Al-Attiyah Beats Galatariotis at Cyprus Rally by 4.63 Seconds

The 52nd Cyprus Rally ended with one of the most dramatic finals in its history. Qatari driver Nasser Al-Attiyah finished first, 4.63 seconds ahead of Simos Galatariotis. With this win, Al-Attiyah became Middle East Champion for the 21st time in his career and won the Cyprus Rally for the 10th time.

Galatariotis entered the final stage with a 3.6 second lead. He had won three consecutive stages and closed a one-minute gap. Al-Attiyah, however, had encountered problems in the first two afternoon stages. On the final stage, the Qatari driver, who drove without using a spare tyre, reached the finish 8.7 seconds faster than his Cypriot rival. Galatariotis finished on the podium for the first time since 2018.

The event was the fifth and final round of the 2026 FIA Middle East Rally Championship. In the Rally3 category, Michalis Poseidias and Pambos Laos won with a Renault Clio. It was Poseidias's first podium finish at this event.

Sukuroglu and Topcuoglu from Northern Cyprus finished fifth with a Volkswagen Polo. Zenonos and Christofi finished sixth with a Ford Fiesta. Saudi Arabian young driver Hamza Bakhashab recorded fast times, finishing third in two stages on Sunday, and ended in seventh place.