Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah won the Dubai International Rally today to retain the FIA Middle East title after his dramatic battle with the UAE’s Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi ended prematurely in the final round of the series.

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Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah won the Dubai International Rally today to retain the FIA Middle East title after his dramatic battle with the UAE’s Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi ended prematurely in the final round of the series.

After 11 of the 14 scheduled special stages, with Al-Attiyah leading Al Qassimi by 36 seconds, the event was stopped because of dangerous circumstances caused by spectator vehicles and public traffic straying onto the rally route.

It meant the two arch rivals finished in a championship dead heat, but Al-Attiyah took the title because of his six rally wins this season compared with Sheikh Khalid’s two.

Announcing the decision to halt the rally, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the Automobile and Touring Club, the rally organisers, said: “It’s unfortunate that the rally has to end this way but we have taken the decision in the interests of safety for competitors and spectators."

“There have been spectators on the route as well as some of the many people who are camping out in the desert in the build-up to UAE National Day."

“The results will stand as they are at this time, meaning that Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah has won the event and the 2007 FIA Middle East Championship, and Khalid Al Qassimi finishes runner up in both the rally and the championship."

Before reaching the official finish on the Al Mamzar Corniche, Al-Attiyah said: “I’m very disappointed that it had to finish like this, but I’m happy to win the rally and the championship."

Al Qassimi, winner of the Dubai Rally title for the previous two years and Middle East champion in 2004, said: “I’m upset that the rally had to finish this way. We were pushing for the title and with the rough terrain there was a lot of pressure on the cars. The early finish wasn’t good for me obviously."

Finishing third in Dubai in his Subaru Impreza, Sheikh Khalid’s brother, Sheikh Abdullah Al Qassimi, took fourth place in the championship ahead of Michel Saleh who finished the event just over four minutes behind him in his Subaru.

Qatar’s Misfer Al-Mari and Saudi Arabia’s Majed Al Ghamdi, both also driving Subaru Imprezas, completed the top six.

Before the rally ended prematurely, Dubai had been witnessing one of the closest finishes in the 24-year history of the Middle East Championship as Al-Attiyah and Sheikh Khalid fought out a spectacular battle for the regional title.

Holding a slender lead of 27 seconds overnight after winning all six special stages on the first leg, Al-Attiyah continued to have the edge today, although the UAE driver refused to let him take a commanding lead.

The Qatari was nine seconds quicker on the first two stages as the rally swept through the desert. Then Sheikh Khalid won his first stage of the event by two seconds to make the gap 34 seconds by the times the cars reached the first service halt.

He clawed back another second on stage 10 but then lost three more on stage 11 before the rally was brought to a halt. The final championship standings showed the two arch rivals had finished in a dead heat with 60 points each.

It concluded a spectacular revival in fortunes for Al-Attiyah and his British co-driver Chris Patterson in their Subaru Impreza, as their championship hopes had looked to have faded with three rallies remaining.

But victory in Cyprus in October followed by maximum points again in Lebanon last month saw them reduce Al Qassimi’s advantage to just two points before the grand finale in Dubai.

2007 Dubai International Rally Provisional results:

1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah / Chris Patterson QA / GB Subaru Impreza  1:44:13
2. Khalid Al Qassimi /Nick Beech UAE / GB Subaru Impreza   1:44:49
3. Abdulla Al Qassimi Gaby Khoury UAE / RL  Subaru Impreza   1:51:45
4. Michel Saleh / Ziad Chehab RL / RL  Subaru Impreza    1:55:56
5. Misfer Al-Mari/Stephen McAuley QA/GB Subaru Impreza   1:56:08
6. Majed Al Ghamdi / Rami Menhem SA / RL Subaru Impreza   2:00:39
7. Mofeed Mubarak / Saad Al-Mulefe KWT / KWT Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8 2:01:02
8. Simon Nutter / Sean Kukula GB / GB Subaru Impreza    2:15:03
9. Sultan Al Ameri / Allan Harryman / UAE / IRL Subaru Impreza  2:17:16
10. Meshari Al Thafiri / Fares Al Thafiri KWT / KWT Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8 2:24:52

2007 FIA Middle East Championship drivers positions

1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QA) 60 pts – champion
2. Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi (UAE) 60 pts
3. Amjad Farrah (HKJ) 40 pts
4. Sheikh Abdullah Al-Qassimi (UAE) 31 pts
5. Michel Saleh (RL) 30 pts
6. Misfer Al-Marri (QA) 19 pts

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