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{{Short description|Rally championship series held in the Middle East}}
{{Infobox motorsport championship
{{Infobox motorsport championship
| logo =
| logo =
| pixels =
| pixels =
| caption =
| caption =
| category = [[Group N]]<br>[[R5 (rallying)|R5]]
| category = [[R5 (rallying)|R5]]<br>[[Rally2]]<br>[[Group N]]
| country/region = [[Middle East]]
| region = [[Middle East]]
| inaugural2 = 1984
| inaugural2 = 1984
| folded =
| folded =
Line 10: Line 11:
| teams =
| teams =
| tyres =
| tyres =
| champion driver = {{flagicon|QAT}} [[Nasser Al-Attiyah]]
| champion driver = {{flagicon|QAT}} [[Nasser Al-Attiyah]]<br>{{flagicon|OMA}} Abdullah Al-Rawahi
| manufacturer =
| manufacturer =
| current_season = 2020 Middle East Rally Championship
| current_season = 2023 Middle East Rally Championship
| website =
| website =
}}
}}
The '''Middle East Rally Championship''' (MERC) is a motor [[Rallying|rally]] championship run under the auspicies of the [[Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile|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 [[Cyprus Rally|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]].
The '''Middle East Rally Championship''' ('''MERC''') is a motor [[Rallying|rally]] championship run under the auspicies of the [[Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile|FIA]].


==History==
The championship has been dominated by [[Nasser Al-Attiyah]] who has won 18 titles.
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 [[Cyprus Rally|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]].

The championship has been dominated by [[Nasser Al-Attiyah]] who has won 19 titles.


The championship features events in [[Qatar International Rally|Qatar]], [[Kuwait International Rally|Kuwait]], [[Shiraz Rally|Iran]], [[Rally of Lebanon|Lebanon]], [[Cyprus Rally|Cyprus]], [[Jordan Rally|Jordan]], [[Oman International Rally|Oman]] and the [[Dubai International Rally|United Arab Emirates]]. The championship has also visited Bahrain, Syria and Saudi Arabia.
The championship features events in [[Qatar International Rally|Qatar]], [[Kuwait International Rally|Kuwait]], [[Shiraz Rally|Iran]], [[Rally of Lebanon|Lebanon]], [[Cyprus Rally|Cyprus]], [[Jordan Rally|Jordan]], [[Oman International Rally|Oman]] and the [[Dubai International Rally|United Arab Emirates]]. The championship has also visited Bahrain, Syria and Saudi Arabia.
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*[[Qatar International Rally]] (1984–present)
*[[Qatar International Rally]] (1984–present)
*[[Kuwait International Rally]] (1984–85, 1987–89, 1995–96, 2009–2016, 2018–present)
*[[Kuwait International Rally]] (1984–85, 1987–89, 1995–96, 2009–2016, 2018–present)
*[[Bahrain International Rally]] (1984, 2000–02, 2004–05)
*Bahrain International Rally (1984, 2000–02, 2004–05)
*[[Jordan Rally]] (1984–88, 1990, 1992–present)
*[[Jordan Rally]] (1984–88, 1990, 1992–present)
*[[Oman International Rally]] (1984–88, 1990–94, 1998, 2004–07, 2015)
*[[Oman International Rally]] (1984–88, 1990–94, 1998, 2004–07, 2015)
*[[Dubai International Rally]], United Arab Emirates (1984–88, 1990–95, 1997–2015)
*[[Dubai International Rally]], United Arab Emirates (1984–88, 1990–95, 1997–2015)
*[[Rally of Lebanon]], (1987–88, 1991–2004, 2006–present)
*[[Rally of Lebanon]], (1987–88, 1991–2004, 2006–present)
*[[UAE International Rally]], United Arab Emirates (1989, 1995–2001, 2004–06)
*UAE International Rally, United Arab Emirates (1989, 1995–2001, 2004–06)
*[[Tour of Cyprus]], (1998–1999)
*Tour of Cyprus, (1998–1999)
*[[Troodos Rally]], Cyprus, (2000–2009, 2011)
*Troodos Rally, Cyprus, (2000–2009, 2011)
*[[Syria International Rally]], (2001–05, 2007–10)
*Syria International Rally, (2001–05, 2007–10)
*[[Cyprus Rally]], (2007–08, 2010, 2012–present)
*[[Cyprus Rally]], (2007–08, 2010, 2012–present)
*[[Sharqia Rally]], Saudi Arabia, (2010)
*Sharqia Rally, Saudi Arabia, (2010)
*[[Shiraz Rally]], Iran, (2015–17)
*[[Shiraz Rally]], Iran, (2015–17)

==Seasons==
===2012 season===
The 2012 events and winners:

{| class="wikitable"
! Event
! Date
! Winner
|-
|Qatar
|27 – 28 Jan 2012
|[[Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari]]
|-
|Kuwait
|22 – 24 Mar 2012
|[[Khalid Mohammad Al-Suwaidi]]
|-
|Lebanon
|7 – 9 Sep 2012
|[[Roger Feghali]]
|-
|Syria
|27 – 29 Sep 2012
|Cancelled
|-
|Jordan
|11 – 13 Oct 2012
|[[Nasser Al-Attiyah]]
|-
|[[Cyprus Rally|Cyprus]]
|2 – 4 Nov 2012
|[[Nasser Al-Attiyah]]
|-
|Dubai
|29 Nov – 1 Dec 2012
|[[Nasser Al-Attiyah]]
|}

===2011 season===
The 2011 events and winners:

{| class="wikitable"
! Event
! Date
! Winner
|-
|Qatar
|3 – 5 Feb 2011
|[[Nasser Al-Attiyah]]
|-
|Kuwait
|10 – 12 Mar 2011
|[[Nasser Al-Attiyah]]
|-
|Jordan
|14 – 16 Apr 2011
|[[Rashed El-Ketbi]]
|-
|[[Cyprus Rally|Cyprus]]
|1 – 3 July 2011
|[[Nasser Al-Attiyah]]
|-
|Lebanon
|16 – 18 Sep 2011
|[[Roger Feghali]]
|-
|Syria
|6 – 8 Oct 2011
|Cancelled
|-
|Dubai
|1 – 3 Dec 2011
|[[Nasser Al-Attiyah]]
|}

===2010 season===
The 2010 events and winners:

{| class="wikitable"
! Event
! Date
! Winner
|-
|Qatar
|21 Jan – 23 Jan 2010
|[[Nasser Al-Attiyah]]
|-
|Kuwait
|5 Mar – 8 Mar 2010
|[[Khalid Al Qassimi]]
|-
|Jordan
|1 Apr – 3 Apr 2010
|[[Yazeed Al-Rajhi]]
|-
|KSA
|20 Apr – 22 Apr 2010
|[[Yazeed Al-Rajhi]]
|-
|Lebanon
|17 Sep – 19 Sep 2010
|[[Roger Feghali]]
|-
|Syria
|7 Oct – 9 Oct 2010
|[[Nasser Al-Attiyah]]
|-
|[[Cyprus Rally|Cyprus]]
|5 Nov – 7 Nov 2010
|[[Nasser Al-Attiyah]]
|-
|Dubai
|2 Dec – 4 Dec 2010
|[[Nasser Al-Attiyah]]
|}


==Champions==
==Champions==
[[File:Nasser saleh al attiyah2.jpg|thumb|Qatari driver [[Nasser Al-Attiyah]] won the championship 18 times]]
[[File:Nasser saleh al attiyah2.jpg|thumb|Qatari driver [[Nasser Al-Attiyah]] won the championship 19 times]]
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Year
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| [[Volkswagen Polo GTI R5]]
| [[Volkswagen Polo GTI R5]]
|-
|-
! 2020
! [[2020 Middle East Rally Championship|2020]]
| {{flagicon|QAT}} [[Nasser Al-Attiyah]]
| {{flagicon|QAT}} [[Nasser Al-Attiyah]]
| [[Volkswagen Polo GTI R5]]
| [[Volkswagen Polo GTI R5]]
|-
|-
! 2021
! [[2021 Middle East Rally Championship|2021]]
| {{flagicon|QAT}} [[Nasser Al-Attiyah]]
| {{flagicon|QAT}} [[Nasser Al-Attiyah]]
| [[Volkswagen Polo GTI R5]]
| [[Volkswagen Polo GTI R5]]
|-
|-
! 2022
! [[2021 Middle East Rally Championship|2022]]
| {{flagicon|QAT}} [[Nasser Al-Attiyah]] (18)
| {{flagicon|QAT}} [[Nasser Al-Attiyah]] (18)
| [[Volkswagen Polo GTI R5]]
| [[Volkswagen Polo GTI R5]]
|-
!2023
|{{flagicon|QAT}} [[Nasser Al-Attiyah]] (19)<br>{{flagicon|OMA}} Abdullah Al-Rawahi {{#tag:ref|The 2023 championship was awarded to both [[Nasser Al-Attiyah]] and Abdullah Al-Rawahi, after a perfect tie between the two could not be settled by a six-man FIA committee.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dirtfish.com/rally/the-rally-title-decided-by-a-committee-meeting/|title = The rally title decided by a committee meeting| date=23 Nov 2023 }}</ref>|group="N"}}
| [[Volkswagen Polo GTI R5]]<br>[[Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo]]
|-
|-
|}
|}
;Footnotes
{{Reflist|group=N}}


==Rally winners==
==Rally winners==
229 Rallies (after Lebanon 2023), 39 different winners, following are the winners stats:
230 Rallies (after Cyprus 2023), 39 different winners, following are the winners stats:


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
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|-
|-
| {{flagicon|QAT}} [[Nasser Al-Attiyah]]
| {{flagicon|QAT}} [[Nasser Al-Attiyah]]
| 80
| 81
|-
|-
| {{flagicon|UAE}} [[Mohammed Ben Sulayem]]
| {{flagicon|UAE}} [[Mohammed Ben Sulayem]]
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| {{flagicon|QAT}} Abdulaziz Al Kuwari
| {{flagicon|QAT}} Abdulaziz Al Kuwari
|-
|-
| {{flagicon|CYP}} Charalambous Thimotheou
| {{flagicon|CYP}} Charalambos Thimotheou
|-
|-
| {{flagicon|QAT}} Khalid Al Suwaidi
| {{flagicon|QAT}} Khalid Al Suwaidi
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| {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Piero Liatti]]
| {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Piero Liatti]]
|-
|-
| {{flagicon|GBR}} Russell Brookes
| {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Russell Brookes]]
|-
|-
| {{flagicon|FRA}} Alain Oreille
| {{flagicon|FRA}} Alain Oreille
Line 414: Line 308:


==Wins per nationality==
==Wins per nationality==
count as after Lebanon 2023
Count as after Cyprus 2023


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
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|-
|-
| {{flag|Qatar}}
| {{flag|Qatar}}
| 99
| 100
|-
|-
| {{flag|United Arab Emirates}}
| {{flag|United Arab Emirates}}
Line 463: Line 357:


[[Category:Middle East Rally Championship| ]]
[[Category:Middle East Rally Championship| ]]
[[Category:Motorsport in the Middle East]]
[[Category:Motorsport in West Asia]]
[[Category:FIA Zone rally championships]]
[[Category:FIA Zone rally championships]]

Latest revision as of 21:28, 14 December 2024

Middle East Rally Championship
CategoryR5
Rally2
Group N
RegionMiddle East
Inaugural season1984
Drivers' championQatar Nasser Al-Attiyah
Oman Abdullah Al-Rawahi
Current season

The Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) is a motor rally championship run under the auspicies of the FIA.

History

[edit]

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.

The championship has been dominated by Nasser Al-Attiyah who has won 19 titles.

The championship features events in Qatar, Kuwait, Iran, Lebanon, Cyprus, Jordan, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. The championship has also visited Bahrain, Syria and Saudi Arabia.

List of events

[edit]
  • Qatar International Rally (1984–present)
  • Kuwait International Rally (1984–85, 1987–89, 1995–96, 2009–2016, 2018–present)
  • Bahrain International Rally (1984, 2000–02, 2004–05)
  • Jordan Rally (1984–88, 1990, 1992–present)
  • Oman International Rally (1984–88, 1990–94, 1998, 2004–07, 2015)
  • Dubai International Rally, United Arab Emirates (1984–88, 1990–95, 1997–2015)
  • Rally of Lebanon, (1987–88, 1991–2004, 2006–present)
  • UAE International Rally, United Arab Emirates (1989, 1995–2001, 2004–06)
  • Tour of Cyprus, (1998–1999)
  • Troodos Rally, Cyprus, (2000–2009, 2011)
  • Syria International Rally, (2001–05, 2007–10)
  • Cyprus Rally, (2007–08, 2010, 2012–present)
  • Sharqia Rally, Saudi Arabia, (2010)
  • Shiraz Rally, Iran, (2015–17)

Champions

[edit]
Qatari driver Nasser Al-Attiyah won the championship 19 times
Year Driver Car
1984 Qatar Saeed Al-Hajri Porsche 911 SC RS
1985 Qatar Saeed Al-Hajri (2) Porsche 911 SC RS
1986 United Arab Emirates Mohammed Ben Sulayem Toyota Celica CTC
1987 United Arab Emirates Mohammed Ben Sulayem Toyota Celica CTC
1988 United Arab Emirates Mohammed Ben Sulayem Toyota Celica CTC
1989 United Arab Emirates Mohammed Ben Sulayem Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165
1990 United Arab Emirates Mohammed Ben Sulayem Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165
1991 United Arab Emirates Mohammed Ben Sulayem Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165
1992 Saudi Arabia Mamdouh Khayat Lancia Delta HF Integrale
1993 Qatar Hamed Al-Thani Mitsubishi Galant VR4
1994 United Arab Emirates Mohammed Ben Sulayem Ford Escort RS Cosworth
1995 Saudi Arabia Abdullah Bakhashab Ford Escort RS Cosworth
1996 United Arab Emirates Mohammed Ben Sulayem Ford Escort RS Cosworth
1997 United Arab Emirates Mohammed Ben Sulayem Ford Escort RS Cosworth
1998 United Arab Emirates Mohammed Ben Sulayem Ford Escort WRC
1999 United Arab Emirates Mohammed Ben Sulayem Ford Focus RS WRC
2000 United Arab Emirates Mohammed Ben Sulayem Ford Focus RS WRC
2001 United Arab Emirates Mohammed Ben Sulayem Ford Focus RS WRC
2002 United Arab Emirates Mohammed Ben Sulayem (14) Ford Focus RS WRC
Subaru Impreza WRC
2003 Qatar Nasser Al-Attiyah Subaru Impreza WRC
2004 United Arab Emirates Khalid Al Qassimi Subaru Impreza WRX STI
2005 Qatar Nasser Al-Attiyah Subaru Impreza WRX STI
2006 Qatar Nasser Al-Attiyah Subaru Impreza WRX STI
2007 Qatar Nasser Al-Attiyah Subaru Impreza WRX STI
2008 Qatar Nasser Al-Attiyah Subaru Impreza WRX STI
2009 Qatar Nasser Al-Attiyah Subaru Impreza WRX STI
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X
2010 Qatar Misfer Al Marri Subaru Impreza WRX STI
2011 Qatar Nasser Al-Attiyah Ford Fiesta S2000
2012 Qatar Nasser Al-Attiyah Ford Fiesta RRC
Peugeot 207 S2000
2013 Qatar Nasser Al-Attiyah Ford Fiesta RRC
2014 Qatar Nasser Al-Attiyah Ford Fiesta RRC
2015 Qatar Nasser Al-Attiyah Ford Fiesta RRC
2016 Qatar Nasser Al-Attiyah Škoda Fabia R5
2017 Qatar Nasser Al-Attiyah Ford Fiesta R5
2018 Qatar Nasser Al-Attiyah Ford Fiesta R5
2019 Qatar Nasser Al-Attiyah Volkswagen Polo GTI R5
2020 Qatar Nasser Al-Attiyah Volkswagen Polo GTI R5
2021 Qatar Nasser Al-Attiyah Volkswagen Polo GTI R5
2022 Qatar Nasser Al-Attiyah (18) Volkswagen Polo GTI R5
2023 Qatar Nasser Al-Attiyah (19)
Oman Abdullah Al-Rawahi [N 1] 		Volkswagen Polo GTI R5
Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo
Footnotes
  1. ^ The 2023 championship was awarded to both Nasser Al-Attiyah and Abdullah Al-Rawahi, after a perfect tie between the two could not be settled by a six-man FIA committee.[1]

Rally winners

[edit]

230 Rallies (after Cyprus 2023), 39 different winners, following are the winners stats:

Driver Wins
Qatar Nasser Al-Attiyah 81
United Arab Emirates Mohammed Ben Sulayem 60
Lebanon Roger Feghali 16
Qatar Saeed Al-Hajri 11
United Arab Emirates Khalid Al Qassimi 8
Cyprus Andreas Tsouloftas 4
Oman Abdullah Al-Rawahi
Saudi Arabia Abdullah Bakhashab 3
Sweden Björn Waldegård
Lebanon Jean-Pierre Nasrallah
Saudi Arabia Yazeed Al-Rajhi
United Arab Emirates Suhail bin Maktoum 2
United Arab Emirates Khalifa Al-Mutaiwi
Lebanon Michel Saleh
Qatar Abdulaziz Al Kuwari
Cyprus Charalambos Thimotheou
Qatar Khalid Al Suwaidi
Jordan Amjad Farrah 1
Cyprus Andreas Peratikos
Cyprus Chris Thomas
Lebanon Samir Ghanem
United Arab Emirates Abdullah Al-Qassimi
Qatar Abbas Al-Motaiwi
Qatar Nasser Khalifa Al-Attiyah
Qatar Hamed Bin Eid Al-Thani
Lebanon Maurice Sehnaoui
Lebanon Tony Georgiou
Italy Alex Fiorio
Italy Piero Liatti
United Kingdom Russell Brookes
France Alain Oreille
Oman Nizar Shanfari
Cyprus Nicos Thomas
United Arab Emirates Rashed El-Ketbi
Lebanon Nicolas Amiouni
Lebanon Tamer Ghandour
Lebanon Rodolphe Asmar
Qatar Rashid El-Naimi
Czechoslovakia Vojtěch Štajf

Wins per nationality

[edit]

Count as after Cyprus 2023

Driver Wins
 Qatar 100
 United Arab Emirates 74
 Lebanon 27
 Cyprus 9
 Saudi Arabia 6
 Oman 5
 Sweden 3
 Italy 2
 Jordan 1
 France
 United Kingdom
 Czech Republic

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "The rally title decided by a committee meeting". 23 Nov 2023.
[edit]
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