Middle East champion to be decided at the Cyprus Rally

The 52nd Cyprus International Rally is being held this weekend in Larnaca. The event, in which 30 crews from eight countries will compete, is the fifth and final round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship. The champion will be decided at the end of this race.

Qatar's Nasser Al Attiyah leads the standings with 70 points. The driver, who will compete in a Škoda Fabia, has been champion 20 times and most recently lifted the trophy in 2025. He is also the most successful driver at the Cyprus Rally, with nine wins. Hamza Bakhashab, a 22-year-old Saudi driving a Toyota Yaris, is second with 66 points. Qatar's Nasser Khalifa Al Atya, competing in a Ford Fiesta, has 61 points, while 2024 champion Abdullah Al Rawahi of Oman is on 56 points in a Škoda Fabia. Among the local crews, Simos Galatariotis, a several-time Cyprus champion, and last year's champion Panagiotis Yiangou will also compete for the win.

The official start ceremony will be held today at 18:00 at Europe Square (Finikudes) on the Larnaca seafront. On Saturday, the Agios Epifanios, Kapouras and Kourdali mountain stages will each be run twice, in the morning and the afternoon. On Sunday, the Doryforikos, Vavatsinia and Stavrovouni stages are scheduled. The second run of Stavrovouni at 15:13 will be the Power Stage.

The rally will cover a total of 657.74 km. Of this, 183.92 km consists of 12 gravel special stages. The finish ceremony will be held on Sunday at 17:00 in the same square, after which the trophy will be presented to the 2026 Middle East Rally champion. The service park next to Mall of Cyprus is open to the public.