Jordan Rally organisers add Abdali venue to 2014 version

AMMAN –– The 2014 Jordan Rally, the third round of the Middle East Rally Championship (MERC), will feature a spectators stage on May 1 as motor racing fans will have the opportunity to get close to the cars and meet the drivers at the Abdali Development Area in Amman.

During a media tour organised by Jordan Motorsports, the rally director, Khaled Zakaria, said that all preparations are ready for the rally, which he described as the most challenging event in MERC.

"We are really excited to have the spectators stage here in the heart of Amman," he said, adding that a special one-kilometre stage was created in a bid to enable fans meet their favourite drivers.

In this stage, which will be included to the official routes of the rally, drivers will have to complete one circuit before returning to the Dead sea and prepare for Day 2.

The Jordan Rally consists of 21 timed stages: one at Amman’s Abdali,  10 stages on May 2 and another 10 stages on May 3, Zakaria explained, adding that so far 18 drivers have registered for the competition. 

According to organisers, the rally will host the best drivers in the region headed by the reigning champion Qatar's Nasser Al Attiyah, who is leading the standings with 50 points, followed by UAE's Khaled Al Qassimi (33 points) and Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed Al Rajhi (27 points).

Jordan Motorsports CEO Othman Nassif praised the level of arrangements for the event and the work of the volunteers.

"We had the first round of the National Rally championship earlier this week and the volunteers proved that they have the ability and skills to be in the Jordan Rally which demands a lot of effort and concentration,” he said, expecting the number of participating drivers to exceed 40.