Neil Perkins DOHA — Saudi Arabia's leading driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi finished sixth overall in the 2013 Qatar International Rally, round one of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship here Saturday. The Yazeed Racing Team driver was unable to challenge for overall honors after his problems Friday and the event became a battleground for the defending regional champion Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and his Abu Dhabi rival Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi. Al-Qassimi had begun the final day with a 2.2 second advantage after a timing error had been corrected in Doha, but Al-Attiyah — a nine-time winner of the Qatar event — hit the front on the seventh stage and stayed out in front to record an eventual winning margin of 55.7 seconds, his cause helped when Al-Qassimi sustained a flat tire on the 10th stage. “After what happened on the third stage I was not happy but I was pleased to show a fast pace today,” said Al-Rajhi. “The strategy today was to come back as well as we could and get as many points as possible. It is still only the first round so it is early days.” After retiring from the first leg lead following suspension and wheel damage, Al-Rajhi and British co-driver Michael Orr re-entered the event through Super Rally and were permitted to start fifth on the road and in seventh overall. They held little chance of overturning the deficit to the leading duo but the path was open for them to try and set a string of fast stage times in their Yazeed Racing Ford Fiesta RRC. Al-Rajhi was fourth quickest through the first stage of the loop and climbed to sixth position when Qatar's Group N leader Abdullah Al-Kuwari lost four minutes with tire issues. He was fourth quickest again in the eighth Mekaines stage and maintained sixth, although the time penalties received Friday meant that he was relying on problems for his main rivals if he was to climb any higher in the overall rankings. As Al-Rajhi set the fifth quickest time through Salwa, Al-Attiyah and Al-Qassimi continued their duel at the front and the Qatar reached the main service at Qatar's Aqua Park leading the Emirati by just 15.2 seconds. Al-Attiyah continued to pull clear of Al-Qassimi to take his eventual win by 55.7 seconds and Al-Rajhi set top five stage times on his way to the finish line in sixth overall. The Saudi's next outing in the Middle East will be at the Kuwait International Rally in March. Positions: 1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Giovanni Bernacchini (ITA) Ford Fiesta 2hr 16min 47.2sec; 2. Khalid Al-Qassimi (UAE)/Scott Martin (GBR) Citroën DS3 2hr 17min 42.9sec; 3. Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Killian Duffy (IRL) Ford Fiesta 2hr 21min 02.2sec; 4. Khalid Al-Suwaidi (QAT)/Nicola Arena (ITA) Ford Fiesta 2hr 22min 36.2sec; 5. Abdullah Al-Qassimi (UAE)/Steve Lancaster (GBR) Ford Fiesta 2hr 32min 39.4sec; 6. Yazeed Al-Rajhi (KSA)/Michael Orr (GBR) Ford Fiesta 2hr 38min 39.6sec. — SG
