The Middle East’s champion reassures the public that he is fine.

Qatari racer and three-time Dakar Rally champion, Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah’s car unexpectedly caught fire during the second round of this year’s World Rally Championship in Spain, forcing him to withdraw from the rally.

Footage showed flames emerging from the vehicle while Al-Attiyah was driving with his French navigator, Matthew Pome. They both managed to safely jump out the car and the fire was instantly extinguished.

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“Today our car suddenly caught fire and the reason is the leakage of oil through the pipes on the selensor (turbo), and when I noticed the fire burning close to me I reduced the speed of the car and stopped it immediately,” said Al-Attiyah in a statement.

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Al-Attiyah reassured his fans on Instagram, posting a video of the fire with the caption: “Hard luck sometime(sic). The good thing we save our car. See you next time.” He also Tweeted the same video with the caption: “I am fine.”

The Qatari champion was leading the first stage of the rally, but the fire unexpectedly occurred in the second part. Al-Attiyah added, fires do commonly happen in car races and the accident will not stop him from continuing his professional journey.

Al-Attiyah is expected to participate in this year’s Middle East Rally Championship and January’s Dakar International Rally.

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