Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah, partnered with his French co-driver Mathieu Baumel, finished first in the Rally of Lebanon Championship, capturing his 19th regional title.

Prevailing over Lebanon’s Bassel Abu Hamdan and Fras Elias, the Prince of the Dunes finished with a time of 1:52:23.2secs thanks to his Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 that overtook the north and east of Beirut roads.

The Middle East Rally Championship oversaw a total route of 478.83km and hosted ten special tarmac stages with ten drivers contesting.

Following the cancellation of the Cyprus Rally at the end of September, the Rally of Lebanon was Al Attiyah’s second title after his first win in 2019.

Ahead of his race, Al Attiyah was proud of the opportunity to represent his home country.

“I am very happy to win the Lebanon Rally. I am always keen to represent Qatar and the Arabs in the best way in any sporting event I participate around the world,” the 51-year-old said.

The Qatari’s win was no surprise to Ziad Jamous, director of the 2022 Rally of Lebanon, who congratulated on his victorious campaign.

“This victory did not come as a surprise because the competition was limited to the Lebanese driver Roger Feghali and Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah,” said Jamous.

Lebanon’s record 15-time title holder Roger Feghali fell short of expectations as he finished in fourth place after an accident retired his car from the race.

Success has no age limit for the Qatari, who has dominated the sport and the region, winning four times in the Dakar Rally, making him the only Arab and West Asian player to win the competition more than once.

The multifaceted athlete was the 2006 Production World Rally Champion, 2014, and defended his crown with the 2015 WRC-2 champion.