The FIA Middle East Rally (MERC) title fight was thrown wide open yesterday after Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi and Abdulaziz Al Kuwari picked up priceless points at the end of the Cyprus Rally.
Crucial to the equation was the early retirement on day two of championship leader Nasser Al Attiyah of Qatar, who stills heads the pack with 75 points going into the final round on the weekend of November 27 in Dubai.
However, in Cyprus, Abu Dhabi Racing’s Sheikh Khalid finished second and bagged 18 points and will now go into the Dubai finale with 69 points, just six behind the Qatari. Before Cyprus, Sheikh Khalid was 24 points behind Al Attiyah.
A three-way front was opened in the title fight when another Qatari, Al Kuwari, won the rally yesterday and took his points tally to 66 from the 41 he had collected ahead of the penultimate round.
The Dubai International Rally now promises to be a mouthwatering affair as only an outright result will decide the 2014 champion.
Al Attiyah is gunning for a 10th MERC title while Sheikh Khalid is in search of an elusive second regional trophy after having first tasted success in 2008.
Al Kuwari has never won the regional championship before and will be eager to add this crown to his trophy cabinet.
Dubai has proved to be a happy hunting ground for Al Attiyah, the Qatari winning the last seven editions of the event since 2007, plus victories in 2003 and 2004.
In contrast, Sheikh Khalid has won his home event just two times, in 2005 and 2006, and has gone winless ever since Al Attiyah’s dominance from 2007.
Speaking after his second place finish yesterday, Sheikh Khalid said: “I tried not to take any risks towards the end as we were focusing on the points. These points are very valuable for the championship and I don’t think we will not be able to know who the 2014 champion is till the very last meters of the Dubai International Rally.”
Apart from being a round of the MERC, the Cyprus Rally was also the ninth round of the European Rally Championship.
