Dakar Rally winner Nasser Al-Attiyah to compete in WTCC Race of Qatar

Championship-winning rally driver and Olympic medalist Nasser Al-Attiyah will compete at the WTCC Race of Qatar in November.

Al-Attiyah recently secured his 11th FIA Middle East Rally Championship title, having won the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies for the second time just a few weeks earlier. He is also a double winner of the Dakar Rally, taking the spoils in 2011 with Volkswagen, before taking his second victory earlier this year in a Mini.

The 44 year old Qatari will drive the Campos Racing Chevrolet Cruze at the Losail International Circuit in Doha, which will host the first WTCC night race. The guest drive from Al-Attiyah will see him go up against his former World Rally Championship team-mate, Sebastien Loeb, who made the switch from WRC to WTCC in 2014.

“It will be real honour for me to represent my country, Qatar, when it hosts the FIA World Touring Car Championship for the first time,” said Al-Attiyah, who won a bronze medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games in the skeet shooting discipline. “Qatar has successfully staged MotoGP events for a number of years and securing an FIA world championship will only enhance the country’s reputation as a sporting destination. I was proud when I learned the WTCC would be coming to Qatar but I’m even more proud to say that I will be part of the action, even though I will have plenty to learn and get used to because I have not done much circuit racing and never in a front-wheel-drive car.

“While I want to be competitive, my objectives will be different to my rivals: I’m an ambassador for Middle East motorsport and I’ll be doing all I can to further highlight Qatar’s position on the motorsport map.”

“We are very pleased to welcome Nasser Al-Attiyah to the WTCC family for the championship’s first visit to the Middle East and its first night race,” added Fracois Ribeiro, head of WTCC promoter Eurosport Events. “Like his profile, Nasser’s sporting CV is massive and it’s a real honour he accepted our invitation to make his WTCC debut on home soil. He’s a great character and true ambassador and we look forward to working with him and the increased interest from the fans and media his participation will bring.”