The Peninsula
Jordan Motorsport has announced details of the forthcoming Jordan Rally, round three of the 2023 FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC), which takes place on May 18-20.
One of the most famous motorsport events in the Middle East and three-times a round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), the Jordan Rally is one of the most challenging events in the region and the 2023 event will be no exception. Officials have again laid on 12 special stages and 205.22km competitive kilometres in a total route of 588.88km.
After the pre-event press conference and ceremonial start on Thursday, May 18, attention switches to the competitive action in the Dead Sea and Jordan Valley areas of the Hashemite Kingdom over the weekend.
Friday’s (May 19) three timed tests will be used in the morning and the afternoon and are centred around the Jordan Valley area to the north of the Dead Sea. As was the case in 2022, action gets underway with a run through the 9.71km of the Yakrut stage that carves its way across winding off-road trails to the left of the main desert link road between Amman and the Dead Sea hotel area.
Rally officials have then again laid on stage of 40.79km that runs along the Jordan River valley close to the frontier with the West Bank.
The loop is completed by a run through an 11.34km stage close to the historic Baptism Site. The three specials are then repeated after a return to the Dead Sea for a lunchtime regroup and service.
The first of two passes through the Bahath stage (12.69km) gets the action underway on May 20. Competitors then tackle an 11.08km stage at Suwayma and the 17.00km of Ma’in 1 to the north and east of the Dead Sea hotel area, before returning to the service park.
The three specials will then be repeated in the afternoon, while the podium finish is scheduled for 17.30hrs at the service park overlooking the Dead Sea.
Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah currently holds a 20-point advantage in the Drivers’ Championship after finishing second in Oman and first on his home event in February. His closest challengers are Kuwait’s Meshari Al Thefiri and Qatari veteran Nasser Khalifa Al Atya, who are both tied for second place with 34 points.