By Mikhil Bhat/Doha


Days after they finished second in the last race of the 2013 FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) in Dubai, Misfer al-Marri and his co-driver Nicola Arena met briefly.
“We met very briefly since I had to pick up a few things. We were hoping to meet in Qatar for the 2014 rally. We just bid farewell to each other with a ‘Bye. Take care’,” Arena told Gulf Times yesterday.
On Sunday night, al-Marri passed away in a hospital in London following a two-and-a-half month battle with illness. Al-Marri reportedly lapsed into a coma in mid-December after which he was flown to London.
Arena first started navigating al-Marri in 2010, the year in which the two went on to win the MERC title in a Subaru Impreza N16. Al-Marri is only the fourth Qatari driver, after Saeed al-Hajri, Hamed al-Thani and Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah, to have won the championship since it started in 1984.
Like Saudi driver Mamdouh Khayat before him in 1992, al-Marri had clinched the title with consistent driving on all rounds of the series without taking any undue risks.
Al-Marri finished on the podium four times that season, with two second-place finishes in Qatar International Rally and Sharqia Rally in Saudi Arabia, and two third-place performances in Syria and the season-ending Dubai rally.
“It’s come as a shock to me. I had spoken to his family only two weeks ago and they told me that he was doing well,” Arena said.
“It’s difficult to come to terms with such a situation. When you spend so much time in the car together, it sort of develops into an intimate relationship. You start understanding each other well. He wasn’t very comfortable with English, so it was difficult to communicate early on. But as time passed, we spoke to each other at lengths. He was a very dear friend.”
Arena navigated Abdullah al-Kuwari in the 2014 Qatar International Rally, which was won by Al-Attiyah for the 11th time.
“I remember in Dubai, after we finished the rally, he looked a little weak then and I remember telling him to take care of his health,” al-Attiyah said.
“We then met at my farm and we were discussing about how to go about the 2014 season. I left for Dakar after that. His treatment started. I am told that in the last 10 days, the doctors had said that he was very weak and no one was allowed to meet him in the hospital room. We prayed for him all this while. But it is God’s will,” he added.
Remembering al-Marri’s 2010 MERC win, he said, “He was a really good driver. He loved motorsport. Everyone really liked him. He worked hard. The MERC title has remained in Qatar since 2005 and he ensured it didn’t get out of hand in 2010. He was part of the success all these years.”
The Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) president Nasser Khalifa al-Attiyah echoed the feelings, saying, “He was a great driver, he was smart out there. He was respected by the teams. He was always helpful. He fought very hard for the championship in 2010. He was the only one who fought with Nasser for the MERC championship title and won it from him.
“He was a pleasing personality, always smiling, enjoying his life, enjoying his time in the sport. We have lost an important member from the motorsport fraternity.
“It is not only a loss for Qatar but for the entire Arab region. I have received many calls today from across the entire Arab region expressing sadness and shock at the news.”
The social media has ensured that a constant stream of condolences is flowing in from across the world.
Qatar’s Abdulaziz al-Kuwari drove along with al-Marri for Seashore Qatar Rally Team for a few rallies in 2012. Al-Kuwari, who won the 2012 Qatar International Rally and three rounds of World Rally Championship in his class last year, said, “It’s a really sad day for myself and for motorsports in general. He was my closest friend and a brother to me.
“We always travelled together for rallies since I started in 2003, always sharing same hotels abroad, having lunches and dinners together. We even advised each other before rallies on plans and strategies. It’s a big loss for me. My condolences to his family.”

1. The third-place finish at the 2010 Dubai International Rally gave Misfer al-Marri and Nicola Arena the 2010 MERC title.