Doha: Qatar's Nasser bin Saleh Al Attiyah was crowned on Saturday as the champion of the 42nd Jordan Rally, the fourth round of the Middle East Rally Championship (MERC), held in the Dead Sea region. Al Attiyah dominated the race, winning 11 out of 12 special stages, securing his second consecutive and record 17th Jordan Rally title.
According to Qatar News Agency, this victory marks Al Attiyah's 90th MERC career win, which he is aiming to win for a record 20th time since he began competing in the series in 2003, further extending his unprecedented record. Driving their Skoda Fabia RS, Al Attiyah along with his Spanish co-driver Candido Carrera, completed the rally with a total time of 2:13:47.7 hours, finishing 2 minutes and 54.8 seconds ahead of Oman's Abdullah Al Rawahi and his Jordanian co-driver Ata Al Hmoud in their Skoda Fabia R5, with a time of 2:16:42.5 hours. The 3rd place went to Qatar's Abdulaziz Al Kuwari and his Irish co-driver Lorcan Moore driving a Citroen C3 Rally2, clocking in at 2:19:01.3 hours.
Saudi driver Bassel Abu Hamdan and his Lebanese co-driver Firas Elias secured the 4th place in their Skoda Fabia R5 Rally2 with a time of 2:33:25.3 hours, while Omani driver Abdullah Al Zubair and his compatriot co-driver Taha Al Zadjali completed the top five in a Subaru Impreza N14 with a time of 2:37:60.0 hours.
After winning the previous three rounds in Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, Al Attiyah continued to lead by clinching his fourth consecutive win in the season. He is now very close to securing his 20th MERC title, with only two rounds remaining - in Lebanon (September 5-7) and Cyprus (October 3-5).
Following his victory, Al Attiyah expressed his joy at winning the Jordan Rally for the 17th time and strengthening his dominance in the MERC standings. He stated that it is a wonderful feeling to have won the Jordan Rally 17 times out of 22 participations and expressed satisfaction with his performance and the hosts' organization. Al Attiyah noted that this win has helped him consolidate his position at the top of the championship standings, indicating that he now only needs two or three points from the upcoming rallies in Lebanon and Cyprus to clinch his 20th MERC title.