Abu Dhabi has to earn world rally event

Promised but then taken away, the capital should ensure they meet the criteria so strongly that their claim cannot be ignored is the advice of FIA vice president.

The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority-sponsored BP Ford car of Mikko Hirvonen in action at the Rally Jordan in April.

ABU DHABI // Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the FIA vice president, remains confident that the capital will host a leg of the World Rally Championship (WRC) in the future. Having today published a blueprint to successfully develop motorsports in the Middle East, Ben Sulayem, who is also president of the UAE's Automobile and Touring Club, said, if the emirate's target remains unchanged, organisers must do all they can to make a potential Abu Dhabi rally impossible to ignore.

The capital, having been initially announced as a venue on the WRC's prospective calendar for 2011, was, earlier this year, dropped in favour of Rally Jordan. The Hashemite Kingdom hosted a round of the Championship in 2008, while Abu Dhabi has never hosted a WRC event. "You cannot have everything," Ben Sulayem said. "In time we will have the event, but we have to do it right. "The FIA have criteria and if we want it we must meet them. If we do that then nobody can stop us. If we follow the criteria 100 per cent, we will get it - of that I have no doubt."

The capital, with its lucrative sponsorships of both the WRC Championship and the BP Ford World Rally Team, was widely expected to secure an inaugural rally in 2011. However, following an FIA meeting, it was decided that Jordan would remain on the calendar after missing out in 2009. "Just because we ask for it, does not mean we deserve it," Ben Sulayem said of a potential Rally Abu Dhabi. "There are many candidates that want a place on the calendar and we have to show that we have what it takes to be a host."

Likewise, Ben Sulayem, who revealed Iran wishes to join the Middle East Rally Championship (MERC), says the Islamic Republic will need to meet similar criteria if it is to fulfill its goal. "Iran is important as it is a manufacturer of cars, but it is not just about technology." he said. "It is about fans, easy access to the country, hospitality, stages, weather, everything has to be there. But first, we will have to see if they can host a pilot race."

The MERC is celebrating its 25-year anniversary this season, with Saudi Arabia hosting a race for the first time in its history.