Fintas: Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah and Italian co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini snatched victory in the 22nd Kuwait International Rally, round two of the 2014 FIA Middle East Rally Championship (Merc) in Fintas on Saturday.
Al Attiyah, a Dakar Rally winner, began the day with a lead of 12.5 seconds and won four of the second leg’s six stages to reach the finish with a winning margin of 27.5 seconds. It was the Qatari’s 52nd Merc win and his co-driver’s 23rd. The Ford Fiesta RRC crew now lead their respective championship categories by 17 points after two rounds.
“I was looking forward to the stages on the second day,” said Al Attiyah, who equalled Mohammad Bin Sulayem’s record of four wins in Kuwait. “They were not as fast and straight, more technical and twistier and more enjoyable to drive. Like last year, I felt that they would suit my car better. I was confident that I could extend my lead and win today.”
Driving a Citroen DS3 RRC, Abdullah Al Qasimi was the class of the rest of the field, but he did not quite have the pace to match Al Attiyah. Nevertheless, the Abu Dhabi driver finished 1 minute 44.8 seconds in front of the third-placed Saudi Yazeed Al Rajhi, who was joint quickest with Al Attiyah on one stage.
Al Qasimi came under severe pressure from the charging Kuwaiti Salah Bin Eidan over the final day. A lead of 47.3 seconds was reduced to 29.5 seconds after SS10, 24.5 seconds after SS11 and 16.0 seconds with one stage to go, but the Sharjah driver held on to confirm fourth position on his first Merc event with French woman co-driver Catherine Derousseaux.
After losing substantial time with boost issues on Friday, there was no way back for Abdul Aziz Al Kuwari and the Qatari finished in sixth place, despite a bent suspension arm. His uncle Abdullah Al Kuwari recovered from a four-minute time penalty for losing his way on the second stage to reach Fintas in seventh. Eighth-placed Khalifa Al Attiyah — the brother of event winner Nasser — comfortably won the Group N category in his QMMF-backed Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X.
