Nasser Al-Attiyah FIA Middle East Rally Champion 2008

[Nov 9, 2008]
Geroskipou, Cyprus: Nasser Al-Attiyah entered the history books as the first driver ever to win a unique hat-trick of FIA Championships in the same year. He followed his victories in the FIA Cup for Cross Country Baja, and the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies with a new title in the FIA Middle East Rally Championship 2008 – MERC.

Troodos Rally has been dominated by Nasser Al-Attiyah in recent years, with the outstanding driver winning the last 5 events. This weekend there were plenty of drivers from across the region who were looking to break that winning streak.

Nasser could not push hard because of an overheating problem that showed up on Saturday. But a brilliant and steady driving throughout the event resulted in a new important victory.

Nasser Al-Attiyah and his co-driver Chris Patterson clinched the 6th consecutive Troodos Rally win and secured the 2008 Middle East Championship title.

Congratulations
Team Nasser Al-Attiyah

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Nasser Al-Attiyah FIA World Cup Champion 2008

UAE Desert Challenge 2008

[Oct 31, 2008]
Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Nasser Al-Attiyah clinched FIA World Cup title by winning one of the most convincing start to finish victories in the history of cross-country rallying in the 2008 UAE Desert Challenge.

Nasser Al-Attiyah and Swedish co-driver Tina Thörner were in a different class to the rest of the field in their new prototype BMW X3 CC and pressed home their superiority from the start of the opening super special stage last Sunday and the winning margin was a staggering 4h 27m 45s.

Triumphant Al-Attiyah became the first Arab driver since Qatari Saeed Al-Hajri in 1993 to clinch victory in the traditional final round of the FIA World Cup across the remote deserts of the UAE. He won every section over the six days and would still have finished first overall had all the other competitors not tackled the final leg, such had been his massive advantage.

“It is a fantastic feeling to win the Desert Challenge,” said Al-Attiyah. “This is one of the events I wanted to win badly and to follow Saeed on to the list of winners is a great feeling. It was a long and difficult rally, but the whole team has been superb and I am delighted for Sven Quandt and everyone at X-raid’s AlgoDyne Green Racing Team that we have the world title.

“It was so disappointing to lose the win last year on the last stage. Of course I thought about that, but we were under no pressure today and I just wanted to take no risks and ease off a little towards the end.”

“We were all a little nervous this morning because of what happened last year with Nasser on the last stage,” said a delighted X-raid’s team director Sven Quandt. “But it was a great relief to see him cross the finish line. It has obviously been a great week for us, but there are still a few small things to sort out. We may test again in Europe, Morocco or Dubai again in the next few weeks, but we can savour this winning moment now.

Congratulations
Team Nasser Al-Attiyah

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

PAX RALLY 2008

[September 14, 2008]
Portimăo, Portugal: FIA Baja Cup champion Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-driver Tina Thörner finished in fifth position in PAX Rally, the second round of Dakar series 2008 in their X-raid BMW X3 CC. Suspension problems and puncture cost the AlgoDyne Green Power Racing Team the chance of claiming a podium finish.

“It was an enjoyable rally, but I was not able to push from the start,” said Al-Attiyah. “We did not have the right set-up to enable me to attack here and I decided to take it carefully each day after losing so much time on the first leg. There is some work still to be done with the set-up, but we are moving in the right direction and I know that we have the speed and the performance to beat our rivals. We are getting better all the time.”

On the first day of the event Nasser lost time to his main rivals and finished in eighth place, the reason was a wrong shock absorber setting.

On the second stage of the PAX Rally Nasser set the fourth fastest time and moved up from eighth to seventh position in the overall standings, but the result could have been so much better. He led all the way through the first two passage controls and would have taken the stage win, but he got a time-consuming late puncture.

Nasser moved up to sixth position after a polished performance across the remote tracks of rural Portugal, which saw him set the fifth and second quickest times on the third day’s short stages.

On the fourth leg between Alcochete and Portimaŏ on Saturday, Nasser finished in third place and climbed to fifth overall.

On the shortened final stage of the rally Nasser Al-Attiyah sett the fastest time and finished in fifth place on the overall final classification.

“It was pleasing to see Nasser set the fastest time today,” said X-raid’s team director Sven Quandt. “We had a different set-up and he was able to push a little more. We still have work to do. We need to find the best set-up for the car over the next few weeks and will plan the testing programme in due course.”

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Nasser Al-Attiyah FIA International Cup for Cross Country Bajas Champion 2008

Hungarian Baja 2008

[August 24, 2008]
Balatonfüred, Hungary: Nasser Al-Attiyah and Swedish co-driver Tina Thörner clinched an emphatic victory for the AlgoDyne Green Power Racing Team in the Hungarian Baja. With his fourth successive outright victory of the season in a X-Raid BMW X3 CC Nasser won the 2008 FIA Cup for Cross-Country Bajas title.

“It was not easy to win this race and I had to come back from problems on Saturday to seal victory,” said Al-Attiyah, who has now taken outright Baja victories in Saudi Arabia, Italy, Spain and Hungary this season for X-raid.

“The whole team is gaining in experience and confidence and this is a fantastic win for me and X-raid. It is a great feeling to win again and take our fourth win of the season. I have a good feeling about the car and am looking forward to keeping up this form over the coming weeks.”

“This is another great win for our team and another huge leap forward,” said X-raid team director Sven Quandt. “It was not an easy race at all. We had several obstacles to overcome. We learned at the Central Europe Rally earlier in the year that these stages are difficult and a good test for the car. “Now Nasser has taken the FIA title we can look ahead to the next challenge of coming up against Volkswagen and Mitsubishi to see how we get on against them as all the teams continue their preparations for the Dakar in 2009.”

Congratulations
Team Nasser Al-Attiyah

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Baja Spain Aragon 2008

[July 20, 2008]
Zaragoza, Spain: Nasser Al-Attiyah and Swedish co-driver Tina Thörner clinched a stunning victory in the 2008 Baja Spain Aragon, round three of the FIA International Cup for Cross-Country Bajas.
Nasser was in complete control from the start of the demanding rally, held in high temperatures and dry, dusty conditions in the area around Zaragoza in Spain, confirming his third successive victory in the prestigious FIA Baja series for the AlgoDyne Green Power Racing Team at the wheel of a BMW X3 CC.

Nasser held a comfortable overall lead after the first day, he was fastest on both the selective sections. On the second day Nasser extended his overall lead to an impressive 8m 34s were the stages held in punishing heat and dust in central Spain. Nasser extended his advantage by a further stunning win on the final sections to confirm a superb result.

“This was a major result for our team,” said a delighted X-raid’s team director Sven Quandt. “It has taken five years for us to achieve a convincing victory against Mitsubishi, but we have achieved that here. Nasser was in control on every stage.”

“Nasser will now go to Hungary and there is a fair chance that he could clinch the Baja Cup there. We are making very good progress and this was just the result we needed to prove that we are on the right track to become a very serious threat to our major rivals.”

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .



Rally Turkey 2008

[June 15, 2008]
Antalya, Turkey: A fuel pump problem on the first day cost Nasser Al-Attiyah and his co-driver Chris Patterson 35 minutes of penalties which erased their chances to win Rally of Turkey 2008.
On the second day Nasser was more successful as he clocked two fastest stage times, despite his engine running at very high temperatures and diminishing power, and by the final day he drove carefully to gain experience and to reach the finish in 10th.

[June 1, 2008]
Athena, Greece: Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-driver Chris Patterson were struggling with an overheating engine throughout the first day, but it was a broken rear left suspension and no brakes that finally forced them to stop for good on the BP Ultimate Acropolis Rally of Greece 2008.
Nasser Al-Attiyah was fighting for the lead from the start but unfortunately the unlucky conditions took their toll on SS8 which sidelined the defending MERC champion.

[May 25, 2008]
ESTORIL, Portugal: Nasser Al-Attiyah and Swedish co-driver Tina Thörner finished the five-day Transiberico Rally, round two of the 2008 FIA Cross-Country Rally World Cup, in second position.

The event passed through some of the most remote terrain in Spain and Portugal. Nasser was in dominant form and set several fastest times for the AlgoDyne Green Power Racing Team, but a costly roll on the first of the longer stages cost him any chance of victory.

“It was an incredible feat for Nasser to get back to second position after losing so much time early on,” said X-raid team director Sven Quandt. “It was maybe a disadvantage for us to have one top driver against three drivers in the team of our main rivals, but Nasser recorded four stage wins and Mitsubishi needed three drivers to take five stage wins.” “We again showed that we are very competitive, especially with Nasser on these WRC-type stages.
It was a very wet rally and we only really saw dust on one stage.”

“We have proved again that we have the package with the BMW X3 CC to deliver top results at the highest level,” said Al-Attiyah. “I made a mistake near the start of the race and that cost me the chance to take the win. But we set several fastest times and took the fight to Mitsubishi all through the race.”

[April 26, 2008]
VESZPREM, Hungary: An electrical sensor problem cost Nasser Al-Attiyah and Swedish co-driver Tina Thörner a fantastic opportunity to claim a podium position in the Central Europe Rally 2008.

On the first day Nasser had a puncture before the first PC, but he set a very encouraging split on the second section and finished in 13th overall.

On the second day Nasser was in tremendous form over the early kilometres. He was the fastest of all the crews through the first passage control, despite running behind many of his rivals on the narrow track, which ran at altitude, it was muddy and patches of melting snow lay on the sides of the track.

“It was a much better morning for us and I was very pleased with the pace that Nasser showed over the stage, he set a great time on the last stage and that was much better for us,” said X-raid team director Sven Quandt.

Nasser was plagued by windscreen misting problems and, like several of his rivals, dropped valuable time to the leaders and eventually finished in eight on the first section during the third day.

“It was not possible to push this morning, because it was slippery and the windscreen misted over,” said Al-Attiyah.

On the second section Nasser had no problems with a misting windscreen and was again on a top pace and finished seventh.

Nasser set the second fastest time on the fourth leg of the rally on Wednesday and moved up from seventh to fourth in the overall classification.

The AlgoDyne Green Power Racing Team duo were in superb form over the closing kilometres to prove the competitiveness of their BMW X3 CC and set up the prospect of a thrilling final three days to the first round of the Dakar Series.

Nasser Al-Attiyah’s push towards a podium position in the Central Europe Rally was ruined by electrical problems after 11km of the first stage of the fifth leg.

“About 11km into the stage we had a problem with an electronic sensor and it cost us a great chance to push for the podium,” said Al-Attiyah. “The stage was really nice and I felt confident that we could do a good job, not just for the podium but also for the win. We tried to repair the damage after the stage in time for the next two days, but there was some damage to the timing wheel.”

[March 30, 2008]
Cordoba, ARGENTINA: Heavy rain at the start of Rally Argentina 2008 made the event extremely challenging for all drivers, with gravel stages awash with mud and water.

Nasser Al-Attiyah and his co-driver Chris Patterson started cautiously, concerned about the all-new Subaru N14 as it was suffering from a worsening engine fault.
But they found the rhythm midway through day one ending at fifth position, having been fastest on SS6.

From being nearly three minutes off the lead, they set multiple fastest stage times and finished second by the end of day two. After winning the most stages and leading the Sprinter Standings on the last day, engine problems forced Nasser Al-Attiyah and Chris Patterson to stop on SS20.

[March 17, 2008]
Cordenons , Italy : Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and Swedish co-driver Tina Thörner claimed a dramatic victory in Italian Baja in northern Italy on Sunday.

At the wheel of the AlgoDyne Green Power Racing Team BMW X3CC, Nasser Al-Attiyah was fastest on every selective section after incurring a four-minute time penalty for arriving early at the time control early after the opening Prologue stage on Friday.

 “It was always going to be difficult to win after the time lost on Friday, but I decided to give it my best shot,” said a delighted Al-Attiyah. “The car was superb and we managed to set the fastest time on every selective. It was a great result for X-raid and one that gives us a good lead in the Baja Championship.”

“This was another fantastic result for our team,” admitted X-raid team director Sven Quandt. “It was a terrific performance by Nasser and Tina, a very exciting finish and puts the team in a very strong position in the championship.”

[Feb 14, 2008]
Hail, Saudi Arabia: The AlgoDyne Green Power Racing Team recorded a stunning victory in the Saudi Arabian Hail Baja, the opening round of the FIA International Cup for Cross-Country Bajas, when Nasser Al-Attiyah and his co-driver Matthieu Baumel crushed their nearest rivals by 21m 41s.

“It was a very interesting and difficult race, the stages reminded me of those you would find in Mauritania on the Dakar. There was camel grass on the first one and the second one was faster, but still not easy. Our car was superb. We had no problems at all. X-raid has done a wonderful job on the development. Now I look forward to meeting the other factory teams this season. We are feeling very positive after this win.”

“This was an excellent result for the team on a very enjoyable event,” admitted X-Raid team director Sven Quandt. “The car still looks brand new, but that belies the fact that the stages were a really good test. The terrain here has everything. It is bumpy, twisty, and fast, there are patches of camel grass and dunes.”

[Feb 10, 2008]
KARLSTAD, SWEDEN: Nasser Al-Attiyah and his co-driver Chris Patterson could not start this year better, they gave the new edition of Subaru Impreza WRX a debut win on the Qatar International Rally 2008.

But in Sweden the rally ended unluckily at the last stage – Rammen when Nasser planted his Impreza in a snow bank and got stuck off the road for many very valuable minutes. Nasser Al-Attiyah was unable to continue the FIA Production Car WRC at the Swedish Rally 2008.

The new edition of Subaru Impreza WRX was fantastic on the stages but the problems were the surface changing and struggling to find the right rhythm.

The grip was not constant. It was tough and it took Nasser some time to settle in with the car before he had the confidence to make some changes. Swedish Rally 2008, although a disappointing rally for Nasser Al-Attiyah, was a good experience, he learned a lot during this tricky rally.

[Nov 18, 2007]
Belfast, Ireland : After a five month break from WRC the defending P-WRC Champion Nasser Al-Attiyah and his co-driver Chris Pattersson really enjoyed Rally Ireland 2007. A brilliant and steady driving throughout the event rewarded Nasser Al-Attiyah with a podium finish and six points.

Nasser Al-Attiyah had no testing in Ireland prior to the event start, but taking maximum points for the Middle East Championship on the Rally of Lebanon last week was clearly good tarmac practice for him.

On the first day Nasser Al Attiyah had a cautious driving, and ended the leg in fifth place. "There´s a lot of mud on the roads, I've never seen anything like it. You can get a good rhythm at various times, but we're just aiming to improve as we go along. Our target is to have a good race, learning along the way."

Throughout the second day Nasser Al-Attiyah has been building up his experience and moved into fourth place. "It's been much better today. We've run faster in these conditions, although it's still very slippery. I'm happy to be fourth, and am looking forward to tomorrow."

Nasser Al-Attiyah followed up his first two days with a really solid drive on the last day. And make no mistake, Nasser was learning. His times were coming down all the time. He picked up the pace on the final stage, setting the third quickest time to finish comfortably in third place.

“I’m so happy with third place. It was very difficult but I’ve enjoyed it a lot and I’d love to come again. I’m not really used tarmac but I’m really happy with our performance here.”