Nasser Al-Attiyah wins Cyprus Rally by 4.63 seconds — Cyprus Mail
Qatari driver Nasser Al-Attiyah and Carrera won the 52nd Cyprus Rally, finishing 4.63 seconds ahead of the crew of Cypriot Simos Galatariotis and Ioannou. The competition in Cyprus was the fifth and final round of the 2026 FIA Middle East Rally Championship, Cyprus Mail reports.
For Al-Attiyah, this was his 10th Cyprus Rally victory and the 21st Middle East championship title of his career. The gap between first and second place was the second-smallest in the history of the rally, which the Cyprus Automobile Association has organized since 1970. The closest finish was recorded in 2018, when Galatariotis beat Magalhães by 0.7 seconds.
The decisive special stage
Before the final special stage, Galatariotis and Ioannou in a Skoda Fabia held a 3.6-second lead. They recovered a one-minute deficit to Al-Attiyah and Carrera by winning three special stages in a row. The Qatari crew had problems on the first two afternoon special stages, while the Skoda Fabia of Galatariotis and Ioannou finished with damage.
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On the final special stage, Al-Attiyah drove without a spare wheel and set a time 8.7 seconds faster than Galatariotis. The crew of Al-Attiyah and Carrera won six special stages, while Galatariotis and Ioannou won four. Another special stage was won by Al-Rawahi and Itu, who retired on the first afternoon stage while running third.
Rally results
Michalis Poseidias and Pambos Laos in a Renault Clio took third place and also won the Rally3 category. It was Poseidias' first Cyprus Rally podium. Last year's local champions Yangou and Nicolaou in a Hyundai i20 finished fourth because of problems on the afternoon special stages.
Shukuroglu and Topcuoslu in a Volkswagen Polo were fifth, while Zenonis and Christofi in a Ford Fiesta were sixth. The first Sunday special stage was cancelled because spectators failed to follow the instructions of safety marshals. The total rally distance was 657.74 km, including 183.92 km across 12 gravel special stages.
