Qatar International Rally, February 4th-7th, 2026
FIA Middle East Rally Championship, round 2
For immediate release
Tuesday, January 27th, 2026
IN-FORM AL-ATTIYAH TOPS ENTRY LIST FOR NEXT WEEKEND’S QATAR INTERNATIONAL RALLY
- 23 cars and competitors from 13 nations set for MERC round two
LUSAIL (Qatar): Defending champion Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah headlines a 23-car field with competitors from 13 nations announced today by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) for next weekend’s Qatar International Rally.
The second round of the 2026 FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) follows hot on the heels of last weekend’s season opener in Oman and takes place on February 4th-7th.
Al-Attiyah and his Spanish navigator stormed to victory in Sohar just four days ago and top a field that includes six Rally2 machines, six crews fighting for honours in the FIA MERC2 category, an impressive half a dozen machines in FIA MERC4, a Rally5 entrant and four visiting teams with SSVs.
Former regional champion Abdullah Al-Rawahi and the 2012 event winner Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari should be Al-Attiyah’s closest challengers. Like the top seed, they wheel out a pair of Škoda Fabia RS machines.
Talented up and coming local driver Mohammed Al-Marri has made the transition from Rally4 to the premier Rally2 category and will drive a Citroën C3 for the first time, while defending FIA Master Driver champion Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya is also in the Rally2 field in his Ford Fiesta.
A late entry was accepted for Saudi driver Hamza Bakhashab and his Irish co-driver Lorcan Moore in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.
Jordanian Shaker Jweihan was the runaway winner of the MERC2 section in Oman last weekend and tops the field in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X with co-driver Mustafa Juma. He faces ‘showroom’ category competition from fellow countryman Sami Fleifel, Kuwait’s Jassim Al-Muqahwi, Omani Zakariya Al-Aamri, Indian Mohamed Mansoor Parol and Lebanese driver Charbel Chebly.
The QMMF launched its Qatar Academy Stars programme a couple of years ago and the federation is keen to continue the promotion of local talent and young drivers. Al-Marri is one of the success stories from the project and drives a Rally2 machine on this occasion, while six teams will battle it out for MERC4 success in a quintet of Peugeot 208s and a solitary Ford Fiesta.
Academy member Rashid Al-Muhannadi is the defending FIA MERC4 champion and teams up with Irishman Gary McElhinney in the first of the Peugeots. He will face fierce resistance from the experienced trio of Ahmed Al-Kuwari, Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah and Nouef Al-Sowaidi and their respective co-drivers, Baptiste Cerrato, Aisvydas Paliukenas and Laos Savvas. Ahmad Al-Mohannadi and Taha Al-Zadjali crew the fifth 208.
The Indian duo of Payyaakkal Panikkaveettil and Musa Sherif will be hoping to break down the French manufacturer’s stranglehold on the category in a Ford Fiesta.
SSVs are also eligible to score points in the MERC and a Qatari driver and three Italians will battle it out for honours. Mohammed Al-Atteya and Mirko Carrara have a pair of Can-Am Mavericks, while Mario Marotta and regular Qatar Rally entrant Christiano Gabbarrini wheel out Yamaha YXZ 1000 Rs built by Quaddy Racing.
The Lebanese duo of Shadi El Fakih and Joseph Kmeid overcame first stage fuel pump woes in Oman last weekend to round off the finishers and they will again be competing in a Renault Clio RS Rally 5 at the rear of the field.
Engine issues in Oman last weekend forced Jordan’s Shekh Bader Al-Fayez to miss the event in Qatar and an accident also made it impossible for Ihab Al-Shorafa to continue his MERC campaign from Lusail.
The event will be held under the chairmanship of QMMF President Abdulrahman Al-Mannai, senior committee member Abdulrazaq Al-Kuwari and the QMMF’s Executive Director Amro Al-Hamad.
Administration checks will take place next Tuesday (February 3rd) at the Lusail International Circuit
2026 Qatar International Rally – entry list (updated):
- Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Candido Carrera (ESP) Škoda Fabia RS Rally 2
- Abdullah Al-Rawahi (OMA)/Ata Al-Hmoud (JOR) Škoda Fabia RS Rally 2
- Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya (QAT)/Ziad Chehab (LBN) Ford Fiesta Mk II Rally 2
- Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Nasser Al-Kuwari (QAT) Škoda Fabia RS Rally 2
- Mohammed Al-Marri (QAT)/Pierre Delorme (FRA) Citroën C3 Rally 2
- Shaker Jweihan (JOR)/Mustafa Juma (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X
- Jassim Al-Muqahwi (KUW)/Sulaiman Al-Helal (KUW) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X
- Sami Fleifel (JOR)/Yazan Juma (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X
- Zakariya Al-Aamri (OMA)/Mohammed Al-Mazrui (OMA) Subaru Impreza N14
- Mohamed Mansoor Parol (IND)/Lenin Joseph (IND) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X
- Charbel Chebly (LBN)/Carlos Hanna (LBN) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X
- Rashid Al-Muhannadi (QAT)/Gary McEnhinney (IRL) Peugeot 208 Rally 4
- Hamza Bakhashab (KSA)/Lorcan Moore (IRL) Toyota GR Yaris Rally 2
- Ahmed Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Baptiste Cerrato (QAT) Peugeot 208 Rally 4
- Nouef Al-Sowaidi (QAT)/Aisvydas Paliukenas (LTU) Peugeot 208 Rally 4
- Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Laos Savvas (CYP) Peugeot 208 Rally 4
- Ahmad Shaheen Al-Muhannadi (QAT)/Taha Al-Zadjali (OMA) Peugeot 208 Rally 4
- Payyaakkal Panikkaveettil (IND)/Musa Sherif (IND) Ford Fiesta Rally 4
- Mohammed Al-Atteya (QAT)/Aleksei Kuzmich (UAE) Can-Am Maverick
- Mirko Carrara (ITA)/Stefano Tiraboschi (ITA) Can-Am Maverick
- Mario Marotta (ITA)/Giada Manocchi (ITA) Yamaha Quaddy YXZ 1000R
- Christiano Gabbarrini (ITA)/Alessandro Forni (ITA) Yamaha Quaddy YXZ 1000R
- Shadi El Fakih (LBN)/Joseph Kmeid (LBN) Renault Clio RS Rally 5
Ends
For further media and accreditation information: Mansour Chebly, National Media Relations Officer, E-mail: Mansour.chebli@qmmf.com.qa and Neil Perkins, Media Relations Officer, UK Mobile: + 44 7831 123153, E-mail: ndppublicity@gmail.com.
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