MERC – Qatar’s Al-Kuwari on pole for maiden title because the collection reaches a showdown in Cyprus

2024 FIA Center East Rally Championship – Cyprus Rally (October 18-24, spherical 3/3)

The unstable scenario in components of the Center East meant that the Rally of Lebanon was not a spherical of the FIA Center East Rally Championship (MERC) this yr and the Oman Car Affiliation not too long ago cancelled what would have been the ultimate spherical of the collection within the Sultanate of Oman in late November. 

That signifies that the Cyprus Rally will convey this yr’s shortened three-round collection to an exciting conclusion on October 18th-Twentieth and will nicely see the crowning of a first-time champion. 

Twenty-one drivers grace the entry listing for the Nicosia-based occasion and 6 of these are registered for MERC factors with three aiming for the general Drivers’ Championship. Qatari Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari at the moment has a 12-point lead over Jordanian Shaker Jweihan within the standings and sits 14 factors forward of Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah.

A end in fourth place or larger for Al-Kuwari within the normal classification and the Energy Stage can be enough for the Qatari to win the title for the primary time, though a slip up may see Al-Attiyah storm by means of to seal a Twentieth title if he had been to win the rally and the Energy Stage. Catastrophe for both of the Škoda drivers may see Jweihan add the MERC title to the MERC2 Championship he now has an unassailable lead in.  

Final yr’s Cyprus occasion noticed somewhat piece of rallying historical past made when Al-Attiyah and title rival Abdullah Al-Rawahi tied on factors on the finish of the season and couldn’t be break up on a tie-break ruling within the Sporting Laws for FIA Regional Rally Championships. A particular committee was arrange and the choice was taken to share the title between the 2 drivers with Al-Attiyah claiming a record-breaking nineteenth regional title and Al-Rawahi profitable his first. 

Following the cancellation of the Oman occasion in November, Al-Rawahi has withdrawn his entry from the Cyprus Rally, figuring out full nicely that he solely had a slim mathematical likelihood of regaining the title after selecting up factors for third in Qatar after which retiring in Jordan. 

Whereas Al-Kuwari and Rashid Al-Muhannadi drive a pair of SRT-run Škodas, eight-time occasion winner Al-Attiyah wheels out his standard Autotek Motorsport-run machine that he used for the primary time in Jordan in Could. Panayiotis Yiangou and Aristos Nicolaou are additionally registered for MERC factors of their Hyundai i20 R5 and a podium end for the Cypriot may nicely have an effect on the result of the MERC. 

Jordan’s Shaker Jweihan chasing doable MERC and MERC2 double 

Jweihan leads the MERC2 class by 12 factors from Shadi Shaban however none of his rivals have made the journey to Cyprus and the collection has been secured earlier than an engine is began in anger.
Lebanon’s Carlos Hanna is current because the co-driver alongside Jweihan, nevertheless, and a end would see him overhauling the absent Samer Issa to win the MERC2 Co-drivers’ Championship.

The Lebanese pairing of Shadi El-Fakih and Samer Sfeir are additionally chasing MERC4 factors of their Peugeot 208. They’re tied with the absent Saneem Payyakal and Musa Sherif on 30 factors and a end may give the duo each MERC4 titles. 

Italian veteran co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini sits alongside Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and shall be attempting to defend a slender lead within the MERC Co-drivers’ Championship. 

Whereas his closest rivals Loris Pascaud, Patrik Barth and Marshall Clarke aren’t current in Cyprus, the joint defending co-drivers’ champion Ata Al-Hmoud is competing with Al-Muhannadi. The Jordanian is sixth within the championship, 10 factors behind Bernacchini, and nonetheless has a slim likelihood of profitable the title for a second time. 

The rest of the sphere is made up of native drivers chasing factors within the Cyprus Nationwide Championship. They embrace Simos Galatariotis in his Petrolina Racing Crew Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 and Costas Zenonos in a Citroën DS3 R5, with the rest of the sphere entered in Rally3, Rally4 and group NR4 machines. 

Organised by the Cyprus Car Affiliation, rivals will face 12 primarily gravel particular phases and 191.20 aggressive kilometres on Saturday and Sunday. The occasion is predicated on the POED Constructing reverse the service park in Nicosia.

2024 Cyprus Rally – entry listing: 

Timetable of occasions