In the presence of many motor sports fans, and in a celebratory atmosphere, the start of the 50th anniversary Cyprus Rally 2023 took place on Friday afternoon, at the old town hall of Nicosia, in “Eleftheria” square.
First down the ramp in a Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 was seven-time winner of our national race, Nasser Al-Attiyah from Qatar, with co-driver Mathieu Baumel from Andorra, organisers said in a press release.
He was followed by fellow Middle East Rally Championship title contender Abdullah Al-Rawahi (Oman) and co-driver Ata Al-Hmoud (Jordan), in a Škoda Fabia R5. In the 2021 Rally Cyprus, Al-Attiyah retired on day 1, while Al-Rawahi had taken 3rd place.
According to the press release, the start was given by Ambassador of the State of Qatar in Nicosia Ali Yousuf Almulla, and Nicosia Mayor Constantinos Yiorkadjis in the presence of the president of the Cypriot Automobile Association, Antonis Michaelides and the winner of the first international Cyprus Rally 1971 Christos Kyrmitsis.
The fans of the rally who were in the centre of the capital had the opportunity to see up close the cars of this year’s event, while in the area of the Square an exhibition was set-up, with historical cars that participated in the previous decades in the Cyprus Rally and photos of important moments of the race.
Third at the start was Petros Panteli with co-driver Pambos Laos, in a Renault Clio. They were followed by Christos Demosthenous / Kypros Christodoulou with a Škoda Fabia R5, Costas Zenonos / Phanos Christophi with a Citroën DS3 R5 and Simos Galatariotis / Antonis Ioannou with a Volkswagen Polo GTI R5. Seventh was Yiangos Yiangou with Aristos Nicolaou in a Hyundai i20 R5 and eighth was Meshari Al-Thefiri (Kuwait), with co-driver Nasser Al-Kuwari (Qatar), with a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X.
23 crews participate in the 50th Cyprus Rally, with six countries represented, namely Cyprus, Qatar, Andorra, Oman, Jordan, Kuwait.
Our national race is the fifth and final stop in this year’s Middle East Rally Championship, with the title being decided on the Cypriot special stages, and at the same time it will be the 3rd and 4th round of the Cypriot Championship (each day will count as a separate event).
Following the start ceremony, the cars returned to the service park and parc fermé of the event, opposite the Police headquarters in Aglantzia. The racing action starts at 09:33 on Saturday morning (07/10), when the first car will enter the first special stage, in Xyliatos. The 50th Cyprus Rally has a total length of 195.36 kilometres.
The route of the 2023 50th Cyprus Rally:
Length (km) First car due
Saturday 7 October
SS1 Xyliatos 1 8,05 09:33
SS2 Kapouras 1 19,86 10:01
SS3 Kourdali 1 21,01 11:04
SS4 Xyliatos 2 8,05 14:12
SS5 Kapouras 2 19,86 14:40
SS6 Kourdali 2 21,01 15:43
Sunday 8 October
SS7 Yeri 1 14,10 08:43
SS8 Lefkara 1 19,78 09:51
SS9 Agios Epifanios 1 14,88 10:54
SS10 Yeri 2 14,10 13:22
SS11 Lefkara 2 19,78 14:30
SS12 Agios Epifanios 2 14,88 15:33
Finish ceremony Nicosia – 18:30
The finish will take place in front of the old Nicosia Town Hall, on Sunday 8 October at 18:30.
