DAMASCUS, 13 September 2003 — Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiya yesterday won the Syrian International Rally, the fourth and toughest leg of the Middle East rally.
Driving a Subaru Impruzo, Al-Attiya tore across the desert from Palmyra to Damascus in a total time of 1 hour 50 minutes for the two-phase leg, the faxed statement said.
The course is 465 kilometers (about 291 miles) of desert road from Damascus to the eastern town of Palmyra. Finishing second overall was Cypriot Andreas Tsouloftas, the only non-Arab racer, in 1:50:3. He was driving Mitsubishi Lancer.
Khalid Al-Qassimi of the United Arab Emirates came in third with a time of 1:51:27. He also drove a Mitsubishi Lancer. The fallout rate was high.
Thirty-three racers began the rally on Thursday morning, but 13, including the only female racer, Abeer Fadheel, a Syrian, failed to reach Palmyra. Yesterday, 15 drivers headed back to reach the final line in Damascus.
Syrian Ahmad Hamsho, driving a Subaru Improzo WRC, came in the fifth in 1:55:59, best ever position for a Syrian, in the first leg of the Syrian rally on Thursday.
