Al-Attiyah to start Cyprus IRC finale first on the road

Nasser Al-Attiyah will start first on the road on the Cyprus Rally, the final round of the all-action 2012 Intercontinental Rally Challenge.

Driving an M-Sport Ford Fiesta RRC, the Qatari ace is one of 34 drivers tackling the mixed-surface event and one of 32 eligible for IRC points.

Reigning champion Andreas Mikkelsen starts third on the road in his ŠKODA UK Motorsport Fabia Super 2000 with Sepp Wiegand fourth for ŠKODA’s German importer. Yazeed Al-Rajhi runs fifth on the road with Russian Vasily Gryazin next up in another Fiesta.

Marco Tempestini is the leading IRC Production Cup runner in 10th in a Subaru Impreza R4 STI. Harry Hunt heads the IRC 2WD Cup contenders with title rival Robert Consani just behind in his Renault Clio R3.

The event gets underway with the 3.20-kilometre Super Special Stage in Pafos at 19:00hrs local time.