MUSCAT: Qatar's Nasser Saleh al Attiyah has won the Oman International Rally 2025, the first round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC), hosted by the Oman Automobile Association (OAA).
Winning nine out of 13 special stages driving their Skoda Fabia RS, al Attiyah and his new Spanish co-driver Candido Carrera led overall standings with a total time of 2:12:27.3 hours, ahead of their closest competitor by 6:13.6 minutes, Saudi driver Rakan Al Rashed and his Portuguese co-driver Hugo Magalhaes, who came in 2nd place and recorded a total time of 2:18:40.9 hours in their Toyota GR Yaris Rally 2, followed by Qatar's Nasser Khalifa al Attiyah and his Lebanese co-driver Ziad Chehab who finished in 3rd place with a total time of 2:36:32.9 hours, driving their Ford Fiesta MK Rally 2.
Qatar's Rashed al Muhannadi and his Irish co-driver Gary Mcelhinney secured 4th place with a time of 2:45:51.5 hours driving their Peugeot 208 Rally 4, while Jordanian driver Shadi Shaban and his fellow countryman Samer Issa completed the top five with a time of 2:48:06.7 hours in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X.
This victory marks al Attiyah's 8th record-breaking win in the Oman International Rally and his 87th in MERC out of 235 rounds, putting him on track for his goal of a 20th MERC title.
The Qatari defending champion Abdulaziz al Kuwari had the misfortune of having to withdraw two stages before the finish line due to a mechanical failure in his car, after having been in third place in the overall standings.
The focus now shifts to the second round of MERC, the Qatar International Rally, which will take place from February 6 to 8, and see fierce competition among the region's top drivers.
