Al Attiyah, Al Rawahi spearhead Oman Rally challenge

Doha, Qatar: The three day Oman International Rally gets underway from the Sohar Entertainment Centre today. Competitors from 10 nations will tackl...

Doha, Qatar: The three-day Oman International Rally gets underway from the Sohar Entertainment Centre today.

Competitors from 10 nations will tackle 13 timed gravel special stages and 215.44 kilometres timed against the clock on this opening round of the 2026 FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) organised by the Oman Automobile Association (OAA).

Fresh from a sixth Dakar Rally success last weekend, Qatar's Nasser Al Attiyah (pictured) will be aiming to begin his challenge for a record-breaking 21st regional title with a ninth win in Oman. He teams up with Candido Carrera in a Škoda Fabia RS that he was able to shakedown on a nearby gravel stage on Tuesday afternoon.

Al Attiyah admitted that it had taken a couple of days of sensible diet and rest to recover physically and mentally from his recent Dakar exploits. He said: “This is part of the life. We need to keep running in the Middle East to improve the championship. If I stop, it will not be nice. We need to bring in a new generation of drivers. We finished Dakar. It was a great result for us.

“I was testing on Tuesday and then we have the official shakedown. Everything is good. The stages are nice, similar to last year with a few parts changed. I am quite happy to be back here in Oman. This is one of the best rallies, the terrain, the gravel.”