MUSCAT, 5 March 2007 — Rally organizers and event officials yesterday announced the staging of Rally Oman 2007 here next week. The three-day event will be the second round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship and takes place in Oman between March 14 and 16.
Rally Oman 2007 is supported and hosted by the ministry of tourism with assistance from the ministry of sports affairs and is being organized by event management company Intevents in association with the Oman Automobile Association. Crucial support for this year’s rally comes from Gulf Air, InterContinental Hotels, Muscat Municipality and Red Bull.
“We are very pleased to once again be the lead supporter of Rally Oman,” enthused Mohammed ibn Hamoud Al-Tobi, undersecretary at the ministry of tourism. “The rally is the most prestigious motor sport event for Oman and delivers excellent international exposure for the country.”
The event has attracted all the major championship contenders and a large proportion of the 28 registered drivers in this year’s FIA Middle East Rally Championship. Leading the way will be last year’s Rally Oman winner and defending FIA Middle East rally champion Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah in his trusty Subaru Impreza WRX STi. The Qatari, partnered by Northern Ireland’s Chris Patterson, is also the defending FIA P-WRC champion and holds the lead in this year’s regional series after winning 10 of the 15 special stages in the recent Qatar International Rally in Doha.
He faces stiff competition in Oman from the UAE’s Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi, the 2005 regional champion, and Al-Qassimi’s brother Sheikh Abdullah.
The pair were second and third overall in Qatar recently and need a top result to keep the pressure on Al-Attiyah, who will arrive in Oman directly from taking part in the Mexican round of the WRC next week. Teams will also take part in Oman from other GCC countries and as far afield as the UK and Austria. Oman’s leading rally star, Hamed Al-Wahaibi, has switched his energies to a role within the organizing team this year and has been appointed as chairman of the organizing committee. “Rally Oman plays a very important role in the development of sports events as a part of the tourism marketing strategy,” said Al-Wahaibi, a former FIA Middle East Group N champion and competitor in the FIA World Rally Championship. “I am very pleased to have the opportunity to invest my time and experience into an event that has played such a major role in my rallying career.
