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Jahra, Kuwait — Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and his new Italian co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini held an unofficial 45-second lead after the first four special stages of the Kuwait International Rally on Friday. The Subaru driver was impressed with the accuracy of his new co-driver’s pace note reading and was fastest on each of the morning’s desert stages.

“It’s nice to be back with my old team,” said Al-Attiyah, who is bidding for a 31st regional rally victory. “Giovanni did a great job this morning. He is very accurate on the notes. I am very happy.”

Yazeed Al-Rajhi and French co-driver Matthieu Baumel held second overall in their Peugeot 207 S2000, despite an oil leakage and a potential drive shaft problem. The Saudi was an unofficial three seconds in front of the UAE team of Rashid Al-Ketbi and Khaled Al-Kendi, who complained of soft suspension settings for the first stage of the morning.

Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi and Ulster co-driver Michael Orr had set the second fastest time on the first of the morning’s desert stages, but a wheel split after a hard landing in the third stage and the pair lost four minutes changing the troublesome rim. The delay dropped them out of the top 10. “It was one of those unfortunate incidents that cost us a lot of time because we couldn’t get the wheel off cleanly,” groaned Orr.

Qatar’s Misfer Al-Marri held fourth overall in his Subaru Impreza, despite a slow front puncture at the end of the fourth stage and Kuwait’s Meshari Al-Thafiri was an unofficial fifth. There was a frantic tussle for sixth overall with a mere four seconds separating Kuwait’s Meshal Al-Nejadi, Lebanon’s Michel Saleh and Qatar’s Khalid Al-Suwaidi, although Al-Suwaidi suffered differential problems near the end of the loop and Saleh was reportedly delayed leaving service soon after.

Qatar’s Mubarak Al-Hajri, Kuwait’s Mufeed Mubarak and former regional champion Sheikh Hamed Bin Eid Al-Thani, from Qatar, were in close contention. “We almost rolled two or three times,” admitted Al-Hajri. “The suspension was too soft and we kept bottoming out on the bumpy sections of the stages.”

The first loop claimed several cars: the UAE’s Khalil Al-Shaikh suffered battery problems, Kuwait’s Saleh bin Eidan damaged his engine after a hard landing on the last stage of the loop and neither Jordan’s Amjad Farrah nor London-based Lebanese driver Nick Georgiou managed to reach service on time. Kuwait’s Eid Falah and Qatar’s Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari were also sidelined with mechanical problems and Saudi Arabia’s Ahmed Al-Sabban was forced to change a drive shaft at the lunchtime service point.

The event is based at the Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Olympic Shooting Complex in Jahra, near Kuwait City, and is being held under the patronage of Faisal Al-Jazaf, chairman and general manager of the public authority for youth and sports in the State of Kuwait.

End

Source: Kuwait Motor Sport Club (KMSC)
Image Copyrights: Kuwait Motor Sport Club
Photo: Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini hold a comfortable lead after leg one of the Kuwait International Rally 2009

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