# 2013 Middle East Rally Championship

The 2013 Middle East Rally Championship season is an international rally championship sanctioned by the FIA. The championship is contested over seven events held in seven countries across the Middle East region, running from January to December.
Reigning champion Nasser Al-Attiyah successfully retained the championship with an event in hand after taking victories in Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan and Cyprus and finishing second in Lebanon. He would go on to win Dubai as well. Al-Attiyah scored more than double the points of second placed driver, Khalid Al-Qassimi. Al-Qassimi finished second in Qatar, Kuwait and Cyprus and finished third in Jordan. Third place went to Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari who finished third in Qatar, Kuwait and Cyprus as well as a fourth place in Jordan.
The only driver to defeat Al-Attiyah in a rally this year, Roger Feghali who won in Lebanon, is not a championship competitor.

## Race calendar and results

The 2013 MERC is as follows:
| Round | Rally name | Podium finishers | Podium finishers | Podium finishers | Podium finishers | Statistics | Statistics | Statistics | Statistics |
| Round | Rally name | Rank | Driver | Car | Time | Stages | Length | Starters | Finishers |
| 1 | Qatar International Rally (25–26 January) | 1 | Nasser Al-Attiyah | Ford Fiesta RRC | 2:16:47.2 | 12 | 264.38 km | 18 | 14 |
| 1 | Qatar International Rally (25–26 January) | 2 | Khalid Al-Qassimi | Citroën DS3 RRC | 2:17:42.9 | 12 | 264.38 km | 18 | 14 |
| 1 | Qatar International Rally (25–26 January) | 3 | Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari | Ford Fiesta RRC | 2:21:02.2 | 12 | 264.38 km | 18 | 14 |
| 2 | Kuwait International Rally (21–23 March) | 1 | Nasser Al-Attiyah | Ford Fiesta RRC | 2:10:25.3 | 12 | 242.26 km | 25 | 16 |
| 2 | Kuwait International Rally (21–23 March) | 2 | Khalid Al-Qassimi | Citroën DS3 RRC | 2:11:39.2 | 12 | 242.26 km | 25 | 16 |
| 2 | Kuwait International Rally (21–23 March) | 3 | Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari | Ford Fiesta RRC | 2:14:50.1 | 12 | 242.26 km | 25 | 16 |
| 3 | Jordan Rally (9–11 May) | 1 | Nasser Al-Attiyah | Ford Fiesta RRC | 2:51:53.1 | 16 | 256.40 km | 26 | 18 |
| 3 | Jordan Rally (9–11 May) | 2 | Roger Feghali | Ford Fiesta RRC | 2:53:35.3 | 16 | 256.40 km | 26 | 18 |
| 3 | Jordan Rally (9–11 May) | 3 | Khalid Al-Qassimi | Citroën DS3 RRC | 2:53:53.7 | 16 | 256.40 km | 26 | 18 |
| 4 | Rally of Lebanon (6–8 September) | 1 | Roger Feghali | Ford Fiesta RRC | 2:33:27.6 | 13 | 256.77 km | 36 | 22 |
| 4 | Rally of Lebanon (6–8 September) | 2 | Nasser Al-Attiyah | Ford Fiesta RRC | 2:33:57.7 | 13 | 256.77 km | 36 | 22 |
| 4 | Rally of Lebanon (6–8 September) | 3 | Abdo Feghali | Mini Cooper S2000 | 2:39:32.6 | 13 | 256.77 km | 36 | 22 |
| - | Syrian International Rally (3–5 October) | event cancelled | event cancelled | event cancelled | event cancelled | event cancelled | event cancelled | event cancelled | event cancelled |
| 5 | Cyprus Rally (11–13 October) | 1 | Nasser Al-Attiyah | Ford Fiesta RRC | 2:35:17.6 | 17 | 242.18 km | 28 | 13 |
| 5 | Cyprus Rally (11–13 October) | 2 | Khalid Al-Qassimi | Citroën DS3 RRC | 2:38:09.4 | 17 | 242.18 km | 28 | 13 |
| 5 | Cyprus Rally (11–13 October) | 3 | Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari | Ford Fiesta RRC | 2:38:14.1 | 17 | 242.18 km | 28 | 13 |
| 6 | Dubai International Rally (28–30 November) | 1 | Nasser Al-Attiyah | Ford Fiesta RRC | 2:01:11.9 | 12 | 264.20 km | 20 | 13 |
| 6 | Dubai International Rally (28–30 November) | 2 | Misfer Al-Marri | Ford Fiesta RRC | 2:06:45.5 | 12 | 264.20 km | 20 | 13 |
| 6 | Dubai International Rally (28–30 November) | 3 | Abdullah Al-Qassimi | Ford Fiesta RRC | 2:07:40.3 | 12 | 264.20 km | 20 | 13 |

## Championship standings

The 2013 MERC for Drivers points is as follows:
| Position | Driver | Vehicle | QAT | KUW | JOR | LBN | CYP | DUB | Total |
| 1 | Nasser Al-Attiyah | Ford Fiesta RRC | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 143 |
| 2 | Khalid Al-Qassimi | Citroën DS3 RRC | 2 | 2 | 3 | | 2 | Ret | 69 |
| 3 | Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari | Ford Fiesta RRC | 3 | 3 | 4 | | 3 | | 57 |
| 4 | Abdullah Al-Qassimi | Ford Fiesta RRC | 5 | 5 | 5 | | | 3 | 30 |
| 5 | Yazeed Al-Rajhi | Ford Fiesta RRC | 6 | 4 | | | Ret | Ret | 20 |
| 6 | Ala'a Rasheed | Ford Fiesta RRC | Ret | Ret | | 12 | 7 | 4 | 18 |
| 7 | Abdullah Al-Kuwari | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X | 7 | Ret | Ret | 16 | 8 | 8 | 14 |
| 8 | Bader Al-Jabri | Subaru Impreza WRX STi | 8 | Ret | 10 | | | 7 | 11 |
| 9 | Zaid Dahshan | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X | Ret | 10 | 8 | 17 | Ret | | 4 |
| 9 | Meshari Al-Thefiri | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X | 11 | 8 | 13 | Ret | Ret | | 4 |
| 11 | Mohamed Al-Sahlawi | Citroën DS3 R3T | 10 | 12 | 18 | | | 9 | 3 |
| 12 | Mohamed Al-Mutawaa | Citroën DS3 R3T | Ret | 13 | 17 | | | 10 | 1 |
Key :
| Colour | Result |
| Gold | Winner |
| Silver | 2nd place |
| Bronze | 3rd place |
| Green | Points finish |
| Blue | Non-points finish |
| Blue | Non-classified finish (NC) |
| Purple | Did not finish (Ret) |
| Black | Excluded (EX) |
| Black | Disqualified (DSQ) |
| White | Did not start (DNS) |
| White | Cancelled (C) |
| Blank | Withdrew entry from the event (WD) |