During our coverage for the 2012-2013 Porsche GT3 CCME we met Lebanese Rally legend Ziad Ghandour, a man that excited the rally fans in Lebanon for years. After a long time away from sports we saw “Zeehog” racing in the Maserati Trofeo last year and this time around he was trying the Porsche Cup.
In this conversation we talked with Ziad about his present and future plans and we reflected on a very rich past of racing.
Ziad Gandour ‘Zeehog’, we would like to welcome you at biser3a.com; it is a great opportunity to meet you. You were a rally legend in Lebanon.
We saw you take part in Circuit Racing in the Middle East, tell us where have you been all these years, and why did you pick Circuit Racing instead of Rallying?
I picked Circuit Racing because it is less time-consuming; I’m a 100% amateur, so I cannot pull out the rallying performances of past years. In Circuit Racing, you only have to be there two days prior to the race, but in rallying, you have to get ready 15 to 20 days before the event; there’s reconnaissance and testing. Things are different in Circuit Racing; I’m driving a Porsche this year, my first time in a Porsche, and it’s my first time in a rear-engined car as well, so it’s completely different from any car I have driven. I’m currently still testing in hopes of tackling all of the rounds next year.
Will you take part in the remaining rounds of the championship in Bahrain?
I might go to Bahrain, but I’m not sure whether it’ll be of any benefit for me to go, or maybe it is better to wait for the new car to arrive and test it for a few days in Europe, because next year’s car is very different, so it depends, if the new car is a bit similar to the current, I’ll go to Bahrain, if not, then I’m better off with testing.
You participated in the Maserati Trofeo Championship last year and it was good. What are the main differences between the Maserati and the Porsche technically?
Technically, the biggest difference is the weight distribution. On the Maserati, most of the weight is up front, so the way you handle the car is different to the Porsche, which is rear-engined. Every time you enter a corner in the Porsche, you have to keep as much weight in front in order to get a full boost. In terms of top speed, both are pretty quick, the Maserati is probably a bit quicker on a straight line, but the Porsche is better on corners. Overall, the Porsche is faster, around 3 or 4 seconds on a circuit such as Losail, but they are still close; the Maserati is fast but heavier, so it requires more braking power, while the Porsche is more aerodynamic.
Where have you been all this time, away from Motorsports, before you got back to Circuit racing?
I left Lebanon and lived abroad in the USA for about 13-14 years, and my work kept me away from Motorsports, so I had to quit motor racing, although I’ve always followed all the latest happenings, but I really couldn’t get back. Now I’m back in the region and currently living in Lebanon, and I’m really looking forward to get back in the game, either through encouraging others, or participating myself, or being involved somehow.
You were a big champion and a legend in Lebanon; you also had brilliant foreign participations. What is the best memory you have from these days?
I think my best memory has to be from one of my participations in Lebanon; Abdullah Boukhashab and I kept exchanging fastest times in special stages, and the special stages were very nice and lengthy such as Zandouka. This is one of the most memorable rallies, with Abdullah Boukhashab, I remember it very well. Of course, there are rallies with Jean-Pierre Nasrallah, Billy Karam and Bagerra; these are truly unforgettable moments, one does not simply forget them. Each special stage in Lebanon is ‘special’ in its own way.
You’ve participated in a lot of past rallies, and you’ve seen the current ones. What is the difference, and what do you think of the new generation of drivers?
They’re quite fast, I really can’t say anything, they’re truly fast. Back in our days, everyone was pushing to the maximum, but the financial situation has deteriorated nowadays compared to the old days, but the driving remains the same.
Concerning today’s rallies, we know that the budgets have become very high. How hard is it for the new generation of drivers to get the necessary funding and motivation in order to participate?
The cost was a lot less expensive in my days, and the media was more involved. Nowadays, the media is no longer as involved, the sponsors are less and the cost has risen; so the burden of taking part in a rally has significantly increased; teams have to dedicate 50% of their time to finding sponsors, and the other 50% to actually race. So this is hard, it has become quite hard, even around the world, the amount viewers has decreased. We had 150,000 viewers in Catalunya in the past, now we barely see anyone. This is evolution, the sport has evolved into Circuit racing, but I hope for a comeback to rallying. In my opinion, rallies are much more important for drivers and much more exciting than circuit racing.
Ziad, one final word for the Lebanese audience, this is probably the first time they hear from you in a long time.
I had Lebanese people encouraging me yesterday in Losail, so it is really touching to have a Lebanese audience wherever I go. You can’t imagine how exciting and encouraging it is to have a Lebanese audience. We have some important drivers in Lebanon, and I really hope that they would receive proper encouragement.
