Omani rally drivers all set for the new challenge in Jordan
The Omani rally drivers Abdullah al Rawahi, Zakariya al Amri and Abdullah al Zubair, are all set and prepared to take part in upcoming challenge in Jordan International Rally, the fourth round of the Middle East Rally Championship, which will gear up on Friday and Saturday with wide participation from different countries and competitors, including championship's leader, Qatari Nasser Al Attiyah, and the Saudi Rakan Al Rashid who is second overall and the third in the championship Abdullah al Rawahi.
The Dead Sea stages and Jordan valley host the rally this year as usual, which consists of 12 stages over two days in Baptism, Panorama, Suwyma, Karamah, Tal Hilal and Wadi Nar, covering a distance of approximately 200 km as Special Stages.
The Jordan International Rally, which is considered one of the toughest rallies in the region and also one of the most enjoyable at the same time, will of course witness strong competition between the most prominent names, Nasser Al Attiyah and Rakan Al Rashed, the Omani Abdullah al Rawahi, and the Qatari Abdulaziz Al Kuwari, in addition to a group of Jordanian drivers.
In Merc 2 group the competition will be strong between Omanis Abdullah al Zubair and Zakariya al Amri for the lead in the Merc 2 (N category), as Al Amri still leads the category by 15 points over Al Zubair.
A quick review of this rally shows that competition will not be easy between Al Attiyah and Al Rawahi, as both have long experience in the Jordan International Rally, Al Attiyah is the most successful driver there, meanwhile Al Rawahi is building his ambitions to win the rally, given that he started his rally carrier in Jordan rallies and has won numerous titles there, both in the Jordan National Rallies and the International Rallies including the MERC championship in 2023.
Al Rawahi, who will be accompanied by Jordanian Atta Al Hamoud in the navigation seat, and on board a Skoda Fabia, explained that he will do his best in terms of effort and work inside the car to win this time and remove the bad luck that has plagued him in the past three rallies this year, despite many differences in the participating teams in terms of capabilities, technical teams and support.
He said, "First, I would like to thank the supporters and sponsors , the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth (MoCSY), the Oman Automobile Association, OQ Group, National Finance, Al Manar, WMS, Strike, Size, and Zamakan for standing behind us in this championship'. He added that as everyone knows, the Jordan Rally is difficult especially in the Dead Sea and Jordan valley, in the hot weather and varied terrain, the other competitors' cars are better and newer than mine, but will not stop me from working on the stages and focusing on the race and we will leave the results until the end." As for the competitor Zakariya al Amri and his navigator Mohammed al Mazroui, on board a Subaru Impreza (N14), he has classified the rally as one of the most rugged rallies in some places, but we are now focused on maintaining the lead in the category and we are working on that in this rally. I am ready with my colleague Mohammed and we look forward to continuing the lead in the category and presenting a strong race.
I would like to thank the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, the Oman Automobile Association and Al Fayhaa Real Estate Development for their support of this championship.
Our other competitor, Abdullah al Zubair, and his well-known co-driver, Taha Soomar, are also participating in the rally in a Subaru Impreza. He is currently in second place in the Merc 2 category behind Zakariya al Amri and is aiming to reach the podium after his strong and distinguished performance in the Saudi Rally.
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