Monday 12 / May / 2025
MUSCAT: It is a platform that has served as a springboard of success for rallying greats like world champions Sebastien Loeb and Sébastien Ogier and other stars like Dani Sordo, Elfyn Evans, Craig Breen and Thierry Neuville.
The FIA Junior World Rally Championship (WRC), also known as JWRC, is an international rallying competition restricted to drivers under 29 years old.
Oman will have its first-ever driver compete in the global competition as the talented Abdullah Al Rawahi and his co-driver Ata Al-Hmoud of Jordan have entered the fray for the 2024 season.
Al Rawahi made history when he became the first Omani to claim the 2023 FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) title, jointly sharing with multiple MERC winner Nasser Al Attiyah of Qatar. The title was shared after both the drivers were tied for points in a dead heat for the first ever time in the MERC.
On Friday, FIA, the world motor sports governing body, revealed the line-up for the 2024 Junior WRC season.
This upcoming season will have the largest FIA Junior WRC line-up in two decades with an astonishing 19 crews registered for the 2024 season-opening Rally Sweden.
The mega entry list includes crews from across five continents representing 21 different nationalities, all of whom will pilot identical Ford Fiesta Rally3 Evos exclusively equipped with Pirelli tyres and Wolf Lubricants. Of the 19-strong field, a whopping 13 are newcomers, including Oman’s Al Rawahi.
Action begins next month on the snow and ice of Sweden (February 15-18) before the Tarmac twists of the Croatia Rally (April 18-21). Gravel fixtures in Italy (May 30–June 2), Finland (August 1-4) and Greece (September 5-8) round out the season.
In his exclusive remarks to Times of Oman, Al Rawahi said: “We are very excited for this new challenge. We are waiting to win the Middle East Rally Championship and then take a step up. The 2024 JWRC has the highest entries so far. So it would be very competitive.
“It will be a great experience to compete in JWRC against such a large field of experienced and rookie drivers. In MERC, it was great to compete with legend Nasser Al Attiyah. But here in JWRC, I will be up against 19 drivers, so I’m looking forward to gaining a lot of experience.
This sort of challenge was lacking in the MERC. We will learn a lot by taking part in different types of rallies in JWRC, from snow to tarmac to gravel. The different terrains will be demanding and we hope to do well.
Al Rawahi added: “We will try to do well. As a driver, I always want to win but JWRC is a demanding series and needs a lot of knowledge. We will be up against drivers who have had experience. My aim is to finish on podiums and at least be ahead of the rookie drivers in the JWRC.”
Wolf Stage Wins will once again be a unique aspect of the championship with a single championship point awarded for every stage win in 2024. Double classification points will also be on offer at the season-ending EKO Acropolis Rally Greece for drivers who enter at least three Junior WRC rallies in 2024.
Up for grabs is a life-changing prize comprising an arrive and drive package to contest four European rounds of the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship in a Ford Fiesta Rally2 car, the natural progression from Junior WRC.
The champion will also have the option to compete in two additional European rounds at a subsidised rate.
Maciej Woda, FIA Junior WRC Championship manager, said: “The number of entries we received this year exceeded our expectations. This remarkable turnout not only underscores the Junior WRC’s strong appeal, but also highlights its global significance and its role as a key platform for emerging rally talent. All of this is a testament to the hard work and dedication shown by the whole Junior WRC and M-Sport Poland team and, without them, none of this would be possible.
“The international representation and the results seen in 2023 affirm that the Fiesta Rally3 Evo is an excellent car for young drivers. Now we look forward to some more great action and exciting battles in 2024.”
Besides Al Rawahi and his navigator Al-Hmoud, the other competitors are Australia’s Taylor Gill and his co-driver Daniel Brkic, Estonia’s Romet Jürgenson and his co-driver Siim Oja, South Africa’s Max Smart and his co-driver Great Britain’s Cameron Fair, Peru’s Jose ‘Abito’ Caparó and his co-driver Spain’s Esther Gutierrez, Bolivia’s Nataniel Bruun and his co-driver Pablo Olmos of Argentina, Ireland’s Eamonn Kelly and his co-driver Conor Mohan, Paraguay’s Diego Dominguez and his co-driver Rogelio Peñate of Spain, and Chile’s Gerardo Rosselot Valenzuela and his co-driver Marcelo Brizio of Argentina.
Also in the fray are Spain’s Raúl Hernández and his co-driver José Murado, and Roberto Blach and his navigator Mauro Barreiro, Belgium’s Tom Rensonnet and his co-driver Loïc Dumont, Poland’s Jakub Matulka and his co-driver Daniel Dymurski, Kazakhstan’s Petr Borodin and his navigator Roman Cheprassov, Bolivia’s Bruno Bulacia and his co-driver Gabriel Morales of Brazil, Germany’s Fabio Schwarz and his co-driver Bernhard Ettel of Austria, Sweden’s Mille Johansson and his co-driver Johan Grönvall, Romania’s Norbert Maior and his co-driver Francesca Maior, and Peru’s André Martinez and his navigator Guillermo Sierra Ovalle.
Schedule: February 15-18: Rally Sweden,
April 18-21: Croatia Rally, May 30-June 2: Rally Italia Sardegna, August 1-4: Rally Finland, September 5-8: Acropolis Rally Greece.
