yahya joins city of arabia for middle east debut in lebanon
Desert Challenge hero joins Saleh, Hayek in Dubai rally team’s three-car bid
UAE Desert Challenge hero Yahya Alhelei will make his FIA Middle East Championship debut in next week’s Rally of Lebanon as a member of the Dubai-based City of Arabia team.
Alhelei, who underlined his reputation as one of the region’s top cross country rally drivers in last week’s Desert Challenge, will be making his first ever appearance in a conventional rally car in the penultimate round of the 2007 Middle East series.
He joins UAE-based Michel Saleh and Lebanese driver Fadi Hayek in a three-car City of Arabia assault on the Rally of Lebanon which is due to get under way with a super special spectator stage in Beirut next Sunday.
In a world-class Desert Challenge line-up, Alhelei battled his way to a fine fifth place overall despite being hindered by a broken radiator on the final leg last Friday.
He has happily taken up Saleh’s offer to join the City of Arabia team in Lebanon, where he will be partnered by Abdul Hakeem Zayed in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 8, and it could mark the start of a much stronger challenge by the team in the FIA Middle East series.
“Yahya has no experience of conventional rallies and the tarmac stages in Lebanon will be completely new to him,” said Saleh, who will be partnered by Ziad Chihab in a
City of Arabia Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9.
City of Arabia 2
“But he’s a very experienced and capable all-round driver and I’m happy to have him in the team. Hopefully it will be the first of many events that we’ll compete in as team-mates.”
Before flying to Lebanon Alhelei admitted: “I have never driven a rally saloon car before and this will be my first tarmac event. But Michel has given me a very good car and I’m aiming to finish in the top ten.”
“Next year I want to do more events in the Middle East Championship, and I also want to take part in the Jordan National Championship.”
Meanwhile Saleh, currently joint fourth in the 2007 Middle East series with the UAE’s Sheikh Abdullah Al Qassimi, aims for at least a top-three finish in Lebanon to close the gap on third-placed Jordanian Amjad Farrah before the final round in Dubai.
Fadi Hayek will contest the Rally of Lebanon with co-driver George Nader in another City of Arabia Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 8.
FIA Middle East Championship leading positions after 6 of 8 rounds:
1. Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi (UAE) 49 pts
2. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QA) 40 pts
3. Amjad Farrah (HKJ) 35 pts
4. Michel Saleh (RL); Sheikh Abdullah Al-Qassimi (UAE) 25 pts
