Al-Kuwari brothers seal memorable second Qatar International Rally win on retiring co-driver’s farewell event

Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari teamed up with his brother Nasser to end a 14-year wait for a second victory in the Qatar International Rally, round two of the 2026 FIA Middle East Rally Championship.

Nasser Al-Kuwari came out of retirement to accompany his brother on their three-day home round of the regional series and they benefitted from terminal technical issues for runaway leader Nasser Al-Attiyah to add a second victory to the one they secured in a Mini S2000 back in 2012.

Al-Kuwari trailed Al-Attiyah for three-quarters of the event but hit the front when the defending champion suffered a broken wheel and resultant suspension damage after nine of the event’s 12 gravel stages to the north of Doha.

From then on, the Sarrazin Motorsport-run Škoda Fabia RS driver stayed clear of trouble over the remaining three special stages to notch up a third career MERC win to add to the Qatar success and the maximum MERC points he picked up in Cyprus in 2014.

Al-Kuwari had a winning margin of 5min 08.8sec. He said: “Fourteen years I didn’t win the event and, 14 years, my brother was never next to me on this event. I brought him back. I said he had to retire at home. It was good to come back and win the rally. I never pushed 100%. I never had a penalty or a puncture, maybe one of the only ones. There is a limit you have to stay below. The team did a great job.”

Nasser Al-Kuwari added: “When my brother tried to push me to come back, I had a feeling that we were going to win it. This will be my last race and we have won it. I am so happy for my brother, my father, my family, the QMMF. I am proud of my brother. This is the end of my career.”

Al-Attiyah’s goal of a 19th Qatar victory fizzled out on the road section after stage nine. The Qatari and co-driver Candido Carrera completed the stage with a broken rear-left wheel and damaged suspension on their Autotek Škoda Fabia RS.

They were forced to change the wheel and make emergency repairs on the side of the road but the wheel was hanging at an angle and there was a small fire when they began the return to Lusail. The Qatari tried a couple of times to make further repairs and made it back to service   within his maximum lateness, albeit on three rotating wheels, before throwing in the towel. He admitted that he thought he had a puncture and drove to the end of the stage, not realising that the wheel had broken and damaged the suspension.

Saudi Arabia’s Hamza Bakhashab and his Irish co-driver Lorcan Moore applied the pressure on local youngster Mohammed Al-Marri and his French co-driver Pierre Delorme as the second leg progressed and took full advantage of suspension damage for the young Qatari on stage 10 to secure second overall in a Jameel Motorsport Toyota GR Yaris Rally2. It was the Saudi’s third ever special stage rally after the WRC event in Saudi Arabia last November and Oman last month.

Bakhashab earned his first ever MERC stage win on the final special. He said: “It was very good. It could have been cleaner without the punctures but we are learning a lot. I tried to manage. It was an amazing result.”

Al-Marri delivered a memorable performance on his first outing in a Citroën C3 Rally2 but was forced to retire after the 10th stage with a broken car.

Qatari veteran Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya and his Lebanese co-driver Ziad Chehab finished on the final step of the podium in their Motortune Ford Fiesta. Al-Atya claimed maximum points in the FIA Master Driver category for the second event in succession.

Shaker Jweihan completely dominated the FIA MERC2 category with Mustafa Juma in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X for a second time in three weeks. Despite a bent suspension arm for the opening loop of stages on Saturday, the Jordanian finished fourth and romped to class victory by 13min 20.8sec.

Rashid Al-Muhannadi and Gary McElhinney moved into a useful lead in the FIA MERC4 category on the first stage of the final morning when Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah was sidelined with technical problems. The defending champions increased their advantage as the day progressed in a QMMF-backed Peugeot 208 but a penultimate stage retirement with transmission and driveshaft issues enabled rivals Ahmad Shaheen Al-Muhannadi and Taha Al-Zadjali to take the lead.

They then rolled in the last stage and gifted victory and fifth place to the triumphant Qatari Nouef Al-Sowaidi and his Lithuanian co-driver Aisvydas Paliukenas. Ahmed Al-Kuwari and Baptiste Cerrato finished sixth in the second of the Peugeots.

The Italian duo of Christiano Gabbarrini and Alessandro Forni were seventh in a Yamaha Quaddy YXZ 1000R and the Omani duo of Zakariya Al-Aamri and Mohammed Al-Mazrui finished eighth in a Subaru Impreza N14 and picked up points for second in MERC2.

Lebanon’s Charbel Chebly drove well on his Qatar debut with Carlos Hanna and finished third in MERC2 and ninth overall. Mohammed Mansoor Parol (Mitsubishi), Shadi El-Fakih (Renault) and Jassim Al-Muqahwi (Mitsubishi) rounded off the finishers.

The rate of attrition was high. Three crews rejoined after leg one in Rally2 but 11 of the 23 teams competing from 13 nations eventually retired.

Former regional champion Abdullah Al-Rawahi won one stage but suffered several time-consuming punctures during leg one and complained of back pain as a result of his injury in Lebanon last year. He held seventh position at the night halt with Jordanian navigator Ata Al-Hmoud but decided to retire before the restart.

Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah and Laos Savvas led MERC4 after day one but suffered mechanical issues on their Peugeot 208 in stage seven and retired. Payyaakkal Saneem had retired during day one with electrical issues on his Ford Fiesta and pulled out again before the opening stage on day two.

Sami Fleifel held 12th overall and second in MERC2 after the first six stages but his rally came to an end in the service park before the second leg when the Jordanian discovered terminal engine issues on his Mitsubishi Lancer.

Mohammed Al-Atteya stopped before the opening stage with engine-related electrical issues on his Can-Am and was unable to continue.

A new Qualifying Stage was held at Al-Khor to determine the starting order amongst the leading six Rally2 crews. This was a new innovation for the championship and trialled by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) for the first time.

The FIA Middle East Rally Championship resumes with the Jordan Rally on May 14th-16th.  

2026 Qatar International Rally – final result:

1. Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Nasser Al-Kuwari (QAT) Škoda Fabia RS Rally 2                         1hr 59min 21.7sec

2. Hamza Bakhashab (KSA)/Lorcan Moore (IRL) Toyota GR Yaris Rally 2                                   2hr 04min 30.5sec

3. Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya (QAT)/Ziad Chehab (LBN) Ford Fiesta Mk II Rally 2                           2hr 10min 51.7sec

4. Shaker Jweihan (JOR)/Mustafa Juma (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X                                     2hr 19min 50.9sec

5. Nouef Al-Sowaidi (QAT)/Aisvydas Paliukenas (LTU) Peugeot 208 Rally 4                              2hr 21min 57.8sec

6. Ahmed Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Baptiste Cerrato (QAT) Peugeot 208 Rally 4                                   2hr 29min 26.6sec

7. Christiano Gabbarrini (ITA)/Alessandro Forni (ITA) Yamaha Quaddy YXZ 1000R                2hr 32min 21.6sec

8. Zakariya Al-Aamri (OMA)/Mohammed Al-Mazrui (OMA) Subaru Impreza N14                                    2hr 33min 11.7sec

9. Charbel Chebly (LBN)/Carlos Hanna (LBN) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X                                      2hr 37min 00.6sec

10. Mohamed Mansoor Parol (IND)/Lenin Joseph (IND) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X                  2hr 54min 00.9sec

11. Shadi El Fakih (LBN)/Joseph Kmeid (LBN) Renault Clio RS Rally 5                                         2hr 55min 44.3sec

12. Jassim Al-Muqahwi (KUW)/Sulaiman Al-Helal (KUW) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X                 3hr 08min 07.6sec

Ahmad Shaheen Al-Muhannadi (QAT)/Taha Al-Zadjali (OMA) Peugeot 208 Rally 4                RETIRED – SS12

Rashid Al-Muhannadi (QAT)/Gary McEnhinney (IRL) Peugeot 208 Rally 4                                RETIRED – SS11

Mohammed Al-Marri (QAT)/Pierre Delorme (FRA) Citroën C3 Rally 2                                       RETIRED – after SS10

Mirko Carrara (ITA)/Stefano Tiraboschi (ITA) Can-Am Maverick                                                RETIRED – after SS10

Marco Marotta (ITA)/Giada Manocchi (ITA) Yamaha Quaddy YXZ 1000R                                RETIRED – after SS9

Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Candido Carrera (ESP) Škoda Fabia RS Rally 2                          RETIRED – after SS9

Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Laos Savvas (CYP) Peugeot 208 Rally 4                                      RETIRED – SS7

Payyaakkal Saneem (IND)/Musa Sherif (IND) Ford Fiesta Rally 4                                               RETIRED – before SS7

Abdullah Al-Rawahi (OMA)/Ata Al-Hmoud (JOR) Škoda Fabia RS Rally 2                                   RETIRED – after SS6

Sami Fleifel (JOR)/Yazan Juma (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X                                                      RETIRED – after SS6

Mohammed Al-Atteya (QAT)/Aleksei Kuzmich (UAE) Can-Am Maverick                                  RETIRED – before SS1

23 starters, 12 finishers