The Cyprus Troodos Rally, the penultimate round of the 2006 FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC), kicked off Friday with four gravel stages.

The ceremonial start of the Rally was held Thursday night in Eleftherias Square, Nicosia, in the presence of Cyprus Commerce, Industry and Tourism Minister Antonis Michaelides.

Attracting exceptional talents from Cyprus and the region, the Troodos Rally, which is organized by the Cyprus Automobile Association (CAA), has proven a popular event with local drivers such as Andreas Tsouloftas and Andreas Peratikos. The two most recent events were won by Qatar's Nasser Al-Attiyah, who is also competing this year.

The 2005 Middle East Rally Champion Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar with a Subaru Impreza returned to the island again to add to his hat-trick of Troodos Rally wins.

The line up of Cypriot drivers will include familiar faces like Andreas Tsouloftas, Andreas Peratikos, Chris Thomas and Charalambos Timotheou.

The Troodos Rally will end on Saturday afternoon at Eleftherias Square in downtown Nicosia.

Source: Xinhua