Rally Around the World #21

It is the starting of a modern season for the regional rally championships and 2020 all over another time guarantees thrilling competition for males and machines in each place in the globe.

FIA MIDDLE EAST RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP – OMAN INTERNATIONAL RALLY (ROUND 1/5)

The regional rally sequence launched into circulate earlier this month with the gap occasion of the 5-spherical FIA Center East Rally Championship, Oman World Rally (6-8 February). The Sultanate hosted the occasion for the primary time since 2015, with eighteen groups tackling three days of aggressive circulate on annoying gravel particular phases within the Al-Hajar mountains.

Defending regional champion Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah started the defence of his title in emphatic trend with a convincing launch-to-personal victory. The Qatari and French co-driver Matthieu Baumel won every of the 12 particular phases (SS9 became once cancelled) in their Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 and romped to a a success margin of over 5 minutes. The success became once Al-Attiyah’s sixth in Oman as he tries to spoil Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s tale of seven wins within the Sultanate. Baumel has now won the occasion twice (2015 and 2020).

Oman’s Abdullah Al-Rawahi delivered a stable performance on his Rally2 debut to stable second arena with Jordanian co-driver Ata Al-Hmoud in a Ford Fiesta, while Qatar’s Nasser Khalifa Al-Attiyah and Italian co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini rounded off the podium areas within the third of the Ford Fiesta R5s.

In fourth total, the Omani pairing of Zakariya Al-Ofi and Ammar Al-Balooshi sealed the victory within the FIA MERC2 category, making basically the most of technical points affecting Abdullah Al-Zubair and Meshari Jarah Al-Tauqi, who needed to retire on the second loop.

The FIA Center East Rally Championship resumes with the Manateq Qatar World Rally on 9-11 April.

Deem concerning the occasion’s picture gallery here. The FIA MERC standings would possibly perhaps perhaps perhaps moreover be consulted on the FIA net pages.

FIA AFRICAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP – BANDAMA RALLY, IVORY COAST (ROUND 1/7)

This weekend, the rally circulate strikes from the Arabian Peninsula to West Africa for the kick-off spherical of the FIA African Rally Championship.

The Ivory Fly’s 46th Bandama Rally (21-23 February) will high-tail over 12 particular phases – all on gravel excluding for the Enormous Particular stage that choices ten per cent of asphalt roads – totalling 2 legs and 273.22 aggressive kilometres spherical Yamoussoukro.

South Africa’s national rally champions Guy Botterill and co-driver Simon Vacy-Lyle top the 14-car entry record with a Toyota Etios and will battle it out against competitors from the Ivory Fly and one French crew.

For added data, consult with the occasion’s net pages.