Wednesday 13 / May / 2026
Muscat: Oman rally ace Abdullah Al Rawahi is aiming to reignite his FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) campaign with a strong finish at the Jordan Rally, which roars into action at the Dead Sea on Thursday evening.
The Omani star, who won the Jordan Rally in 2023, will spearhead the Sultanate’s challenge alongside compatriot Zakariya Al Amri, who will compete in MERC2 as the third round of the 2026 FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) gets under way across the rugged Jordan Valley and Dead Sea stages.
Driving the Oman Rally Team Škoda Fabia RS with Jordanian co-driver Ata Al Hmoud, Al Rawahi is determined to bounce back after retiring in the previous round in Qatar and revive his hopes of a second regional title.
“Happy to be back in Jordan. This is the place where I started my maiden steps into rallying, so it is always a favourite for me,” Al Rawahi said on the eve of the rally's start.
“I know all the stages very well and I hope to complete them. My target is to fight for a podium finish. It will not be easy with Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah, who has far more experience and a better team, but we will fight for a podium finish.”
The Jordan Rally will once again see Al Rawahi go head-to-head with Qatar’s legendary driver Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah, the 20-time regional champion chasing a record-extending 18th victory in Jordan since 2003.
Al Attiyah arrives in Jordan after winning in Oman earlier this season but suffered a surprise retirement on home soil in Qatar. The Qatari driver currently sits fourth in the championship standings and is expected to be the man to beat on the demanding desert stages.
A total of 17 international crews representing 10 nations will contest the MERC round, alongside 21 entries in the Jordan National Rally Championship. Competitors will tackle 12 special stages covering 196.80km against the clock over a total route of 557.11km.
Al Rawahi currently holds sixth place in the MERC standings with 28 points and knows a podium finish could significantly boost his title ambitions.
Meanwhile, fellow Omani driver Zakariya Al Amri will compete in the MERC2 category in his Subaru Impreza N14 alongside co-driver Mohammed Al Mazroui.
Al Amri is targeting a top-three finish in the category as he looks to close the gap on championship leader Shaker Jweihan of Jordan.
“I am looking to be among the top three in the category,” Al Amri said.
“The race is challenging but we have good experience in Jordan. I hope to add more points to my tally and improve my position in the championship standings.”
The rally officially begins from the Hover-Up Park at the Dead Sea on Thursday evening, with crews facing two days of punishing heat and demanding gravel stages at the lowest place on earth.
Eleven of the 21 entries in rounds two and three of the Jordan National Rally Championship are also registered for the FIA event. Al Rawahi, a former winner, is the top seed for the national series.
Saudi Arabia’s Hamza Bakhashab continues to exceed expectations in his first full MERC season. The 22-year-old, from Jeddah, has made an impressive start to his campaign: he recovered strongly from first-day suspension damage in Oman in January to secure valuable championship points, before delivering a career-best MERC result in Qatar with second overall behind Al Attiyah.
Those performances alongside Irish co-driver Lorcan Moore in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 have netted the youngster 42 championship points. That leaves him just five behind championship leader Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya and his Lebanese co-driver Ziad Chehab in a Motortune Ford Fiesta after two excellent podium finishes for the veteran.
A new Shakedown stage of 4.83km kickstarts the competitive action on Thursday. A revised Friday timetable features two passes through the Shuna (15.25km), Baptism (11.24km) and Ma’in (16.87km) stages, split by a return to the Dead Sea for a midday service and regroup.
Saturday’s revised schedule includes two runs through the Panorama (16.95km), Suwayma (11.12km) and Rawda (26.97km) specials in the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea areas before the ceremonial finish takes place in the Hover-Up Park at the lowest place on earth from 18.30hrs.
2026 FIA Middle East Rally Championship – positions after round 2 (select rankings): 1. Nasser Khalifa AlAtya (QAT) 47pts, 2 Hamza Bakhashab (KSA) 42pts, 3 Shaker Jweihan (JOR) 41pts, 4 Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah (QAT) 35pts, 5 Abdulaziz Al Kuwari (QAT) 35pts, 6 Abdullah Al Rawahi (OMN) 28pts, 10 Zakariya Al Amri (OMN) 16pts.
