Doha: The Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) has announced a 29-car entry and competitors from 17 countries for the 2025 Qatar International Rally which will run from February 6-8.
This year’s 45th event ever to be held will also mark the 50th anniversary of the first Qatar International Rally. The 1975 rally was won by Great Britain’s Peter Austin and his Qatari co-driver Hameed Abdel Rahman in a Mazda 929 Coupe.
Thatlaid the early foundations for the creation of the Gulf series and then the formation of the FISA Middle East Rally Championship in 1984.
The second round of the 2025 FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) follows on from last weekend’s season opener in Oman and sees three regional rally champions heading the entry.
The full list contains seven Rally 2 cars, one Rally 3, four Rally 4s, a Rally 5, a dozen crews competing in the NR4 group and four SSVs in the T4 category. Nineteen teams are registered for the MERC.
The Qatari duo of the early season championship leader Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah and Abdulaziz Al Kuwari top the field. They will be joined by fellow Qatari Nasser Khalifa Al Attiyah, Oman’s Abdullah Al Rawahi and Saudi Arabia’s Rakan Al Rashed in the Rally2 machinery that competed last weekend in Oman, in addition to an SRT-run Škoda Fabia for Denis Krotov and a return to the event for Mads Østberg.
The latter will be partnered by Romanian co-driver Sergiu Itu, the regular co-driver for Simone Tempestini in the FIA European Rally Championship. Itu did compete with Østberg in 2024, however, and finished second in Slovenia’s Rally Nova Gorica.
Rashid Al Muhannadi overcame late drama to finish fourth in Oman and he heads the four-car Rally 4 field in a Peugeot 208. Mohammed Al Marri and Saad Al Harqan are entered in a pair of similar cars and Indian driver Payyakkal Saneem Panikkaveettil will be hoping for better luck in his Ford Fiesta after a late retirement from round one.
Last year’s MERC2 champion Shaker Jweihan is the sole entrant in a Ford Fiesta in the Rally 3 group and Shadi El-Fakih continues the defence of his MERC4 title in a Renault Clio. The Lebanese finished ninth overall last weekend.
Oman’s Abdullah Al Zubair secured victory in MERC2 at the opening round in Sohar and heads an impressive field of Subaru and Mitsubishi drivers chasing showroom class honours. Eight of the 12 crews are registered for the MERC.
Kuwait’s Jassim Al Muqahwi, Oman’s Zakariya Al Aamri, the Lebanese duo of Jad Al Aawar and Ahmad Khaled, India’s Mohamed Mansoor Parol and Jordanian drivers, Shadi Shaban and Ihab Al Shorafa, complete the registered driver line-up.
At the rear of the field, Saudi Arabia’s Ibrahim Al Muhanna is chasing SSV class and Master Cup honours in his Can-Am. He is joined by female racer Yosra Jazzar in her Can-Am and the Italian duo of Mirko Carrara (Can-Am) and Marco Marotta (Yamaha) in the SSV class. Al Muhanna will be co-driven by Hani Al Noumesi, one of Saudi Arabia’s leading quad riders in the FIM Bajas World Cup.
The event is being held under the chairmanship of QMMF President Abdulrahman Al Mannai, senior committee member Abdulrazaq Al Kuwari and the QMMF’s Executive Director Amro Al Hamad.
Competitors will tackle 13 timed special stages and 212.68 competitive kilometres in a route of 626.14km.
