Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah secured a historic 20th Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) title for the 2025 season.

The motorsport legend clinched the FIA-sanctioned trophy following his second-place finish at the 47th Lebanon International Rally — the fifth round of the series.

Driving a Skoda Fabia RS alongside Spanish co-driver Candido Carrera, Al Attiyah finished the rally in 1 hour 49mins 45sec, just 9.2sec behind local winner Roger Feghali, who, along with co-driver Joseph Matar, clocked 1:49:36 in a Toyota GR Yaris.

Although Feghali won the rally, his non-registration in the MERC allowed Al Attiyah to claim maximum championship points, clinching the title one round before the season finale in Cyprus (October 3 to 5).

The rally’s podium was completed by Lebanon’s Elias El Dahdah and Italian co-driver Nicola Arena (Skoda Fabia), who finished third in 1:53:05 hours.

Saudi driver Basil Abu Hamdan (Volkswagen Polo) and Qatari driver Abdulaziz Al Kuwari (Skoda Fabia RS) rounded out the top five.

Al Attiyah’s title was cemented thanks to victories in the first four rounds held in Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, maintaining his dominance in the regional rallying scene.

Meanwhile, co-driver Candido Carrera had already secured the MERC Co-Drivers’ Championship ahead of the Lebanon round.

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