QNA
Ostberg and Ilka Minor certainly took the fight to Al Attiyah, led overnight and extended their advantage on the first stage of the morning. The Norwegian lost his way for a few seconds in stage eight and then a rear puncture cost him his lead before the regroup.
He pushed hard during the afternoon to try and hunt down a charging Al-Attiyah, but it was in vain and a heavy impact in the penultimate stage damaged the Skoda Fabia R2 evo, caused a water leak from a fractured pipe and sidelined the former FIA WRC2 World Champion within sight of the finish.
Omans Abdullah Al Rawahi was patient and stayed clear of trouble as chaos ensued around him. He and Jordanian co-driver Ata Al Hmoud were rewarded with a stunning second place in their Oman Rally Team-run Skoda Fabia R2 evo and a useful haul of championship points.
Andorra-based Ulsterman Kris Meeke and co-driver Chris Patterson led after two stages on Friday before rolling out of contention for the win in stage four. Meeke climbed from fifth to third during the final day and then overcame a damper issue on the final loop of three stages to regain third overall and the final place on the podium.
Kuwaits Meshari Al Thefiri was the class of the MERC2 field in his fourth-placed Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X. He and co-driver Nasser Al Kuwari completely dominated the category to secure a winning margin of 11min 56.5sec over Omans Zakariya and Mohammed Al Aamri.
Jordans Issa Abu Jamous moved ahead of fellow countryman Ihab Al Shorafa on the final loop of stages, when the latter suffered tyre issues. They reached the finish in sixth and seventh overall. Qatars Mohammed Al Attiyah was eighth and Germanys Edith Weiss came home in ninth.
Ahmed and Firas Allouh overcame a dramatic first day of the Qatar National Rally to edge the win over their Qatari Can-Am rivals, Ahmad Al Muhannadi and Mubarak Al Khelaifi. Lebanons Kahy dropped 17 minutes to his rivals on the first run through Umm Birka and finished third.