Feghali prepares to defend his title
Motor sports in Lebanon were first introduced in 1952 when the Automobile and Touring Club of Lebanon organized the first rally, called the Lebanon and Syria Rally. Three years later, in 1959 the club organized an event, this time called the Lebanon Rally.
After a long interlude, motor sports in Lebanon re-emerged with an event called the Marlboro Mountain Rally. It initially ran 1,100km and over the years became very popular, drawing both Arab and foreign drivers.
In 1993, the event was renamed the Marlboro Rally of Lebanon. The rally’s professional organization attracted many drivers to it and caught the attention of FIA officials.
The Marlboro Rally of Lebanon is held on paved roads and begins with a super special stage originating in the heart of downtown Beirut. It has several mountain stages, distinctive for their curved roads and smooth asphalt surfaces, which makes the competition especially tough among the drivers. In fact, the Marlboro Rally of Lebanon is the only round of the Middle East Rally Championship that is held on asphalt roads.
The popularity of motor sports in Lebanon has certainly contributed to the success of rallying in the country. Motor sports enthusiasts anxiously await each rally and line the sides of the routes to cheer on their favourite drivers. The media also contributes to the event’s success by providing news coverage of the Marlboro Rally of Lebanon, one of the best rallies in the Middle East.
Preparations are in full swing for the 28th running of the rally and expectations are high that it will this year again attract a high level of local, Arab and international participants. Team Marlboro Lebanon driver Roger Feghali will be seeking his second successive Marlboro Rally of Lebanon title and his third overall, after winning in 2000 in a Lancia Delta HF Integral and in 2003 in a Subaru Impreza WRC.
The 2004 Middle East Rally Championship began with the first round in Abu Dhabi, won by Qatari driver Nasser Saleh Al Attiyyah. The second round, held in Bahrain, was won by UAE driver Khalid Al Qassimi. The competition moved on to Oman, where al Attiyyah took his second victory of the season.
The fourth round in Jordan proved to be full of surprises with the withdrawal of Al Attiyyah in the fourth stage and Omani driver Hamad Al Wahibi in the final super special stage, after having maintained a comfortable seven-minute lead. With Al Wahibi out of the race, the Jordan International Rally title went to local driver Amjad Farah. Farah’s win caused tremendous joy and celebration to Jordanians thrilled to see a Jordanian win the event for the first time in the rally’s 23-year history.
After four rounds, the Middle East Rally Championship standing is led by Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi with 24 points, followed by Cypriot Andreas Tsouloftas with 21 points and former MERC champion Al Attiyyah in third place with 20 points.
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For more information, please contact:
Richard Breiss or Amina Soussi
Manning Selvage & Lee
Tel: +971 4 331 1637
Fax: +971 4 331 4944
Email: richard.breiss@dubai.mslpr.com or
amina.soussi@dubai.mslpr.com
© Press Release 2004
