50th Cyprus Rally returns
The Cyprus Rally celebrates its 50th staging this year, with the event to take place over three days from October 6-8.
This year’s Cyprus Rally will serve as the 5th round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) and as the 3rd and 4th rounds of the Cyprus Rally Championship, with each day of the race counting as a separate round for the local championship.
The race, organised by the Cyprus Automobile Association, will be based in Nicosia, with the Service Park, Headquarters and Press Centre all located opposite the Police Headquarters in Aglantzia.
The start and finish ceremony will occur in front of the old town hall of Nicosia, in Eleftheria Square.
The 50th International Cyprus Rally will include 12 gravel special stages, with the action unfolding in the Nicosia district’s mountainous region and the capital’s outskirts.
On September 27, the Cyprus Automobile Association will announce the routes, maps of the special stages, and the final list of participants.
Clerk of the Course, Nayia Kontopoulou, said, “Cyprus Rally has been entertaining participants and spectators since the 70s, and we aim to continue doing that.
“With over 50 years of experience and passion for the sport, we have all the resources we need to organise a successful rally.”
Middle East Rally Championship
The 50th Cyprus Rally will serve as the 5th and penultimate round of the Middle East Rally Championship (MERC), with the result on the special stages in October expected to be decisive for the outcome of this season as Nasser Al-Attiyah (Qatar) dropped to second place in the standings after his retirement due to a crash at the three-day event in Lebanon on September 15-17. The Qatari has 78 points, with Abdullah Al Rawahi (Oman) on 84 points.
The battle between the 7-times winner of the Cyprus Rally (most recent victories in 2019 and 2020), Nasser Al Attiyah, with codriver Matthieu Baumel and Al Rawahi / Al Hmoud, is expected with particular interest.
The focus is also on the leaders of the Cyprus Rally Championship, including 2018 Cyprus Rally winner Simos Galatariotis, with Antonis Ioannou as co-driver.