Abu Dhabi is set to return to the FIA Middle East Rally Champion­ship (MERC) after the capital was provisionally listed as hosts for the third round on the 2015 calendar.

FIA vice president for sport in charge of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region Nasser Kha­lifa Al Attiyah made the announce­ment during a meeting of regional club presidents in Jounieh, Leba­non, on Tuesday evening.

Winding up the meeting, which was held on the sidelines of Rally Lebanon, round four of the re­gional series, Al Attiyah circulated the 2015 calendar to members and confirmed that the UAE, Shiraz in Iran and Oman would be organising candidate events this year ahead of their formal inclusion in the series.

The UAE has been handed a pro­visional date of April 9 for a full round next year.

Expressing his confidence that the three countries would make the cut, Al Attiyah noted that it was mandatory to hold a candidate round in order to satisfy the FIA that the host country was capable of organising a rally in accordance with rules and regulations of mot­orsport’s world governing body.

Abu Dhabi Racing (ADR) re­cently confirmed that it would be organising a candidate event from October 16-17 in collaboration with Yas Motor Sports Club, where the spectator stage would be held on the first day at the North Handling area of Yas Marina Circuit.

The following day will see com­petitors tackle eight special stages, though ADR is yet to release details of the route.

The last rally in 2006 was held in the Suwaihan area of Abu Dhabi and it is likely that organisers might want to take the tried and tested route, with perhaps a few changes to make the course a bit more chal­lenging.

Motorsport clubs from the MENA region were represented at the Lebanon meeting, with the exception of Algeria, Mauritania, Libya, Sudan, Yemen and the UAE.

Given the UAE’s absence, it came as no surprise that nobody here was aware Abu Dhabi had been provi­sionally listed as a MERC round for next season.

Interestingly, the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, which is a round of the FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup and FIM Cross Coun­try Rallies World Championship, is scheduled to be held from March 26-April 2 next year, while the Abu Dhabi MERC round will be held just a week later.

Abu Dhabi has previously held rounds of the MERC in 1989, 1995- 2001, 2004-06, while Oman was part of the series in 1984-88, 1990- 94, 1998, 2004-07.

If Shiraz is also confirmed, then Iran will be making its debut in the regional competition next year.