March 7, 2015 – Matthias Njeim dominated the first round of the Lebanese Karting Championship in the Senior Max class as he clinched pole, won the pre-final race and went on to claim victory in the final race.
However, Matthias’ victory wasn’t an easy one as he had to defend his position from both Joey Hajj and Samer Mattar who were right on his tail throughout the final race.
“My pace wasn’t as good as the drivers behind me, I was safe on the inside and I had to attack in areas where others could overtake.” said Matthias. “Samer is fast and Joey has improved a lot, but I think I still have the upper hand in the races due to my experience.” he replied when asked whether he’ll be facing tough competition this year or not.
> 2015 Lebanese Karting Championship, Round 1, DD2 Results
Joey, who started the final race from third, overtook Samer on the first lap, and then it was a matter of attacking Matthias and defending his position from Samer simultaneously, which he successfully managed to do.
“The preparations for the race were perfect. I tried to preserve my tyres for the final race, which I started from P3. I put pressure on Samer at the start and overtook him, and then I maintained second place behind Matthias.” said Joey, “I think I can compete this season because we’re all very close.” he continued.
Alex Feghali, the son of Lebanese rally champion Roger Feghali, finished his debut race in a solid fourth place, ahead of Boudy Abi Nader who completed the race despite a collision with Michael Kanaan.
> 2015 Lebanese Karting Championship, Round 1, Junior Results
Senior Max final race results
Matthias Njeim 22 laps
Joey Hajj +0.4 sec
Samer Mattar +0.8 sec
Alex Feghali +13.1 sec
Boudy Abi Nader +1 lap
Michael Kanaan +14 laps