JEDDAH, 4 June 2008 — The third round of the Middle East Rally Championship gets going with the start today of the 8th Syria Rally in Damascus.
The kickoff leg starts at 5:30 p.m. Syrian time. With 34 teams from 11 countries vying, the event under the supervision of Syria Cars Club and Syrian Ministry of Tourism covers a total distance of 805 kilometers.
Dr. Samir Khedir, director of the medical team, said defending champion Qatari Nassir Al-Attiyah is a doubtful starter due to tonsillitis and fever. Attiyah’s participation, however, is not being ruled out after the Qatari enjoyed a day of rest.
Al-Attiyah is the overall leader of the ME championship race.
Lebanese Michelle Salih said he is ready to break Al-Attiyah’s record and win the event after placing third in last year’s championship. Saudi driver Yazeed Al-Rajihi believes giving his best from the beginning and keeping the pressure till the end is the only way to go, an observation shared by Syrian Haytham Al-Yousfi. “There is no point to be overly cautious, we either secure a leading rank or just lose,” Al-Yousfi said.
Kuwaiti Salih ibn Eidan said, “The real competition is in the vast field of the Syrian desert and not in the press and media.”
After the first round in Qatar and the second round in Cyprus, Al-Attiyah compiled a leading tally of 20 points. Second place went to Qatari Misfir Al-Marri (14 points), third to Lebanese Nick Georgiou (8 points), fourth to Lebanese Michelle Salih (8 points), fifth to Omani Nizar Al-Shinfri (8 points), sixth to Qatari Khalefah Al-Attiyah (6 points), seventh to Kuwaiti Salah ibn eidan (5 points), eighth to Jordanian Faris Hijazi (2points), and ninth to Qatari Ahmed Al-Kuwari (1 point).
