Cyprus Rally to crown Middle East Rally champion

The 52nd Cyprus International Rally takes place this weekend, featuring 30 crews from eight countries.The event is the fifth and final round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship. Cyprus’ flagship rally, organised by the Cyprus Automobile Association since 1970, will decide this year’s Middle East Rally Championship title. Among the contenders is Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah, the event’s most successful driver with nine victories. A 20-time champion, most recently in 2025, Al-Attiyah leads the standings with 70 points and will compete in a Škoda Fabia. Saudi Arabia’s 22-year-old Hamza Bakhashab, driving a Toyota Yaris, is second with 66 points. Qatar’s Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya, driving a Ford Fiesta, has 61 points, while Oman’s 2024 champion Abdullah Al-Rawahi, driving a Škoda Fabia, has 56 points. Top local crews will also be competing for victory, including multiple-time Cypriot champion Simos Galatariotis in a Škoda Fabia and last year’s Cyprus champion Panagiotis Yiangou in a Hyundai i20. The ceremonial start will take place today at 18:00 at Europe Square on the Larnaca seafront (Phinikoudes). The finish ceremony will also be held there on Sunday at 17:00, followed by the crowning of the 2026 Middle East Rally Champion.The Service Park is located next to the Mall of Cyprus, opposite the E-CARS showroom, and is open to the public. The scrutineering took place yesterday This morning, the official shakedown and qualifying stages will be held in Tseri, with qualifying determining the starting order for the first leg of the rally.Tomorrow, the mountain stages at Agios Epifanios, Kapouras and Kourdali will be run twice, once in the morning and again in the afternoon. On Sunday, the stages at Doryforikos, Vavatsinia and Stavrovouni, near Pyrga, will take place. The second run through Stavrovouni, scheduled for 15:13, will serve as the rally’s Power Stage.The rally covers a total distance of 657.74 km, including 183.92 km across 12 gravel special stages EVENT SCHEDULEFriday, October 23· 08:30 – Free Practice, Tseri· 11:00 – Qualifying, Tseri· 18:00 – Ceremonial Start, Larnaca – Europe Square Saturday, October 24· 09:33 – SS1: Agios Epifanios (14.42 km)· 10:31 – SS2: Kapouras (19.99 km)· 11:29 – SS3: Kourdali (21.22 km)· 14:42 – SS4: Agios Epifanios 2 (14.42 km)· 15:40 – SS5: Kapouras 2 (19.99 km)· 16:38 – SS6: Kourdali 2 (21.22 km) Sunday, October 25· 08:33 – SS7: Doryforikos (12.40 km)· 09:26 – SS8: Vavatsinia (13.40 km)· 10:29 – SS9: Stavrovouni (10.53 km)· 12:57 – SS10: Doryforikos 2 (12.40 km)· 13:50 – SS11: Vavatsinia 2 (13.40 km)· 15:13 – SS12: Stavrovouni Power Stage (10.53 km)· 17:00 – Finish, Larnaca – Europe Square For the full schedule, maps and further information, visit www.cyprusrally.com.cy.