one of three Citron DS3s entered in the Qatar International Rally. The other two cars from the French manufacturers stable will be in the hands of other members of the Abu Dhabi Racing Team. Young Emiratis Mohammed Al-Matawaa and Mohamed Al-Sahlawai drive the new machines and have the experienced Ulster co-drivers Stephen McAuley and Allan Harryman alongside. Former Abu Dhabi Junior Team members Majid Al-Shamsi and Bader Al-Jabri complete the new team line-up in a pair of Subaru Imprezas. John Higgins and Nicolas Klinger debut as co-drivers in Qatar. The 2013 Qatar International Rally gets underway from the QMMF at 08.00hrs on Friday and finishes at 16.20hrs on Saturday afternoon after 12 timed desert special stages. (QNA)