Muscat – Muscat – Omani rally driver Zakaria Al Amri finished second in the RC2 class in the fourth round of the Middle East Rally Championship in Lebanon.

With only the Cyprus and Saudi Arabia rounds remaining, Al Amri and his co-driver Mohammed Al Mazroui, in a Subaru Impreza (N14), top the MERC 2 championship table.

“First of all, I’d like to thank everyone for the excellent organisation and for ensuring everyone arrived safely.  I’m happy to have secured second place in the class here in Lebanon despite the difficult conditions and the asphalt roads, which differ from those in the rest of the Middle East rounds,” said Al Amri.

“As I’ve stated previously, we’re aiming to clinch the MERC 2 class title by the end of this year, and we’re working to maintain our lead in the class for this year’s rounds.

“Our goal is to participate in the remaining rounds, and we hope to be able to compete in them all. I would like to thank the technical team as well as all my colleagues who were present to offer their support. I would also like to thank His Excellency the Ambassador of the Sultanate in Beirut for personally attending the rally to watch the competition; this is a source of moral support for us as competitors. I would also like to commend Dr Mohammed bin Sulayem, President of the International Automobile Federation (FIA), for attending the rally, supporting the event, and presenting awards to the competitors.”

Meanwhile, in the MERC class in Lebanon, with Qatari driver Nasser Al Attiyah and Omani champ Abdullah Al Rawahi absent, Lebanese driver Roger Feghali fended off the challenge of Saudi driver Basil Abu Hamdan to emerge as the champion