The Oman Automobile Association (OAA) will host Oman Rally Sohar International 2022, the opening round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC), on January 27th-29th.
Coming less than two months after Oman hosted the 2021 season finale, the rally again uses the country’s fast, flowing gravel stages and is one of the most challenging and distinctive events on the FIA calendar.
Can Al-Rawahi repeat?
Entries closed on Friday, and several local drivers hope to follow young Abdullah Al-Rawahi, who in December became the first Omani to win a MERC round. With Jordanian co-driver Ata Al-Hmoud, he led his SRT Škoda Fabia Evo from start to finish and won by more than 21 minutes.
With entries from defending regional champion and new four-time Dakar winner Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (a six-time Oman winner), talented Czech Petr Kačirek and Qatar’s Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya, repeating that win will be much harder for Al-Rawahi.
Organisation and route
The event is organised by the OAA under the chairmanship of Brigadier (Retd.) Salim Ali Khalifa Al-Maskiry. Anwar Ali Soomar Al-Zadjali is Rally Director, working with Clerk of the Course Hani Shaban and his deputies Ahmed Soomar and Nicolas El-Hindy.
Administrative checks are at the OAA on Wednesday, January 26th, with scrutineering on Thursday morning at the nearby Sandan Titanium for Cars dealership. The pre-event press conference and ceremonial start follow at the lively coastal area of Al-Mouj from 18.15hrs on Thursday.
The service park and parc fermé are at Sandan, and crews face 12 stages over two days. Al-Mouj hosts the post-event press conference and podium from 18.30hrs on Saturday, January 29th.
Friday, January 28th, features two runs through the Al-Khoud, Misfah and Saal stages, split by a midday service and regroup, for 115.34 competitive kilometres.
Saturday has two loops of Abyad, Qalqal and Nakhal, again split by a midday regroup and service, for 99.04 competitive kilometres. In total the event offers 214.38 timed kilometres in a route of 629.64km.