Dead Sea, Jordan – Omani drivers will be in focus when the Jordan Rally begins at the Hover-Up Park on the shores of the Dead Sea on Thursday.

Abdullah Al Rawahi heads the Omani challenge in the third round of this year’s FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC). He returns to Jordan aiming to revive his title bid after a mixed start to the season.

Seventeen crews from 10 countries are competing in the MERC event. They will be joined by 21 teams taking part in two national rallies on Friday and Saturday. All drivers will tackle 12 special stages covering 196.80 competitive kilometres. The total route is 557.11km across the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea areas.

Al Rawahi won the Jordan Rally for the first time in 2023. He finished second in Oman in January but retired in the Qatar round. He now needs a strong result to boost his hopes of securing a second regional title.

Driving an Oman Rally Team Škoda Fabia RS, Al Rawahi will again be partnered by Jordanian co-driver Ata Al Hmoud. Al Rawahi said he was pleased to return to the event. “This is where I started my first step in rally world. I know all the stages and hope to be on the podium this time as champion. It is not easy because Nasser has more experience and a better team. But we will fight for it.”

Another Omani driver, Zakariya Al Aamri, will compete in the MERC2 category in a Subaru. He faces competition from Jordan’s Sami Fleifel in a Mitsubishi. Al Aamri trails Fleifel by 36 points in the standings.

Al Aamri said the rally would be demanding. “The race is difficult. We have good experience here and hope for more points in the championship.”

Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah, a 20-time regional champion, is the top seed. He is seeking his 18th Jordan Rally win since 2003. Al Attiyah, who won in Oman but retired in Qatar, is currently fourth in the standings. He is partnered by Spanish co-driver Candido Carrera in a Škoda Fabia RS.

A 4.83km Shakedown stage opens the action on Thursday. Friday features two runs each through the Shuna (15.25km), Baptism (11.24km) and Ma’in (16.87km) stages. Drivers will return to the Dead Sea for service at midday.

Saturday’s schedule includes two passes through Panorama (16.95km), Suwayma (11.12km) and Rawda (26.97km). The ceremonial finish will take place at Hover-Up Park at 6.30pm.