Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed Al Rajhi took a 2.8 seconds lead over Robert Consani while Abu Dhabi Racing driver Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi was placed third going into the overnight halt at the end of day one of Cyprus Rally, the fifth round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) yesterday.
The fifth and penultimate round of the regional championship is crucial to Sheikh Khalid’s title challenge, with the Abu Dhabi driver 24 points behind Qatar’s Nasser Al Attiyah, who has collected 75 points from the three rounds.
Nothing short of a win in Cyprus and later at the final round in Dubai is required if Sheikh Khalid is to stand a chance of winning his second regional title, after having tasted his first success way back in 2008.
However, while chasing victory in Cyprus, Sheikh Khalid would require plenty of luck too. Assuming he wins the Cyprus round come Sunday, then again in Dubai in late November, Nasser will then require just 26 points from the last two rounds to seal a 10th MERC crown.
One consolation for Sheikh Khalid in Cyprus though is that Nasser finished day one in seventh overall, 8.6 seconds behind the Emirati. A fourth or below finish for the Qatari in Cyprus would give Sheikh Khalid’s title challenge a huge boost ahead of the final round.
On Thursday, competitors raced in qualifying where Sheikh Khalid was fourth-fastest and chose to run 10th in yesterday’s opening stage.