Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah and Giovanni Bernacchini celebrate winning the 2013 Qatar Rally in this file picture. RIGHT: Turkey’s female rally star Burcu Cetinkaya is a regular visitor to the Qatar International Rally.
DOHA: The QMMF Qatar International Rally has moved to the new date of February 20-22, 2014, and will get a new season of FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) competition underway across the Qatar deserts.
Organised by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) under the presidency of Nasser Khalifa Al-Attiyah – the new FIA vice-president for sport in the Middle East – the event has been the traditional season opener for many years and will be followed by further regional events in Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, Cyprus and Dubai.
The 2014 rally will also be held in conjunction with the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission.
“I am delighted to announce that the rally will be held in tandem with the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission,” enthused Nasser Khalifa Al Attiyah. “They will hold their seminar in Doha during the rally in the presence of Michele Mouton and Frederique Trouve.
“We have always had a lot of interest in rallying from ladies in the Middle East region and the rally is an ideal backdrop to showcase motor sport to women. For many years women have supported and competed in the Qatar International Rally.”
Officials at the QMMF are still finalising the exact timetable for the event, but the ceremonial start will take place February 20, with two days of demanding loose surface special stages taking place on February 21 and 22. The FIA Women in Motorsport Commission meeting on February 19 and a conference with the MERC’s women’s representative will precede the rally.
Delegates will then join competitors taking part in the QMMF Qatar International Rally for a joint press conference at 2pm on February 20.
The QMMF is offering a generous assistance package to international entrants. Teams will be offered five nights’ free accommodation for driver and co-driver at the Century Hotel in Doha.
The Qatar International Rally is one of the most demanding gravel surface events in the world and always attracts a strong entry from across the GCC and the Levant. Local hero Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah won the event for the 10th time in 11 years last January at the wheel of a Ford Fiesta RRC on his way to a ninth regional title in 11 seasons.
THE PENINSULA
