The Oman International Rally (known originally as the Rally Oman, is an international

rally racing Rally or rallye may refer to: Gatherings * Demonstration (political), a political rally, a political demonstration of support or protest, march, or parade * Pep rally A pep rally or pep assembly is a gathering of people, typically students ...

event held to the south and south-east of the Omani capital of Muscat. 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 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 eve ...

(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 Harry Källström (30 June 1939 – 13 July 2009), nicknamed "Sputnik" , was a Swedish professional rally driver who debuted in 1957 and competed in the World Rally Championship in the 1970s. Prior to the forming of the WRC, Källström won the RA ...

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 bin Sulayem Mohammed Ahmad Sultan Ben Sulayem ( ar, محمد بن سليم; born 12 November 1961) is an Emirati former rally driver and current president of the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile). He is one of the Arab world's leading mot ...

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 previous winners

List of winners sourced in part from:http://www.ewrc-results.com/events.php?id=813&nation=50

External links

Official website

References

{{reflist Motorsport competitions in Oman Rally competitions in Oman Recurring sporting events established in 1979

Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...

1979 establishments in Oman