DUBAI, 5 December 2004 — Lebanon’s Abdo Feghali began his desert rallying career with a tremendous third overall in the two-day Dubai International Rally, the final round of the 2004 FIA Middle East Rally Championship, which finished in Dubai on Friday.

On day two of the event in which Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah took victory and the UAE’s Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi finished second and clinched the FIA Middle East Championship title for the first time, Feghali excelled in the demanding conditions to post a string of ever-improving stage times.

The Red Bull driver is a renowned tarmac surface expert and is preparing for a potential assault at the eight-round series in 2005. “It took a while to get into the rhythm and find a suitable pace,” said Feghali. “The deserts are very deceptive. You practice for two-and-a-half days to find the tracks and any places to caution. Then you come to the rally and find the pattern and shape of the corners have changed. I’ve been used to driving on tarmac stages, where the route is easily defined. But I am delighted with my position on this rally. A podium place was the goal and we achieved it against a strong field of drivers and were beaten only by the main championship contenders.

I’ve learned a lot about the techniques required to be competitive and feel sure that I can benefit from this in the future on other desert rallies.”

Al-Attiyah cruised to an emphatic victory, but the maximum 10 points he was awarded for winning the two-day final to the Middle East Rally Championship were not sufficient to prevent the Al-Qassimi from clinching his maiden regional title on home ground.

“I feel great to win the championship,” said Khalid. “In the last few weeks since the Troodos Rally, I’ve been busy with preparations for this rally and for the event in Australia, but this is a great end to a busy and successful season.”

Cypriot driver Menelaos Melissas took the best result of his career in the Gulf with fourth overall and Ahmed Al-Sabban leapt from 10th to sixth at the start of the leg after the Stewards of the Meeting decided to hand back the time he had lost on the first stage assisting at the fire which had engulfed Al-Qassimi’s car. The Saudi finished fifth and confirmed fourth place in the championship. 57-year-old Austrian driver Rudi Stohl was the leading non-Middle East driver in sixth place.

First day retirements included Dubai’s Sheikh Suhail ibn Khalifa Al-Maktoum and Sheikh Abdullah Al-Qassimi. Lebanon’s Michel Saleh lost fourth position with mechanical problems and Jordan’s Faris Bustami and Saudi Arabia’s Essa

Al-Dossari also retired on the second day.

The 2005 series kicks off in just over eight weeks time with the UAE International Rally, the traditional Abu Dhabi-based round of the series.