Attiyah cruised to a comfortable victory in the 32nd Dubai International Rally Saturday but lost his FIA Middle East title to fellow-Qatari driver Misfer Al-Marri. Partnered by Italian Giovanni Bernacchini in a Super 2000 Ford Fiesta, Al-Attiyah had a winning margin of six mins 16 secs from second-placed UAE driver Sheikh Abdullah Al-Qassimi and his British co-driver Steve Lancaster in a Mitsubishi Evolution 9. Needing only to finish in the top six to become the fourth Qatari to be crowned FIA Middle East rally champion, Al-Marri took his Subaru Impreza to third place to complete a wonderful sporting weekend for his country following its successful FIFA 2022 World Cup bid. Qatar's Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari claimed fourth position with a late burst on the final stage to drop Kuwait's Essam Al-Nejadi to fifth. Another Qatari, Jaber Al Marri, completed the top six in the eighth and final round of this year's FIA Middle East series, which was held under the patronage of Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Arts and Culture Authority.
