Al-Attiyah, Üç Lastik Patlamasına Rağmen Tarihi Dokuzuncu Umman Galibiyetini Aldı

Three punctures. For most drivers, that spells the end of a victory charge. Not for Nasser Al-Attiyah. On the roads around Sohar, the Qatari champion absorbed each blow, maintained his rhythm, and ultimately finished 2 minutes 8.8 seconds clear of Omani home driver Abdullah Al-Rawahi in a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2.

A ninth victory in Oman — a number no one else in the history of the event has reached. The win was also MERC career win number 92 for the Qatar-born champion, adding another chapter to a record that belongs to him alone.

■ Sohar: The Port City That Sets the Stage

Sohar is a port city on the northern coast of Oman, situated roughly 200 kilometres south of the border with the United Arab Emirates near the base of the Musandam Peninsula. It sits within reach of the Strait of Hormuz, with Fujairah, UAE, visible across the water on a clear day. Historically, Sohar was one of the most important maritime trading hubs in the Arab world, and legend holds it as the birthplace of Sinbad the Sailor from the Arabian Nights. In the modern era, the city has developed into an industrial and petrochemical centre, one of the pillars of Oman's policy of economic diversification beyond oil.

The rally stages unfold across the mixed desert and mountain terrain surrounding the city. Hard limestone bedrock overlaid with loose sand, dust-choked sections that strip away visibility, and jagged rock edges protruding from the surface — this combination places extraordinary stress on tyres. The three punctures Al-Attiyah suffered were not a matter of bad luck. The roads around Sohar rank among the most demanding tyre environments in international rallying.