There is this new rally kid in town. And it is a stunner. Qatar’s Dakar Rally winner Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah has taken his brand new Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 to the Manateq Qatar International Rally, which started today. This FIA Middle East Rally Championship runs from March 14-16.
The Qatari has won his home event on 13 occasions in the past 17 years and will take part in the new car alongside French navigator Matthieu Baumel. Ken Skidmore’s Autotek Motorsport.
The Polo was built by Volkswagen Motorsport to Group R5 regulations and made its competitive debut at the 2018 Rally Catalunya in the hands of the 2003 World Champion Petter Solberg and Frenchman Eric Camilli. The four-wheel drive machine is powered by a 1.6-litre, 4-cylinder engine and follows on from the Polo R WRC with which the German team dominated the FIA World Rally Championship.
