staddoha.com
International competitors have arrived over the last couple of days to prepare for this weekend’s Qatar International Rally, round two of the 2022 FIA Middle East Rally Championship.
The Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) have announced a few minor changes to the format and the timetable for the three-day event, which will see 14 teams and competitors from 13 nations tackle a dozen demanding gravel stages through Qatar’s northern deserts. There will also be a national event running behind the FIA field.
Andorra-based Ulsterman Kris Meeke is determined to take the fight to 15-time Qatar Rally winner Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and is upbeat about his prospects for the coming weekend.
Meeke said: “I am happy to be back in Qatar. It’s been one year since I have been behind the wheel in competition, which was Qatar Rally 2021. This event intrigues me a little bit. It’s more a desert format style of rallying and certainly not like your traditional European stage rallying.
“After my foray into the desert at Dakar 2021, I was keen to explore more of the desert, where you use your eyes more to read the terrain. Certainly to go into Nasser Al-Attiyah’s backyard and give him competition is a huge challenge. It’s one I enjoy and, after what we learned last year, I want to go back and put that knowledge to good use. We will see how we get on.
“I have some ammo in my pocket this year with Chris Patterson. He used to co-drive me many years ago. He also sat with Nasser Al-Attiyah for seven or eight years and has won Qatar Rally several times. I need as much ammo in my pocket as I can to take on Nasser over this terrain. It’s an exciting challenge and Mads (Østberg), my old team-mate and sparring partner at Citroën, is also joining the party, so we are going to have some fun.”