KUWAIT CITY, March 11: The countdown to round 2 of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship has begun with a 28 — car lineup that includes the Middle East’s top — tier drivers poised to do battle come March 21 — 23, 2013. The 614.51km FIA — sanctioned rally, a culmination of four rounds of Kuwait National Rallies, is being organized by Kuwait Quarter Mile Auto & Motorcycle Club in Co — operation with Kuwait International Automobile Club (KIAC) and will be staged over two days with 12 loose — graveled special stages stretching a total distance of 241.80km leaving the road section to cover 372.71 km. Speaking to the Arab Times, a member of the rally organizing committee and Clerk of Course (COC) of the rally, Mishari Al — Sabti said after four successful rounds of Kuwait National rally, motorsport enthusiasts should rest assured they’re going to be witnessing a more adrenalin — packed Kuwait International Rally which will also be known as FIA Middle East Rally Championships round 2 to be staged in the sands of the Julai’a circuit in south of Kuwait, a follow up to the Qatar International Rally championships held in Qatar late January this year.

Al — Sabti laid out the entire program of all the events leading up to the rally including the rally itself slated for March 21 — 23. He urged all motorsport enthusiasts to attend the event in their numbers since there would be no fee charged. Mishal Al — Nejadi, leading in the Kuwait rally series so far, is counting on a new power boost to aide his victory quest through familiar territory in the coming Kuwait International Rally — the second round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship. Al — Nejadi hopes to maintain the edge going into the FIA sanctioned MERC which he admits will be far from a piece of cake with the impressive array of international grade drivers and co — drivers lined up ready for action come rally time. Al — Nejadi who is to continue with the Mini Cooper — S2000 that propelled him to the top through the rounds of the Kuwait National Rally, said however that the minimum he and his co — driver, Ali Al — Shamali, an international jet — ski champion and Goodwill Ambassador in motorsports hope for is to finish on top of all Kuwaiti drivers in the competition. He is eyeing victory in the coming rally to announce his triumphant entry onto the international rally stage away from the Kuwaiti tracks.

The Kuwait rally route which had been based in the north has now been moved to the flat sands of Julai’a in the south is poised to host the 614.51 kms race that includes 12 special stages within the Al — Zour and Bneider areas. Al — Nejadi and his co — pilot will be attempting to negotiate the special stages with relative ease as the two top seeds of Kuwait have had time to test all but two of those special stages. Al Nejadi was a bit apprehensive of the two special stages, saying that one of the two stages is “very long and rugged”.
Al — Nejadi, still leading with 52 points from the four rounds of the Kuwait National rally, said he’s comfortable going into the upcoming rally and looking forward to winning at least the Kuwait version for the second year in a row. He is thankful to Ali AlGhanim Automotive Company, sole dealers of Mini Cooper in Kuwait for the continued sponsorship. He lamented however that if the problem of sponsorship gets out of the way, many more Kuwaitis will eventually be catapulted onto the international scene to win laurels and glories for their dear motherland.

Kuwait National Rally Current Standings
1. Mishal Al Nejadi — 52 points
2. Alaa Rashed — 40 points
3. Mufeed Mubarak — 36 points
4. Abdullah Al Hajri — 36 points
5. Mohammed Al — Hargan — 34 points
6. Mishari Al Thafiri — 33 points
7. Ibrahim Al — Muhanna — 33 points
8. Masoud Al Saleh — 25 points

Meanwhile, one of the strongest contestants to the MERC trophy on the list, Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi of UAE who finished second with 18 points behind Qatar’s 10 times winner Nasser Al Attiyah with 25 points after the first leg of the Middle East Rally championships in Qatar, has urged his UAE compatriots Mohammed Al Sahlawi, Mohammed Al Mutawaa, Bader Al Jabri and Majid Al Shamsi set to participate in the race to have the trophies and titles at the back of their minds as they concentrate on finishing events to build experience for themselves.
He advised the young drivers saying that motorsports authorities in the Emirates are working on creating new opportunities for young Emirati drivers in the area of international motorsport and one of the first lessons is that they should they should work hard to make an impact as success doesn’t come overnight. “Every driver who gets behind the wheel of a rally car aims to win but you have to take things one step at a time in the sport with the immediate priority being protecting your car and finishing events”, he noted.

FIA Middle East Rally Championship Current Standings
1. Nasser Al Attiyah (QAT) — 25 pts
2. Khalid Al Qassimi (UAE) — 18 pts
3. Abdulaziz Al Kuwari (QAT) — 15 pts
4. Khalid Al Suwaidi (QAT) — 12 pts
5. Adullah Al Qassimi(UAE) — 10 pts
6. Yazeed Al Rajhi (KSA) — 8 pts
7. Abdulla Al Kuwari (QAT) — 6 pts
8. Bader Al Jabri (UAE) — 4 pts

By Iddris Seidu
Arab Times Staff