Dubai: Down, but not out Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah, the FIA's Middle East Rally Champion vowed a clean sweep during the 2006 season.
Al Attiyah crashed out of the Dubai International Rally the final round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship - at the end of Stage One yesterday morning. Till then, Al Attiyah was in the running for a unique record for winning all the rounds of a Championship.
However, the Middle East champion started off the opening stage of the rally with some sand entering the air filter. This went on to clog the filter, and by the time he had finished off with the stage, his engine had buckled up.
"It's a case of being so close, yet so far," Al Attiyah told Gulf News.
"But then this is rallying and I am willing to take things in my stride and seek a fresh season next year," he vowed.
The Qatari had already won the overall title from the UAE's Shaikh Khalid Al Qasimi. "Anyway I had nothing to lose. So I do not feel anything much. Such things happen and there is nothing one can do to stop them," he stated. "If I could not enter the record books this year, I will come back strongly and win all the rounds next year," Al Attiyah vouched.
The Qatari driver has already planned to participate in all the rounds of the Middle East Rally Championship along with six rounds of the World Rally Championship.
"The challenges are always there. This has been good, next year will be better," Al Attiyah hoped.
