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| 2004 Oman International Rally / FIA Middle East Rally Championship - Round 3 of 8 |
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| 22 - 23 April 2004 |
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SEVEN MITSUBISHIS INSIDE TOP NINE IN OMAN RALLY
Heartache for Al-Wahaibi and Al-Qassimi
Tsouloftas 3rd in MERC series
Saleh 2nd in Oman
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Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
Michel Saleh / Ziad Chehab
(23 April 2004)
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Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and co-driver Chris Patterson leapt back into contention for a second successive FIA Middle East rally title by winning a thrilling Oman International Rally, which finished in Qurum.
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Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
Michel Saleh / Ziad Chehab
(23 April 2004)
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Oman’s Hamed Al-Wahaibi, in an Australian-built Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 7, had shown a clean pair of heels to the Subaru driver over the first two special stages through the Hajar mountains on day one, but once he had been sidelined with a blown engine, Al-Attiyah coasted to victory. The Qatari eventually reached the podium over seven minutes ahead of the second-placed Lebanese pairing of Michel Saleh and co-driver Ziad Chehab in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 7.
One of the most exciting battles in Middle East rallying history waged over the 14 special stages for second to ninth positions. Two minutes separated seven cars at the start of the second leg, as drivers jostled for the podium over the seven timed sections in the Hajar mountains on Friday. Drivers from nine countries filled the final nine places, but Subaru beat Mitsubishi to earn a third consecutive championship victory.
Saleh duly finished second overall in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, despite complaining of engine overheating when he tried to push that little harder. "It was like taking part in two rallies over two days", said the Lebanese driver. "It was a fantastic fight. Great sportsmanship and a really exciting two days. But after about five kilometers of each stage today I had to slow down, because the engine was running too hot".
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Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
Sheikh Suhail Bin Khalifa Al-Maktoum /
Wael Marjan (23 April 2004)
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Dubai’s Sheikh Suhail Bin Khalifa Al-Maktoum made a solid return to the Middle East series for the first time in seven years and finished third overall in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 6. Tsouloftas finished fourth after being overhauled by Suhail in the 12th stage. "It was a great rally", said Tsouloftas, who also drives a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. "The competition was tough. This championship just gets better".
Saudi Arabia’s Ahmed Al-Sabban, Jordan’s Amjad Farrah, Britain’s David Scialom, Kuwait’s Meshal Al-Nejadi and Oman-based Lebanese Tony Georgiou completed the list of nine finishers from 21 starters.
Qatar’s Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari held second position at the start of the day in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, but was forced out after the eighth stage with fuel pump failure. His uncle Abdullah Al-Kuwari broke his Mitsubishi’s steering column at the start of the day.
Clutch problems sidelined Khalid Al-Minji and Nizar Al-Shanfari never recovered from a time-consuming flat tire and retired near the end.
Subaru had won the opening two rounds of the series, but faced fierce competition over the sinuous and demanding gravel stages in the Hajar mountains from Oman’s former regional Group N champion Hamed Al-Wahaibi. The Mitsubishi driver set several fastest stage times in Bahrain in March.
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Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
Andreas Tsouloftas / Andreas Achilleos
(23 April 2004)
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Sheikh Abdullah Al-Qassimi is the defending Group N champion and he too needed to put an uncharacteristic Bahrain Rally accident behind him. But, after setting the third fastest time in SS2, he was sidelined with gearbox problems on the road section to the third stage.
One of the other favorites for a podium finish was the multiple Cyprus champion Andreas Tsouloftas. He finished third overall in last year’s championship at the wheel of a more powerful Group A Lancer and kick-started his season with second position in Bahrain.
Both Jordan’s Amjad Farrah and Lebanon’s Michel Saleh achieved top four finishes in Bahrain last month, but were excluded from the final results at post-event scrutineering. Like Saudi Arabia’s Ahmed Al-Sabban, they knew full well the importance of a top finish.
The event also marked the return of Sheikh Suhail Bin Khalifa Al-Maktoum to Middle East international rallying after a break of almost nine years. Suhail was one of the original members of Dubai’s Victory Rally Team alongside Khalifa Al-Motaiwi and wheeled out a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 6, prepared in Cyprus. He was one of only a handful of drivers able to match the pace of 14-times Middle East rally champion Mohammed Ben Sulayem. They enjoyed several memorable battles in the mid-1990s.
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Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
Ahmed Al-Sabban / Killian Duffy
(23 April 2004)
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Also making a comeback were former Qatar Rally winner Nizar Al-Shanfari, from Oman, and Muscat-based Lebanese veteran Tony Georgiou in a pair of Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions. The duo were joined on the entry list by fellow Omanis Ahmed Al-Obaidani and Faisal Al-Busad in Mitsubishis. Qataris Abdullah Al-Kuwari, Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari, Khalifa Al-Attiyah and Faisal Al-Attiyah played a supporting role to Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah.
The event was held under the patronage of the Royal Oman Police and His Excellency Mohsin Al-Balushi, Under Secretary of Tourism, with support from Omantel, the Grand Hyatt and Quat Jabal. Competitive action got underway with a timed two-kilometre ’Super Special’ stage in the wadi behind the Al-Araimi Complex and rally headquarters in Qurum.
The special stage action began on Thursday morning when competitors headed into the Hajar mountains for a further six timed sections in the Yitte, Arqi and Al-Hajer areas. The second and final leg took place on Friday, April 23rd with a further seven timed stages.
Mitsubishi teams return to FIA Middle East Rally Championship action for the Marlboro-supported Jordan International Rally in mid-May.
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FINAL OVERALL CLASSIFICATION |
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Driver / Co-driver |
Nat. |
Car |
Total Time |
Difference |
| 1 |
Nasser-Saleh Al-Attiyah / Steve Lancaster |
QA / GB |
Subaru Iimpreza |
2h 35m 40s |
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| 2 |
Michel Saleh / Ziad Chehab |
RL |
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 7 |
2h 43m 13s |
+ 7m 33s |
| 3 |
Sheikh Suhail Bin Khalifa Al-Maktoum / Wael Marjan |
UAE |
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 6 |
2h 43m 35s |
+ 7m 55s |
| 4 |
Andreas Tsouloftas / Andreas Achilleos |
CY |
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 7 |
2h 44m 07s |
+ 8m 27s |
| 5 |
Ahmed Al-Sabban / Killian Duffy |
SA / IRL |
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 7 |
2h 45m 57s |
+ 10m 17s |
| 6 |
Amjad Farrah / Khaled Zakaria |
HKJ |
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 7 |
2h 46m 16s |
+ 10m 36s |
| 7 |
David Scialom / Kevin Clark |
GB |
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 5 |
3h 03m 09s |
+ 27m 29s |
| 8 |
Meshal Al-Nejadi / Shaker Al-Raies |
KT |
Citroën Saxo |
4h 08m 23s |
+ 1h 32m 43s |
| 9 |
Tony Georgiou / George Aletraris |
OM |
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 6 |
4h 28m 13s |
+ 1h 52m 33s |
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| Nationalities:
GB=Great Britain /
CY=Cyprus /
HKJ=Jordan /
IRL=Ireland /
KT=Kuwait /
OM=Oman /
QA=Qatar /
RL=Lebanon /
SA=Saudi Arabia /
UAE=United Arab Emirates /
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