The Oman International Rally (known originally as the Rally Oman, is an international rally racing event held to the south and south-east of the Omani capital of Muscat. [1] The rally is run by the Oman Automobile Association.
The rally, first held in 1979, held on gravel roads and sand for the most part, has consistently been part of the Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) and the Gulf Rally Challenge that preceded it, as well as being a mainstay of the Oman Rally Championship. The first two events were won by Swedish driver Harry Källström before Qatari driver Saeed Al-Hajri became the first Arabian driver to win in 1981. After the rallies most recent interruption it was re-introduced as a round of the Omani championship in 2013 with MERC candidate status following in 2014. The rally rejoined the MERC officially in 2015.
Emirati driver Mohammed Ben Sulayem is the most successful driver in the events history having won the event six times between 1986 and 1998. Qatari driver Nasser Al-Attiyah won four consecutive rallies from 2003 to 2006.
List of winners sourced in part from: [2] [3]
The Safari Rally is a rally held in Kenya. It was first held in 1953 as a celebration of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The event was part of the World Rally Championship from 1973 until 2002, before returning in 2021. It is historically regarded as one of the toughest events in the World Rally Championship, and one of the most popular rallies in Africa. From 2003, a historical event has been held biannually.
The Cyprus Rally is a rallying competition held yearly in Cyprus since 1970. The event is run by the Cyprus Automobile Association and is based in the city of Limassol (Lemesos). It is run on the winding roads of the nearby mountains of Troödos. It was part of the FIA's World Rally Championship (WRC) from 2000 to 2006. In 2007 and 2008 the event was part of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC). The Cyprus Rally rejoined the WRC in 2009, taking advantage of the new regulations to become the only mixed surface event.
The Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) is a motor rally championship run under the auspicies of the FIA. First held in 1984 the championship encompasses a series of rallies held across Western Asia. The championship has featured long-running events like Rally of Lebanon, Rally Oman and the Troodos Rally in Cyprus as well as World Rally Championship event Jordan Rally. Many of the rallies in the region pre-date national independence, mostly from the United Kingdom.
Nasser Salih Nasser Abdullah Al-Attiyah is a Qatari rally driver and sport shooter. He was the 2006 Production World Rally Champion, 2014 and 2015 WRC-2 champion, a 16 time Middle East Rally Champion, five times winner of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies, and a five times Dakar Rally winner. His five victories in the Dakar Rally make him the only Middle Easterner and West Asian to win the competition more than once.
Roger Feghali
The 2010 FxPro Cyprus Rally, was the 12th round of the 2010 Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) season. The fourteen stage mixed surface rally took place over 4–6 November 2010. As well as being the final round of the IRC, the event formed the penultimate round of the 2010 Middle East Rally Championship (MERC).
The 2013 Middle East Rally Championship season is an international rally championship sanctioned by the FIA. The championship is contested over seven events held in seven countries across the Middle East region, running from January to December.
Saeed Al-Hajri, called The King of Dunes is a Qatari rally driver.
The Qatar International Rally is an international rally racing event held near the Qatari capital Doha. The rally, a gravel and sand event, dates back into the 1970s and has long been one of the cornerstone events of the Middle East Rally Championship and is one of two events to have been held in every year of the MERC.
The Dubai International Baja is an international baja-style rally racing event based in Dubai held around the facilities of the Dubai Innovation Centre.
The Kuwait International Rally (known originally as the Kuwait Rally, is an international rally racing event held on the coastline of Kuwait between the capital Kuwait City and the border with Saudi Arabia. It is the largest motor sport event held in Kuwait annually.
The 2014 Middle East Rally Championship season was an international rally championship sanctioned by the FIA. The championship was contested over six events held in six countries across the Middle East region, running from February to November.
The Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally, known originally as the Fraternity Rally, is an international rally racing event organised by the Rwanda Automobile Club. The rally is based in the Rwandan capital of Kigali. The event is a round of the African Rally Championship and the Rwandan National Rally Championship.
Scott Martin is a British rallying co-driver who competes in the FIA World Rally Championship.
The 2015 Middle East Rally Championship was an international rally championship sanctioned by the FIA. The championship was contested over eight events held in eight countries across the Middle East region, running from February to November. The championship was significantly expanded for the 2015 season. The Oman International Rally returned to the calendar after a seven-year absence, while Iran joined the championship for the first time with the Shiraz Rally debuting in May, the last rally before the mid-year winter break.
The Shiraz Rally is an international rally racing event held at Persepolis, near Shiraz, the capital of the Fars Province in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The rally is a gravel and sand event run by the Motorcycle and Automobile Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (MAFIRI). The event was first held as a candidate event in 2014 before becoming a round of the Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) in 2015. The rally is the first international motorsport event to be held in Iran since the 1979 revolution.
The 2016 Middle East Rally Championship was an international rally championship sanctioned by the FIA. The championship was contested over five events held in five Middle East countries from February to October. The championship was reduced to seven rallies for 2016 season, but the end of season rallies, Oman International Rally and Dubai International Rally were cancelled.
The 2017 Middle East Rally Championship was an international rally championship sanctioned by the FIA. The championship was contested over five events held in five Middle East countries from February to September.
The 2018 Middle East Rally Championship was an international rally championship sanctioned by the FIA. The championship was contested over five events held in five Middle East countries from April to November. One event, the Cyprus Rally, is shared with the 2018 European Rally Championship.
The 2019 Middle East Rally Championship was an international rally championship sanctioned by the FIA. The championship was to be contested over five events held in five Middle East countries from March to November. One event, the Cyprus Rally, is shared with the 2019 European Rally Championship. The season-ending Kuwait International Rally was cancelled.
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