Latest news with #ZakariaAlAmri
Times of Oman
3 days ago
- General
- Times of Oman
Al Zubair wins Merc 2 in Jordan International Rally
Muscat: Omani rally driver Abdullah Al Zubair topped the N group in Merc 2 in Jordan International rally which was a strong and more than impressive result, achieving fifth place in the overall rally standings in his Subaru Impreza, followed directly by his teammate Zakaria Al Amri. The rally, which consisted of 12 stages, between mountainous and near the Dead Sea, witnessed success in terms of organization and participation, as 22 cars participated in various categories. Champion Abdullah Al-Rawahy topped the morning stages on Friday in Til Hilali, Karamah, and Baptism, but he lost the title against Nasser Al Attiyah meanwhile Abdullah Al-Zubair and his navigator Taha Soomar continued to dominate the Merc 2 group despite the attempts of the rest of the competitors to catch him, especially his direct competitor Zakaria Al-Amri and his navigator Mohammed Al-Mazrui and other local competitors from Jordan and Lebanon. Nevertheless, Al-Amri still leads the category by 9 points over Al-Zubair, who aspires to win the title this year. Abdullah Al Zubair secured the lead in his group from the day one and took it easy on himself on the second day, slowing down after securing a significant lead over the competitor chasing him. Al Amri, meanwhile, had a great race but encountered some problems with his car on the day one, which he was able to recover on the following day and gain good times. The second day of the rally, which took place in Panorama, Suwayma and Wadi Nar, in the Merc 2 group witnessed competition between colleagues Abdullah Al-Zubair and Zakaria Al-Amri to seize the category title, but Al-Zubair presented a balanced and exceptional performance and implemented a clear strategy to maintain the difference between him and the rest, he was able to decide the matter in advance during the first day's competition, and his strong and fast time in the group gave him the lead in the Jordan International Rally category, and he secured 30 points in the category in the Middle East Rally Championship after concluding his fourth round in Jordan, towards competing for the lead. The winner of the first place in the in (N) category, Abdullah Al Zubair, with his navigator Taha Soomar, said that the rally was special in terms of the competition, which was fierce in many stages, but thank God I outperformed many of the competitors who had stronger cars and in a larger category than my category, and we succeeded in achieving the goal, which was to win first place in the category to reduce the lead in the group with my colleague Zakaria Al Amri, and I am happy with this, I also hope that private sector companies will support the competitors who achieve international successes in the name of the Sultanate, especially since these sports are very expensive. I thank everyone who stood behind us in this rally and championship, the supporters, Taha Soomar's my assistants, and the technical team for the great job, it is worth mentioning that many of those witnessed and drivers at the rally asked Al Zubair to participate next year with an R5 category car, as he was one of the fastest drivers in the rally. For his part, competitor Zakaria Al Amri said that the rally was difficult and arduous and he faced some problems in some stages, but he was able to overcome them and and recover and presented an ideal race despite the fierce competition, rough stages and hot weather. He added, 'Thank God, we are still at the top of the Merc 2 group and we will try to maintain this lead in the upcoming rallies and win the category. I thank my navigator Mohammed Al Mazrui for all the support, as well as the audience who came to support us in this rally in Jordan from Oman.'
Times of Oman
4 days ago
- General
- Times of Oman
Al Zuabir leads Merc 2 in Jordan International rally after superb driving followed by Al Amri
Muscat: Omani rally driver Abdullah Al Zubair topped the N group in Merc 2 in Jordan International rally which was a strong and more than impressive result, achieving fifth place in the overall rally standings in his Subaru Impreza, followed directly by his teammate Zakaria Al Amri. The rally, which consisted of 12 stages, between mountainous and near the Dead Sea, witnessed success in terms of organization and participation, as 22 cars participated in various categories. Champion Abdullah Al-Rawahy topped the morning stages on Friday in Til Hilali, Karamah, and Baptism, but he lost the title against Nasser Al Attiyah meanwhile Abdullah Al-Zubair and his navigator Taha Soomar continued to dominate the Merc 2 group despite the attempts of the rest of the competitors to catch him, especially his direct competitor Zakaria Al-Amri and his navigator Mohammed Al-Mazrui and other local competitors from Jordan and Lebanon. Nevertheless, Al-Amri still leads the category by 9 points over Al-Zubair, who aspires to win the title this year. Abdullah Al Zubair secured the lead in his group from the day one and took it easy on himself on the second day, slowing down after securing a significant lead over the competitor chasing him. Al Amri, meanwhile, had a great race but encountered some problems with his car on the day one, which he was able to recover on the following day and gain good times. The second day of the rally, which took place in Panorama, Suwayma and Wadi Nar, in the Merc 2 group witnessed competition between colleagues Abdullah Al-Zubair and Zakaria Al-Amri to seize the category title, but Al-Zubair presented a balanced and exceptional performance and implemented a clear strategy to maintain the difference between him and the rest, he was able to decide the matter in advance during the first day's competition, and his strong and fast time in the group gave him the lead in the Jordan International Rally category, and he secured 30 points in the category in the Middle East Rally Championship after concluding his fourth round in Jordan, towards competing for the lead. The winner of the first place in the in (N) category, Abdullah Al Zubair, with his navigator Taha Soomar, said that the rally was special in terms of the competition, which was fierce in many stages, but thank God I outperformed many of the competitors who had stronger cars and in a larger category than my category, and we succeeded in achieving the goal, which was to win first place in the category to reduce the lead in the group with my colleague Zakaria Al Amri, and I am happy with this, I also hope that private sector companies will support the competitors who achieve international successes in the name of the Sultanate, especially since these sports are very expensive. I thank everyone who stood behind us in this rally and championship, the supporters, Taha Soomar's my assistants, and the technical team for the great job, it is worth mentioning that many of those witnessed and drivers at the rally asked Al Zubair to participate next year with an R5 category car, as he was one of the fastest drivers in the rally. For his part, competitor Zakaria Al Amri said that the rally was difficult and arduous and he faced some problems in some stages, but he was able to overcome them and and recover and presented an ideal race despite the fierce competition, rough stages and hot weather.
Times of Oman
24-05-2025
- Automotive
- Times of Oman
Omani trio Al Rawahi, Al Amri and Al Zubair set for the new challenge in Jordan International rally
Muscat: The Omani rally drivers Abdullah Al Rawahi, Zakaria 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 AlRawahi. 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 kilometers 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 Zakaria 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, 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 Zakaria Al Amri and his navigator Mohammed Al Mazrui, 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 Zakaria Al Amri, and is aiming to reach the podium after his strong and distinguished performance in the Saudi Rally.
Times of Oman
04-05-2025
- Automotive
- Times of Oman
Al Zubair steers Oman to glory with Group N win in Rally Saudi Arabia
MUSCAT: Omani rally driver Abdullah Al Zubair delivered a stellar performance at the inaugural Rally Saudi Arabia in Jeddah on Saturday, clinching first place in the Group N (MERC2) category and strengthening his position in the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) standings. Fellow Omani driver Zakaria Al Amri also impressed, finishing third in the same category despite facing multiple challenges. Driving his trusted Subaru Impreza alongside co-driver Taha Soomar, Al Zubair dominated the Group N field from the outset of the demanding two-day rally, which marked the third round of the MERC. The event returned to the Middle East calendar after a long hiatus and was widely regarded as one of the most grueling legs of the championship due to rocky terrain, high temperatures, and multiple stage cancellations. 'First of all, thank God we succeeded in this rally,' Al Zubair said after the finish. 'My thanks to my co-driver Taha Soomar, the technical team and everyone who supported us. This race was really tiring – seven competitors were forced to retire. We set a clear strategy from the start, and our goal was to lead the category. Thankfully, we achieved it,' he added. Despite tyre issues on several stages, Al Zubair not only maintained his lead throughout the rally but also recorded times that challenged cars from the faster Rally2 category. The win marked his second major Group N victory of the season after topping the MERC2 class at the 28th Oman International Rally in Sohar, where he also secured a sixth-place overall finish. 'This rally was very nice, very fast,' Al Zubair added. 'It's been challenging – you really have to trust your pace notes here. I'm happy with the performance and we'll build on this momentum.' Meanwhile, Zakaria Al Amri, also representing Oman in the same category, showed resilience after battling car issues and tyre blowouts that slowed his pace. Driving with co-driver Mohammed Al Marzui, Al Amri secured a valuable third place in Group N, which allowed him to retain his lead in the championship points table. 'The stages were difficult and resulted in many tyre punctures,' said Al Amri. 'I had hoped for a better pace, but I'm happy with the additional points and the third-place finish. I appreciate the team's support and look forward to improving in the next round in Jordan.' Qatar's legendary driver Nasser Al Attiyah won the overall rally and extended his own dominant run in the MERC, having previously triumphed in Oman and Qatar.
