The FIA Middle East Rally Championship got
underway with the Qatar International Rally
on Friday - with defending champion Nasser
al Attiyah immediately setting the pace.
The Qatari was pushed hard all the way though
- the Ford Fiesta driver was trailing at the
half way point of the race.
Al Attiyah though secured victory when his
nearest rival Khalid al Qassimi's Citroen
suffered a puncture on the tenth of the event's
12 special stages.
Until that point, Al Qassimi had been well
in the hunt for the new five-car Abu Dhabi
Racing team.
However, his misfortune enabled Al Attiyah
to reach the finish in Doha with a winning
margin of 55.7 seconds.
Qatar's Abdulaziz Al Kuwari finished third
in his Ford Fiesta.
Burcu Cetinkya took a tumble in her Mitsubishi
but still managed to become the first woman
home in thirteenth position overall.
