Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah and Italian navigator Giovanni Bernacchini stormed to an emphatic victory in the 2014 Jordan Rally, round three of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC).
The success was Al-Attiyah’s eighth in Jordan and his 53rd in MERC history.
“We had a strategy and it worked,” said the delighted Qatari, who now has a 24-point lead in this year’s title race with three rounds remaining later in the year. “This is another tremendous win for our team. It is developing into a superb season now. I just need to keep the momentum going.”
Bernacchini’s fourth Jordan Rally success marked his 24th regional rally victory and he duly equals Chris Patterson’s record as the joint second most successive co-driver of all time in the MERC behind Irishman Ronan Morgan.
Both he and Al-Attiyah headed straight from the finish podium to the Queen Alia airport in Amman to catch a flight to Dubai and a connection to Buenos Aires in readiness for next week’s WRC Rally of Argentina.
Abu Dhabi Racing’s Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi and Chris Patterson won four special stages in total and finished 2min 02.2sec behind the flying Qatari.
The battle of the final day involved Abdullah Al-Qassimi and Marouf Abu Samra. A one-minute time penalty for Al-Qassimi swung the pendulum in Abu Samra’s favour and the pair traded times and third and fourth places all morning. But Al-Qassimi hit back and snatched the final podium place on the final two stages.
Kuwaiti driver Salah bin Eidan was a close fifth in his Ford Fiesta R5. The Jordanian duo of Husam Salem and Nancy Al-Majali dominated the competitive Group N category in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII and reached the finish in a superb sixth overall.
WRC 2 regular Ala’a Rasheed slotted into seventh place in a Ford Fiesta RRC and Ala’ Khalifeh restarted day two under SupeRally and climbed back to eighth overall.
Abu Dhabi’s Mohamed Al-Mutawee and Stephen McAuley led the Junior and 2WD categories from start-to-finish in the first of five DS3 R3s. The duo finished ninth overall and 23 minutes ahead of rivals Saeed Bintowq and Allan Harryman to seal their third successive victory in the Abu Dhabi Racing-Citroën Middle East Trophy.
Kuwaiti Group N driver Meshari Al-Thafiri rounded off the top 10 and continues to lead the championship’s showroom category.
FINAL STANDINGS
1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Giovanni Bernacchini (ITA) Ford Fiesta RRC 3hr 00min 53.2sec
2. Khalid Al-Qassimi (ARE)/Chris Patterson (GBR) Citroën DS3 RRC 3hr 02min 55.4sec
3. Abdullah Al-Qassimi (ARE)/Catherine Derousseaux (FRA) Ford Fiesta RRC 3hr 15min 26.7sec
4. Marouf Abu Samra (JOR)/Nicola Fanous (JOR) Skoda Fabia S2000 3hr 16min 03.9sec
5. Salah Bin Eidan (KWT)//Alex Gelsomino (USA) Ford Fiesta R5 3hr 18min 19.9sec
6. Husam Salem (JOR)/Nancy Al-Majali (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII 3hr 27min 15.2sec
7. Ala’a Rasheed (JOR)/Joseph Matar (LEB) Ford Fiesta RRC 3hr 28min 26.5sec
8. Ala’ Khalifeh (JOR)/Ata Al-Hmoud (JOR) Ford Fiesta R5 3hr 29min 42.5sec
9. Mohamed Al-Mutawaa (ARE)/Stephen McAuley (GBR) Citroën DS3 R3 3hr 33min 00.4sec
10. Meshari Al-Thefiri (KWT)/Emad Juma (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X 3hr 43min 02.5sec
11. Khalifa Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Adel Hussein (QAT) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo XI 3hr 52min 54.5sec
12. Saeed Bintowq (ARE)/Allan Harryman (GBR) Citroën DS3 R3 3hr 56min 47.8sec
