Qatar International Rally | Abdulaziz Al Kuwari rolls back years to secure second win

Defending champion Nasser Al Attiyah suffered a broken wheel and resultant suspension damage after nine of the event’s 12 gravel stages to the north of Doha.

Abdulaziz Al Kuwari and his brother Nasser ended a more than decade-long wait for a third FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) victory when they secured a second win at the Qatar International Rally that concluded at Lusail International Circuit in the outskirts of Doha on February 7. 

The Qatar International Rally was the second-round of the FIA MERC following the season opener in Oman last month.

The Qatari duo trailed runaway leader Dakar champion Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah for three-quarters of the event but, hit the front when the defending champion suffered a broken wheel and resultant suspension damage after nine of the event’s 12 gravel stages to the north of Doha.

From then on, the Sarrazin Skoda Fabia RS duo stayed clear of trouble over the remaining three special stages to follow up their 2012 victory in Qatar at the wheel of a Mini S2000.

Abdulaziz had also notched up success on a candidate event in Oman back in 2014 and picked up maximum MERC points in Cyprus the same year. His brother only came back as a stand-in co-driver for this event after announcing his retirement from the sport last year.

The delighted Qatari had a flattering winning margin of 5min, 08.8sec. “Fourteen years I didn’t win the event and, 14 years, my brother was never next to me on this event. I brought him back. I said he had to retire at home. It was good to come back and win the rally. I never pushed 100%. I never had a penalty or a puncture, maybe one of the only ones. There's a limit you have to stay below. The team did a great job. Thanks to the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) and Sarrazin Motorsport. Now, for sure, I'll ask the QMMF if I can continue in MERC. I think I deserve it. I'm always there.”

Nasser Al Kuwari added: “When my brother tried to push me to come back, I had a feeling that we were going to win it. This'll be my last race and we've won it. I'm so happy for my brother, father, family and QMMF. Im proud of my brother. This is the end of my career.”

Abdulaziz (right) and Nasser Al Kuwari celebrate on the podium.

Al Attiyah’s goal of a 19th Qatar victory fizzled out on the road section after stage nine. The Qatari and co-driver Candido Carrera had completed the stage with a broken rear-left wheel and damaged suspension on their Autotek Skoda Fabia RS.

They were forced to change the wheel and make emergency repairs on the side of the road after the stage, but the wheel was hanging at an angle and there was a small fire when they began the return to Lusail.

The six-time Dakar winner tried a couple of times to make further repairs and made it back to Lusail within his maximum lateness, albeit on three rotating wheels, before throwing in the towel. He admitted that he thought he had a puncture and drove to the end of the stage, not realising that the wheel had broken and damaged the suspension.

The 46-year-old Abdulaziz had contested in the World Rally Championship's support category in the past. He comes from a family with motorsports background with his father Sadoon Al Kuwari also being an accomplished rally driver.

The next round of the six-leg FIA MERC will be held in Jordan from May 14 to 16.

Al Attiyah is the record-breaker in the MERC history with 91 rally wins and 20 regional titles. Current FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem is the second with 60 event wins and 14 titles.

(with FIA Media/MERC inputs)