The Rally of Lebanon, which is the fourth round of the 2013 Middle East Rally Championship and is scheduled between the 6th and 8th of September 2013, kicks off from the Beirut Waterfront with a 3.29-kilometer super special stage on Thursday night, featuring one car at a time in a race against the clock.
It is no surprise that the ATCL has come forward with this plan; the Club has always resorted to the highest organizational standards to make one of the most prominent and prestigious rallies in the Middle East, a success, especially as it is unique compared to other rallies in the region thanks to its tarmac surface, which is a challenge for Arab drivers who are used to the grueling desert and its rocks.
In 2006 and during the 29th Rally of Lebanon, the fifth round of the Middle East Rally Championship, the ATCL organized a super special night stage at the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, which brought back the rallying spirit after a 1-year hiatus (the 2005 edition of the rally was cancelled following the assassination of Rafiq Al Harriri), and attracted more than 10,000 spectator although it coincided with the FIFA World Cup Semi Final game with Germany against Italy (0 – 2).
The super special stage – at a 1.96-kilometer distance – was hotly contested with two cars simultaneously allowed on track, one on top of a metal bridge, and the other one right below it. The cars then swapped lanes and blew past the finish line in the midst of cheers from crowds who followed the event on grandstands specifically-built for the stage; the event was preceded by a special display of cars from the Porsche Club Lebanon in addition to classic motorcycles.
Qatari driver Nasser Al-Attiyah set the quickest laptime on a Subaru Impreza WRX STi with a 1:43.6, beating Roger Feghali who posted a 1:45.2 on a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9. Third place went for Jordanian driver Amjad Farrah on an Evo 9 (1:45.4).
Al-Attiyah put an end to the Lebanese drivers’ dominance in 2000, during the 24th Rally of Lebanon specifically. Jean-Pierre Nasrallah went quickest on SS9, which was a super special stage held at the La Marina in Dbayeh. Nasrallah clocked a 1:37.17 on a Toyota Corolla WRC to go quickest ahead of Michel Saleh’s Toyota Celica (1:39.64) and Carlos Abou Jaoude’s Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6 (1:40.93).
And at the 26th Rally of Lebanon in 2002, Jean-Pierre Nasrallah went quickest yet again on the 1.5-kilometer super special stage in Downtown Beirut.
Abdo Feghali etched his name on top of the timing sheets after going quickest on the super special stage of the years 2001, 2003 and 2004, knowing that Downtown Beirut was the rally’s starting point in all three years.
Going back in time, it is worth noting that 2006 wasn’t the first year the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium hosted a Motorsport event, it opened its doors back in 1973 and 1974 for the Rally of Lebanon and Syria, considered the oldest and best rally in the Middle East back then.
Fadi Aoun, Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the seventh year running (since 2007), said regarding the super special stage: “It will be beautiful and challenging, and it is more or less “promotional”, as in promoting Lebanon’s cultural image… All of the ingredients for success are in that super special stage, and a special team, headed by Ziad Jamous, has been assigned to supervise it.”
Aoun continued: “The super special stage will be held on Thursday, 5th of September at 8:30 PM, preceded by recreational activities starting 3:00 PM, noting that the activities are still a work in progress, but there will surely be a time for spectators and rally fans to get to see the drivers and co-drivers, in addition to getting autographs and souvenir photos.
Aoun confirmed that everyone is working hard to make the event a success, especially the start, which has been handed by Imad Lahoud to a WRC promoter who will be fully taking care of its promotion.
The Chairman concluded: “I would like to reconfirm that all the necessary ingredients for the super special stage’s success are present, it’s a special event on its own.”
Registration for the rally opened on the 8th of July and can be done online via Rally of Lebanon’s official website, a first in the Middle East Rally Championship.