Already nine points clear of his nearest rival in the regional series after winning the Qatar Rally for a 13th time last month, the 11-time Middle East champion is chasing a 62nd victory in the series and his second in a Skoda Fabia R5 with French navigator Matthieu Baumel.
Realistically only one other driver can prevent the al-Attiyah steamroller from flattening down the dust in the deserts to the south of Kuwait City.
The second R5 car will be driven by Khaled al-Suwaidi, another Qatari to fall foul of bad fortune in Mexico last month. Al-Suwaidi and Italian navigator Giovanni Bernacchini hold second place in the regional rally series in their Ford Fiesta R5 and realise the importance of reaching the finish if they are to have any chance of winning a maiden title. Al-Suwaidi won the Kuwait event outright in 2012 with British navigator Nick Beech.
Abdulaziz al-Kuwari has endured a torrid start to his season in a second Skoda: a heavy crash in Qatar and a couple of mechanical breakages and a crash in Rally Mexico have left the Qatari empty-handed from his opening two events of the season, but he and Irish navigator Killian Duffy were due a run of better fortune, after the remains of their wrecked Skoda was returned to Europe after the Qatar Rally.
Abdulaziz had planned to use a brand new car in Kuwait and airfreight the new Skoda from Europe, but the plan hit an obstacle at the 11th hour and the crew will not start.
Engine issues meant that Kuwait’s Masoud al-Saleh was not able to join the final list in his Ford Fiesta S2000.
There is a new points-scoring system in this year’s championship. The FIA has revised the traditional 25 points for a win, 18 for second and 15 for third-style format for FIA Regional Rallies. In addition to these points, additional bonuses are to be awarded according to the classification of each leg on the scale of seven down to one.
Therefore, the winner of the rally will be awarded 25 points, plus an additional seven for winning the second day and up to a maximum of seven more points for leading after day one.
The R5 cars are more powerful and have better handling and body strength than their NR4 counterparts, although the remainder of the entry on the event being hosted by the Basil Salem Al-Sabah Motor Racing Club (BMRC) consists of an impressive array of Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions and Subaru Imprezas in the hands of drivers from Kuwait, Qatar, Lebanon, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
The popular Group N category has been re-branded as FIA MERC 2 this year and utilises the FIA’s new revised points format as well. Qatar’s Rashid al-Naimi currently leads the secondary series on 38 points and has a seven-point advantage over fellow Qatari Abdullah al-Kuwari. Both drivers are present in Kuwait and will be partnered by their respective Italian and Qatari navigators, Nicola Arena and Adel Hussein.
Meshari al-Thafiri also has a fabulous opportunity to win MERC 2 and can even see the possibility of a podium finish on his home rally. “It promises to be a fantastic battle in our category with many drivers and the target for all of us now is a podium finish as well as winning MERC 2,” said the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X driver.
Young Rodolphe Asmar collected 20 valuable points on his first appearance in the MERC outside Lebanon in Qatar last month. He is tied for third place in the points’ standings with the Italian Stephano Marrini, although his rival is not present in Kuwait.
Husam Salem retired before the second leg of the Qatar Rally, but the new points-scoring system enabled the Jordanian to amass five points for his leg one performance. He is not present in Kuwait either and that has opened the door for the likes of Khalifa al-Attiyah, Jassim al-Muqahwi, Yigit Timur, Mohammed al-Thafiri, Vedat Diker, Saleh Ali, Rakan al-Rashed and Elie Chachati to get their MERC 2 challenges off the ground.
“I really enjoyed the recce and the stages are nice, although the first one on Friday morning could be tricky,” said Saudi Arabian Rakan al-Rashed. “This is only my second rally. I competed in Dubai in November last year and the plan is to do more rallies this season. I just want to gain more experience.”
The official pre-event press conference, ceremonial start and the opening 1.8km special stage take place at the Sirbb circuit from 15.30hrs, 16.30hrs and 18.00hrs, respectively, on Thursday afternoon.
Heads of Saudi, UAE, Qatar and Bahrain motor sport authorities lay down vision for new GCC series
Prince Sultan bin Bandar al-Faisal (centre) with Mohamed Ben Sulayem and Abdul Rahman bin Abdul Latif al-Mannai (right).
The heads of the national motor sport authorities in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain have joined forces to develop a new regional series aimed at attracting and developing new talent.
The format for a new GCC motor sport championship will be shaped over the next few months by officials of the Saudi Arabian Motor Federation (SAMSF), the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE), the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) and the Bahrain Motor Federation (BMF).
This follows a meeting in Riyadh yesterday between SAMSF President Prince Sultan bin Bandar al-Faisal, ATCUAE President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, and new QMMF chairman Abdul Rahman bin Abdul Latif al-Mannai.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Isa al-Khalifah, the BMF President, was unable to attend the meeting but took part in a conference call with his three counterparts to decide on a plan of action and applauded the initiative.
“The future of motor sport in this region depends on the development of a new series of events which are more affordable, and which are designed to attract and accommodate a new generation of young talent,” said Sulayem, who received a warm welcome from Prince Sultan.
“The national motor sport authorities of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain are committed to working closely together to design a new championship which will make regional motor sport sustainable in the years ahead.
“It was a very positive meeting, and I and my three counterparts were in full agreement on the course of action that now needs to be taken for the benefit of motor sport.”
Added Sulayem: “Prince Sultan and Sheikh Abdullah welcomed this initiative and pledged their full support to develop a series which will be attractive to both Arabic and expatriate competitors.”
“Together, we recognise the increasingly important role that can be played by sport in reinforcing relationships between our countries.”
