23 crews and competitors from 14 nations set for 13 stages Timed action gets underway with short stage at LCSC Karting Academy Lusail, Qatar: The spectacular backdrop of Al Maha Island hosts the official starting ceremony of the Qatar International Rally for the first time from 7 p.m. on Thursday. For the latest updates, follow us on Twitter @ArabNewsSport The second round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship has attracted 23 cars and competitors from 14 nations. They will tackle 13 special stages before the finish back on Al Maha on Saturday afternoon. Competitive action in the event, which is organized by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation, gets underway with a 3.27 km. special stage on tarmac at the LCSC Karting Academy from 8 p.m. on Thursday. The event has attracted stars from the FIA World Rally Championship, and the last three winners of the coveted FIA WRC2 Championship will line up against the leading drivers from the Levant and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah is a 16-time winner of his home event and chasing another victory is paramount for the five-time Dakar Rally winner, who trails Abdullah Al-Rawahi by six points in the MERC after round one in Oman. Al-Attiyah’s Volkswagen Polo GTI was damaged in the sultanate and has been rebuilt this week at the service park in Lusail. Al-Attiyah again teams up with Andorra-based co-driver Mathieu Baumel, who has won five Qatar rallies. Mads Ostberg, Andreas Mikkelsen and Emil Lindholm have won the last three WRC2 Championships and the talented Scandinavians will push Al-Attiyah every step of the way over the coming days. Ostberg has the added experience of completing the event last year, and will take huge confidence from the fact that he led outright until a water leak ruined his hopes of winning. Mikkelsen and Lindholm are competing in Qatar for the first time and fast, open gravel and desert terrain is a far cry from the fast, flowing gravel speed tests they are used to on loose-surface rounds of the WRC. The three SRT Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo drivers are sure to light the touchpaper to ignite a thrilling tussle in northern Qatar. Al-Rawahi needs to stay clear of the frenetic battle for outright victory, and concentrate on the defense of his early MERC series lead. A second victory in Oman in three years has given the Omani a superb opportunity to win a maiden regional title. His Jordanian co-driver Ata Al-Hmoud leads the co-drivers’ championship. Both Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari and Khalid Al-Suwaidi are MERC winners and have experience on the world stage, but neither of the QMMF-backed Qataris has been able to benefit from a full rallying program in recent seasons. They wheel out two additional Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evos, with Al-Kuwari dearly hoping to repeat his famous 2012 victory in Qatar, and Al-Suwaidi chasing the goal of a third regional rally win to add to his successes in Kuwait in 2012 and 2022. Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya won the Qatar International Rally 30 years ago and currently holds fourth place in this year’s championship. He teams up with Italian navigator Giovanni Bernacchini in the sole Ford Fiesta R5. Sadoon Al-Kuwari is also a veteran of numerous former Qatar rallies, and the father of Meshari Al-Thefiri’s co-driver Nasser is celebrating 40 years of active competition across rallying and racing disciplines. He has recruited the services of the experienced Belgian co-driver Stephane Prevot for his quest for honors in a Volkswagen Polo GTI. Al-Thefiri is a multiple former MERC2 champion and leads the category by six points after the first round in Oman, in addition to holding third in the overall championship. The Kuwaiti faces strong competition from a dozen rivals and a host of drivers from Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar and Oman. The list includes his current closest MERC2 title challengers Shaker Jweihan, Yousef Al-Dhafeeri, Sheikh Bader Al-Fawaz and Shadi Shaban. Jordan’s Issa Abu Jamous is a late withdrawal from the original entry list. Running at the rear of the field are a pair of T4 machines in the hands of Khalid Al-Muhannadi (Polaris) and Stefano Marrini (Can-Am). Teams carried out reconnaissance of the northern gravel special stages on Wednesday before the compulsory technical scrutineering checks by event officials at Lusail. 2023 Qatar International Rally – leading entries: Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Mathieu Baumel (AND) Volkswagen Polo GTI Emil Lindholm (FIN)/Reeta Hamalainen (FIN) Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo Andreas Mikkelsen (NOR)/Torstein Eriksen (NOR) Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo Mads Ostberg (NOR)/Patrik Barth (SWE) Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo Abdullah Al-Rawahi (OMN)/Ata Al-Hmoud (JOR) Skoda Fabia Evo Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya (QAT)/Giovanni Bernacchini (ITA) Ford Fiesta R5 Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Lorcan Moore (IRL) Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo Khalid Al-Suwaidi (QAT)/Hugo Magalhaes (PRT) Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo Sadoon Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Stephane Prevot (BEL) Volkswagen Polo GTI Meshari Al-Thefiri (KWT)/Nasser Al-Kuwari (QAT) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X