Qatar International Rally starts on Thursday from Al Maha Island

Lusail, Qatar: The spectacular backdrop of Al Maha Island hosts the official starting ceremony of the Qatar International Rally for the first time from 7 p.m. on Thursday.

The second round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship has attracted 23 cars and competitors from 14 nations. They will tackle 13 special stages before the finish back on Al Maha on Saturday afternoon.

Competitive action in the event, which is organized by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation, gets underway with a 3.27 km. special stage on tarmac at the LCSC Karting Academy from 8 p.m. on Thursday.

The event has attracted stars from the FIA World Rally Championship, and the last three winners of the coveted FIA WRC2 Championship will line up against the leading drivers from the Levant and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah is a 16-time winner of his home event and chasing another victory is paramount for the five-time Dakar Rally winner, who trails Abdullah Al-Rawahi by six points in the MERC after round one in Oman.

Al-Attiyah’s Volkswagen Polo GTI was damaged in the sultanate and has been rebuilt this week at the service park in Lusail. Al-Attiyah again teams up with Andorra-based co-driver Mathieu Baumel, who has won five Qatar rallies.

Mads Ostberg, Andreas Mikkelsen and Emil Lindholm have won the last three WRC2 Championships and the talented Scandinavians will push Al-Attiyah every step of the way over the coming days.

Ostberg has the added experience of completing the event last year, and will take huge confidence from the fact that he led outright until a water leak ruined his hopes of winning.

Mikkelsen and Lindholm are competing in Qatar for the first time and fast, open gravel and desert terrain