MERC 3. Ayak Ürdün Rallisi — Al-Attiyah, 18. Ürdün ve MERC'de 92. Kariyer Galibiyetiyle Tarih Yazdı

Jordan Rally is the most iconic round of the Middle East Rally Championship. The special stages run along the cliffs above the Dead Sea — 430 metres below sea level — through the dry gravel of the Jordan Valley, in heat that routinely exceeds 35 degrees Celsius. Ancient rock walls line the route, giving the event an arid beauty found nowhere else on the international rally calendar.

Al-Attiyah set the fastest time from the opening stage and never looked back. Hamza Bakhashab of Saudi Arabia in second place suffered a double puncture on stage nine that cost him more than five minutes and temporarily threw him off the podium, before recovering to second. Third place went to Sheikh Bader Al-Fayez of Kuwait with Lebanese co-driver Joseph Matar, who finished just 3.1 seconds ahead of fourth.

«Jordan is a special place for me,» said Al-Attiyah. «Every win here takes me back to the first time I came.» Six Dakar overall victories, WRC starts and 93 MERC wins: his career spans a range of disciplines and terrains that few drivers in motorsport history can match.

MERC runs in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and other Gulf and Middle Eastern countries — a regional championship that receives limited international media attention but maintains a high level of driver skill and passionate local fans. At its heart, still, is the towering presence of Al-Attiyah.