Major battles are expected both for the 2024 FIA Middle East Rally Championship title and the Cyprus National Rally championship in this year's international Cyprus Rally 2024, organized by the Cyprus Automobile Association from October 18 to 20. Our national race, once again based in Nicosia, will be the third and final round of the FIA Middle East Championship, as well as the third and fourth rounds of the national championship, with a 1.5 coefficient for each day.
The Cyprus Rally 2024 Entry List
In Cyprus, the three main contenders for the FIA Middle East Rally Championship will face off: current leader Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari with 49 points, Jordan's Shaker Jweihan with 37 points, and the multi-time champion Nasser Al-Attiyah with 35 points. The two Qatari drivers will compete in Skoda Fabia R5 cars, while the Jordanian will race in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X, with which he has already secured the MERC 2 Championship, having won the category in the first two races. His competitors will not be participating in the Cyprus Rally.
For Al-Attiyah, this will be only his second race with the Skoda Fabia R5, having made a victorious debut with it at the Jordan Rally in May. Nasser returns to the Fabia, a car he raced with during 2015-2016, after racing for five years with the Volkswagen Polo GTi R5, with which he competed from 2019 until this year's Rally Qatar.
Al-Attiyah has stated that his target is to win his 20th FIA Middle East Rally Championship with the Skoda Fabia R5. This year, Italian co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini has rejoined him, after a decade of partnering with Mathieu Baumel. Al-Attiyah and Bernacchini won the Cyprus Rally together in 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2014, while the Qatari driver has claimed five additional victories (2015, 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2023), making him the most successful driver in the event's history. However, Al-Attiyah has never won the Cyprus Rally with a Skoda Fabia!
This year's Cyprus Rally offers a maximum of 35 points: 30 for the overall winner and 5 for the winner of the power stage, which is being introduced into the FIA Middle East Rally Championship for the first time this year.
The contenders for the Cyprus National Rally Championship will also race in Cyprus Rally, with a total of 90 points up for grabs. Current leaders Galatariotis/Ioannou, with 60 points, will race in their familiar Volkswagen Polo GTi R5, while P. Yiangou/Nicolaou, holding 48 points, will compete in a Hyundai i20 R5. In third place in the national championship, with 30 points, are Nestoros/Kalli, who will be racing in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X. Following them with 21 points are Zenonos/Christofi, driving a Citroen DS3 R5.
Fresh from the battles of the Greek National Championship, P. Panteli/P. Laos will participate in our national event with a Renault Clio Rally 3, the same car with which they won the MERC 3 title in the Middle East Championship last year.
In total, 21 crews from Cyprus will compete, also representing Qatar, Jordan, Lebanon, and Italy.
