Jordan Motorsport announces details of 2023 Jordan Rally

AMMAN — Jordan Motorsport has announced details of the forthcoming Jordan Rally, round three of the 2023 FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC), which takes place on May 18-20, according to  the Jordan Rally Media Service.

One of the most famous motorsport events in the Middle East and three-times a round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), the Jordan Rally is one of the most challenging events in the region and the 2023 event will be no exception. Officials have again laid on 12 special stages and 205.22km competitive kilometres in a total route of 588.88km.

After the pre-event press conference and ceremonial start on May 18, attention switches to the competitive action in the Dead Sea and Jordan Valley areas of the Hashemite Kingdom over the weekend. 

On May 19 three timed tests will be used in the morning and the afternoon and are centred around the Jordan Valley area to the north of the Dead Sea. As was the case in 2022, action gets underway with a run through the 9.71km of the Yakrut stage (first car — 9:27am) that carves its way across winding off-road trails to the left of the main desert link road between Amman and the Dead Sea hotel area. 

Rally officials have then again laid on a mammoth stage of 40.79km (first car — 10:49am) that runs along the Jordan River valley close to the frontier with the West Bank. This stage can be affected by inclement weather conditions and has seen competitors have their fair share of drama over the years. 

The loop is completed by a run through an 11.34km stage (first car – 11:52am) close to the historic Baptism Site. The three specials are then repeated from 1:21pm, 2:43pm and 3:46pm, respectively, after a return to the Dead Sea for a lunchtime regroup and service.

The first of two passes through the Bahath stage (12.69km) gets the action underway on May 20 from 10:22am. Competitors then tackle an 11.08km stage at Suwayma (first car – 11:08am) and the 17km of Ma’in 1 (first car – 11:49am) to the north and east of the Dead Sea hotel area, before returning to the service park before midday.

The three specials will then be repeated from 1:37pm, 2:09pm and 3:04pm in the afternoon, while the podium finish is scheduled for 5:30pm at the service park overlooking the Dead Sea. 

Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah currently holds a 20-point advantage in the Drivers’ Championship after finishing second in Oman and first on his home event in February. His closest challengers are Kuwait’s Meshari Al Thefiri and Qatari veteran Nasser Khalifa Al Atya, who are both tied for second place with 34 points. 

Thefiri has a 15-point cushion over fellow countryman Yousef Al Dhafiri in the FIA MERC2 Championship. Jordanian driver Shadi Shaban is third. 

The closing date for entries is on Tuesday.

Support for this year’s event comes from Zain Jordan, Hala and Bliss FM.