MEDIA INFORMATION
JORDAN RALLY
May 14th-16th, 2026
FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC), round 3
For immediate release
Saturday, May 16th, 2026
SAUDI ARABIA’S HAMZA BAKHASHAB SEALS HARD-EARNED PODIUM FINISH IN JORDAN
DEAD SEA (JORDAN): Saudi Arabia’s Hamza Bakhashab maintained his composure and overcame a double puncture to secure an impressive podium finish after 12 demanding gravel special stages at the Jordan Rally on Saturday.
Hamza and his Irish co-driver Lorcan Moore set a consistent and competitive pace from the outset in punishing heat and dust on the demanding gravel tracks in the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea areas.
The Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 driver settled into third position from the opening stage of the third round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) on Friday morning. He maintained that position to finish behind legendary 20-time regional champion Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and former event winner Abdullah Al-Rawahi. The result ensured that Bakhashab remained second in the MERC Drivers’ Championship.
The 22-year-old Jeddah driver was happy to manage his pace on each stage according to the track conditions. He took care to avoid loose rocks that had been thrown into the racing line, particularly on the second pass through each of the stages in the afternoons.
Hamza’s father Abdullah was regional champion in 1995 and was on hand to support his son and offer tactical advice when needed. His Toyota was supported by official partner Jameel Motorsport and Bakhashab Motorsport.
Bakhashab said: “I am so happy for this result. It has been a nice and very enjoyable rally. There were a lot of ups and downs and the last stage was very difficult. Yesterday was clean and the pace was good. Rawda was amazing. The first one we had two front punctures and the second one we had a rear-right puncture and the car was sliding all stage long.”
Bakhashab suffered his only major setback on the first pass through that Rawda stage on Saturday morning. He stopped for over four minutes to change a punctured front tyre and then drove around 10 kilometres to the stage finish on a second flat front tyre. His pace had been impressive over the previous eight speed tests, however, and he was able to retain third place.
“We had two punctures in the long stage this morning,” added the Saudi. “It was very tricky, a tight stage with a lot of rocks. We had to be a lot cleaner. Two front punctures and we changed one in the stage and continued with the other one. We had like 10 kilometres to go.”
Even though his main goal is to gain as much experience as possible in a first full season of regional rallying, the points gained from finishing third in Jordan keeps Hamza firmly in contention for a push for the overall Drivers’ Championship on the remaining three rounds in Lebanon, Cyprus and at home in Saudi Arabia in the autumn.
2026 Jordan Rally – positions after SS12 (top 10 – unofficial):
- Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Candido Carrera (ESP) Škoda Fabia RS Rally 2 2hr 14min 26.1sec
- Abdullah Al-Rawahi (OMA)/Ata Al-Hmoud (JOR) Škoda Fabia R5 Rally 2 2hr 18min 19.8sec
- Hamza Bakhashab (KSA)/Lorcan Moore (IRL) Toyota GR Yaris Rally 2 2hr 27min 01.0sec
- Sheikh Bader Al-Fayez (JOR)/Joseph Matar (LBN) Škoda Fabia RS Rally 2 2hr 34min 25.2sec
- Bassel Abu Hamdan (KSA)/Firas Elias (LBN) Volkswagen Polo Rally 2 2hr 34min 18.3sec
- Shadi Shaban (JOR)/Samer Issa (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX 2hr 42min 21.4sec*
- Mohammed Al-Shorafa (JOR)/Samer Sfeir (LBN) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX 2hr 44min 33.7sec
- Nasser Khalifa Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Ziad Chehab (LBN) Ford Fiesta Mk II Rally 2 2hr 44min 38.1sec
- Hamadeh Uda (PLE)/Zeid Abu Zeid (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X 2hr 49min 07.7sec*
- Zakariya Al-Aamri (OMA)/Mohammed Al-Mazroui (OMA) Subaru Impreza N14 2hr 53min 11.1sec
*denotes not registered for the MERC
Ends