Nasser Al-Attiyah took firm command of the Cyprus Rally on the opening day, putting himself on track to secure his tenth event victory and his 21st Middle East Rally Championship title. Organised by the Cyprus Automobile Association since 1970, the historic event saw the Qatari driver claim four out of the day's six special stages. Despite losing nearly two minutes to a puncture on the final stage, Al-Attiyah built a 53-second lead over local rival Simos Galatariotis, who also suffered a late puncture after winning one special stage. The dramatic finish allowed Oman's Abdullah Al-Rawahi, who is also battling for the regional championship title, to trim the gap to Galatariotis to just 1 minute and 12 seconds.
Behind the leading trio, last year's local champions Yiangou and Nicolaou mounted a strong afternoon drive in their Hyundai i20 to secure fourth place. They overtook Poseidias and Pambos Laos in a Renault Clio, who fell to fifth position while maintaining their leadership in the Rally3 category. The Turkish Cypriot duo of Sukuroglu and Topcuoslu placed sixth in a Volkswagen Polo, followed by Zenonos and Christofi in a Ford Fiesta in seventh. Rounding out the top eight were Manoli and Petros Laos aboard a Peugeot 208, who currently lead the two-wheel-drive category.
Dramatically challenging gravel tracks tested competitors severely, leaving only 10 of the 16 starting crews to complete the opening leg. High-profile retirements included Al-Atya and Chehab, who crashed their Fiesta on the opening stage, and Bakhashab and Matar, who retired their Fabia on the final stage alongside the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X crews of K. Laos with Stylianou and Prodromou with Episkopou. Parellis and Papandreou also bowed out early in their Opel Corsa. Meanwhile, the Jordanian crew of Jweihan and Juna in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X announced they would compete exclusively on the second day after making their start on Friday, October 23. In the concurrent local S Class rally for older-generation competition cars, just four of the 11 starters finished the day, with Kokias and Constantinou leading in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX, followed by Chapelis and Chrysanthou in a Subaru Impreza, Christodoulou and Nestoras in an Evo VII, and Trikkomitis and Nicolaou in a Suzuki Vitara.
The action moves to its climax on Sunday, October 25, with crews tackling the demanding special stages of Doratikos, Vavatsinia, and Stavrovouni near Pyrga. The second pass through Stavrovouni, scheduled for 3:13 PM, will serve as the event's crucial Power Stage. Covering a total distance of 657.74 kilometers, including 183.92 kilometers spread across 12 gravel special stages, the rally will reach its grand conclusion in Larnaca. The Ceremonial Finish and crowning ceremony for the new Middle East Rally Champion will take place at 5:00 PM at Europe Square.