Qatar Rally Team choose NR4 Subaru WRX

A brace of JRM-built NR4 Subaru WRX STI rally cars will compete in the 2016 FIA Middle East Rally Championship as part of the Qatar Rally Team’s bid to win the production title.

The cars will be run by preparation firm Autotek and will be backed by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) – the governing body of motorsport in the state of Qatar.

Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah, the younger brother of eleven-time Middle East rally champion, WRC2 champion and Dakar Rally winner Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah will drive one of the NR4-specification cars. He will be co-driven by Savvas Laos from Cyprus.

The second Qatar Rally Team machine will be piloted by 26-year-old Rashid Al-Naimi, a promising driver that is backed by QMMF and already a production class winner in the FIA Middle East Rally Championship. He will be co-driven by Italy’s Nicola Arena.

The Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation has been a long-time supporter of the MERC production championship and has chosen to upgrade to the latest production rallying technology for the 2016 season by using JRM’s latest-specification Subaru WRX STI.
 
Ken Skidmore, team principal at the Qatar Rally Team, said: “The logical choice of car for our 2016 title assault in MERC was the 2016 Subaru WRX STI so we immediately spoke to JRM – an official STI Base Team that is giving its full support to the production category.

“We watched how the car performed at Wales Rally GB in the hands of David Higgins and the Subaru of America Rally Team (above) and we were very impressed. The car ran faultlessly throughout the rally and took an easy production class win – beating many supposedly superior cars.

“To me, that event illustrated just how capable the latest-specification Subaru rally car is so we’re really looking forward to taking two of the JRM-built cars into MERC battle this year. Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah will start as one of the firm favourites for the production title so winning that championship is very much our target.”
 
The seven-round FIA Middle East Rally Championships starts on 4-6 February with the Qatar International Rally and JRM's Senior Sales Manager, Steve Smith, is relishing the chance to see how the firm’s latest Subaru performs in the Middle East region.

“Our NR4-spec Subaru WRX STI is the newest production rally car in the world and the MERC Gp N series has always been very competitive and well supported,” he said.

“The car performed magnificently at Wales Rally GB in November against some of the toughest production machinery that the WRC has to offer, so I’ve no doubt the package will be just as fast and reliable in the Middle East. We wish the Qatar Rally Team every success in 2016.”

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