The Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) is a motor

rally Rally or rallye may refer to: Gatherings * Demonstration (political), a political rally, a political demonstration of support or protest, march, or parade * Pep rally, an event held at a United States school or college sporting event Sport ...

championship run under the auspicies of the

FIA FIA is the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (English: International Automobile Federation), the world's governing body for all forms of motor sport where four or more wheels are used. Fia or FIA may also refer to: People * Fia Backs ...

. First held in 1984 the championship encompasses a series of rallies held across

Western Asia Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes Ana ...

. 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 The World Rally Championship (abbreviated as WRC) is the highest level of global competition in the motorsport discipline of rallying, owned and governed by the FIA. There are separate championships for drivers, co-drivers, manufacturers and t ...

event

Jordan Rally The Jordan Rally ( ar, رالي الأردن) is a rallying competition held in Jordan. It was a new addition to the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) calendar for the 2008 season, and the first occurrence of a WRC event in the Middle East. The ...

. Many of the rallies in the region pre-date national independence, mostly from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The championship has been dominated by

Nasser Al-Attiyah Nasser Salih Nasser Abdullah Al-Attiyah ( ar, ناصر صالح ناصر عبدالله العطية : nāṣir ṣāliḥ nāṣir ʿabdullāh al-ʿaṭṭīyah; born 21 December 1970 in Doha) is a Qatari rally driver and sport shooter. He wa ...

has won 17 titles. The championship features events in

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

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 ...

and the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at t ...

. The championship has also visited Bahrain, Syria and Saudi Arabia.

List of events

Qatar International Rally The Qatar International Rally (known previously as Qatar Rally, also known as International Rally of Qatar) 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 ...

(1984–present) * Kuwait International Rally (1984–85, 1987–89, 1995–96, 2009–2016, 2018–present) * Bahrain International Rally (1984, 2000–02, 2004–05) *

(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 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 Troödo ...

, (2007–08, 2010, 2012–present) * Sharqia Rally, Saudi Arabia, (2010) * Shiraz Rally, Iran, (2015–17)

Seasons

2012 season

The 2012 events and winners:

2011 season

The 2011 events and winners:

2010 season

The 2010 events and winners:

Champions

Rally winners

225 Rallies (after Lebanon 2022), 39 different winners, following are the winners stats:

Wins per nationality

count as after Lebanon rally 2022

References

External links

2016 Middle East Rally Championship at the FIA official website
{{Rally championships Motorsport in the Middle East FIA Zone rally championships