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Vol.11: 16, August 2006

Mr Nice Guy Targets Championship Glory
Qatari proves his talents are in no way limited to rallying

Current points' leader and reigning vice-champion in the Production Car World Rally Championship (PCWRC), Qatar's Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah is proving to be the measure of the field in this year's PCWRC. At the halfway point of the season, Al Attiyah has exactly double the number of points of his nearest rival: 34 to 17.

After winning multiple crowns in the MERC (Middle East Rally Championship), a series of grueling two-day desert tests, Nasser joined the PCWRC in 2004. Now in his third season, Al Attiyah is showing the maturity and confidence of a true champion. On the opening round in Monte Carlo, Nasser fought for the lead before eventually winding up third - not bad for his first time on the event! Next was Corona Rally Mexico, also a first for the Qatari, and again he shone in what were very rough conditions, taking second in SUBARU's first 1-2 of the year.

Rally Argentina, the scene of Nasser's first-ever win in the category last year, set his season on fire with victory in South America again. It was his first defending win in the PCWRC, and already people were touting him as a future champion in the Production Car championship. The toughest event of the year so far has undoubtedly been the Acropolis Rally. It's an event known most famously as a car-breaker: and the heat can cause more than a few of the competitors to retire also. Al Attiyah's dominant win here was proof positive that he has the skills - particularly, it seems, in the rougher conditions - to take the laurels and become champion.

As for the four remaining events on this year's PCWRC; Nasser drops the upcoming Rally Japan (as does his chief SUBARU rival Toshi Arai, instead running a WR car on his home event), returning for Cyprus Rally at the end of September. His two victories so far this season have been in conditions remarkably similar to what's expected in Cyprus, though this event is expected to produce somewhat cooler temperatures during the day.

Al Attiyah's second dropped event is Telstra Rally Australia. (PCWRC drivers drop two events from eight in the championship and are scored on the remaining six rallies). The Qatari comes back for the final test of the year, Propecia Rally New Zealand, where he so narrowly missed out on a podium finish last year.

PCWRC fans can expect intense excitement as the rest of the field try to make up lost ground on Nasser in Japan and Australia. The massive early-season margin the Qatari has built up however, coupled with his legendary finishing consistency, will make it a difficult task indeed for even the very best driver to accomplish.

...but it's not just rallying that Nasser's good at!

United Nations name Al-Attiyah as first Global Sport Fund Ambassador

As if Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah's obvious talents in a rally car weren't enough, the soft-spoken Qatari is also known for another skill: Skeet Shooting.

This is not just a passing hobby; Al Attiyah has represented his country in numerous international competitions, including the Olympic Games. First competing in the Sydney Olympics in 2000, Al Attiyah took sixth-place - before claiming fourth at the following Olympic Games, held in Athens in the summer of 2004. He was also a gold cup medalist at the 2002 Asian Games in South Korea, and took the top prize at the 2001 World Cup competition in Thailand. Maintaining this level of performance, Nasser is set to represent Qatar again at the upcoming 2006 Asian Games, to be held this year in his home country.

His diverse talents have proven to be a great inspiration to young people, and this has not gone unnoticed by the United Nations. In May of this year, Nasser was named Ambassador of the UN's Global Sport Fund by UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa in recognition of his skills and ability to inspire young people. He is the first person to hold the prestigious position. As a GSF ambassador, the 36-year-old Al-Attiyah will use his position as a high-profile athlete to raise awareness about the potential of sport to help young people.

Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah:
"For driving and shooting, I need a clear head and a steady hand," explained Nasser. "I look forward to taking advantage of my position as a GSF ambassador to tell children in places where I compete that success in sport and in life depend on respecting yourself and making positive decisions."