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.[1] 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 (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 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 Ben Sulayem 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:[2][3]

YearWinnerCar
1979 Sweden Harry Källström Datsun 160J
1980 Sweden Harry Källström Datsun 160J
1981 Qatar Saeed Al-Hajri Opel Ascona
1982 United Kingdom Chris Walles Datsun 200SX
1983 United Kingdom Chris Walles Datsun 200SX
1984 Qatar Saeed Al-Hajri Porsche 911 SC
1985 Qatar Saeed Al-Hajri Porsche 911 SC
1986 United Arab Emirates Mohammed Ben Sulayem Toyota Celica TCT
1987 United Arab Emirates Mohammed Ben Sulayem Audi Quattro A2
1988 Sweden Björn Waldegård Toyota Celica GT-Four
1989 Not held
1990 United Arab Emirates Mohammed Ben Sulayem Toyota Celica GT-Four
1991 United Arab Emirates Mohammed Ben Sulayem Toyota Celica GT-Four
1992 Lebanon Tony Georgiou Toyota Celica GT-Four
1993 Lebanon Michel Saleh Toyota Celica GT-Four
1994 United Arab Emirates Mohammed Ben Sulayem Ford Escort RS Cosworth
1995
-
1997
Not held
1998 United Arab Emirates Mohammed Ben Sulayem Ford Escort WRC
1999
-
2003
Not held
2003 Qatar Nasser Al-Attiyah Mitsubishi Lancer RS Evo VII
2004 Qatar Nasser Al-Attiyah Subaru Impreza WRX STi
2005 Qatar Nasser Al-Attiyah Subaru Impreza WRX STi
2006 Qatar Nasser Al-Attiyah Subaru Impreza WRX STi
2007 United Arab Emirates Khalid Al-Qassimi Subaru Impreza WRX STi
2008
-
2012
Not held
2013 United Arab Emirates Abdullah Al-Qassimi Mitsubishi Lancer RS Evo IX
2014 Qatar Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari Ford Fiesta RRC

References

  1. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2015-05-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "Motorsport Winners".
  3. http://www.ewrc-results.com/events.php?id=813&nation=50
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