The Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) is a motor

rally Rally or rallye may refer to: Gatherings * Political demonstration, a political rally, a political demonstration of support or protest, march, or parade * Pep rally, an event held at a North American school or college sporting event Sport ...

championship run under the auspicies of the FIA.

History

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

Western Asia West Asia (also called Western Asia or Southwest Asia) is the westernmost region of Asia. As defined by most academics, UN bodies and other institutions, the subregion consists of Anatolia, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Mesopotamia, the Armenian ...

. 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 an international rallying series owned and governed by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA. Inaugurated in 1973, it is the oldest FIA world championship after Formula One. E ...

event

Jordan Rally The Jordan Rally () 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 rally was previously part ...

. 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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The championship has been dominated by

Nasser Al-Attiyah Nasser Salih Nasser Abdullah Al-Attiyah ( : nāṣir ṣāliḥ nāṣir ʿabd allāh al-ʿaṭiyyah; born 21 December 1970 in Doha) is a Qatari rally driver and sport shooter. He was the 2006 Production World Rally Champion, 2014 and 2015 WR ...

who has won 19 titles. The championship features events in

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...

and the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

. 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 rallying event held near the Qatari capital Doha. The rally, a gravel and sand event, dates back into the 1970s and has ...

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

(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 Troöd ...

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

Champions

;Footnotes

Rally winners

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

Wins per nationality

Count as after Cyprus 2023

References

External links

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