2025 Oman International Rally
FIA Middle East Rally Championship, round 1
January 23rd-25th, 2025
For immediate release
Thursday, December 19th, 2024
OMAN INTERNATIONAL RALLY RETURNS TO KICK-START 2025 FIA MIDDLE EAST RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP
- Sohar Entertainment Centre (SEC) to host rally headquarters in 2025
MUSCAT (OMAN): The Oman International Rally returns to the FIA international motor sporting calendar in 2025 and will be the opening round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) on January 23rd-25th.
Instability in the Middle East forced the Oman Automobile Association (OAA) to cancel the 2024 event but one of the most popular rounds of the regional rally series returns with a vengeance in the New Year. Event officials have laid on a challenging format comprising 13 special stages and 232.39 competitive kilometres in a route of 636.41km.
The 2025 event is being run under the chairmanship of Brigadier Jamal Said Al-Tai, organising panel member Suleiman Al-Rawahi and Rally Director Anwar Al-Zadjali. Hani Shaban will act as the Clerk of the Course with his assistant Chris Hodgson and deputy Younis Al-Balushi.
The new-look event will be based at the Sohar Entertainment Centre (SEC) from January 19th. Administration checks will take place at rally headquarters on Monday (January 20th) from 16.00hrs, with scrutineering scheduled for Wednesday evening at the ROP Inspection Area in Sohar.
Sohar is the largest city in the Al-Batinah North Governorate in Oman and lies on the northeastern coast. It has been credited as being the birthplace of Sinbad the Sailor.
On Thursday, January 23rd, the pre-event press conference (15.00hrs) precedes the ceremonial start (15.30hrs) at the SEC and then crews will tackle the opening Sohar super special stage from 16.43hrs.
Friday’s action will be fought out over two passes through the Ar-Rusays (23.56km), Ar-Rassah (19.45km) and Al-Uwaynah (13.94km) special stages, split by a regroup and service stop at the SEC.
Two runs through the Al-Akak (25.20km), Yanboa (13.45km) and Misyal A’sidr (19.32km) specials round off the action on Saturday with the second pass through the Misyal A’sidr speed test acting as the event’s new Power Stage.
The SEC will host the prize giving (17.30hrs) and post-event press conference (18.30hrs) on Saturday (January 25th).
The rally is one of the oldest in the Middle East and dates back to 1979 when the inaugural event was won by Harri Kallström and Claes Billstam in a Datsun 160J/SSS. It was a round of the first ever MERC in 1984, an event that was won by Saeed Al-Hajri and John Spiller in a Porsche 911 SC RS.
Both Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and current FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem have won the event on seven occasions apiece, with local driver Abdullah Al-Rawahi winning twice (2021 and 2023).
The late Björn Waldegård (1988), Tony Georgiou (1992), Michel Saleh (1993), Khalid Al-Qassimi (2007) and Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari (not an MERC round – 2014) have taken solitary wins in the days of the MERC.
Entries close on Thursday, January 9th. For further event information: Oman Automobile Association (OAA), Airport Heights, P.O. Box 2874, PC111, CPO Seeb, Sultanate of Oman, Tel: +968 24510239, Email: rally@omanauto.org.
Ends
For further media information: 2025 Oman International Rally, Mohammed Al-Raisi, Media Manager and PR Officer, Email: rally@omanauto.org.
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