August 24, 2015 – Rally of Lebanon has been a long standing event in the Lebanese motorsport calendar, and over the years, many records have been set by Lebanese and non-Lebanese drivers.
Ahead of the 38th edition of the event, which is scheduled for September 4-6 and will hopefully witness some new records, we’re going to shed light on some interesting statistics collected from all previous editions of the rally, which inaugurated in 1968.
Roger Feghali is undoubtedly the most successful driver in Rally of Lebanon history, having won the event a record 11 times, which is 7 victories clear of the next best man, UAE’s Mohammad Bin Sulayem who has 4 victories, followed by Jean-Pierre Nasrallah with 3.
> 38th Rally of Lebanon Entry List published
Mohammad Bin Sulayem onboard the Ford Escort WRC at the 1998 Rally of Lebanon
Feghali also holds the record for most podium finishes, with 12, including the 11 victories we’ve already mentioned and one second place finish back in 1999.
Despite having no Rally of Lebanon victories, Abdo Feghali has been on the podium 8 times, finishing 2nd on six occasions and 3rd on two occasions.
Up next is Mohammad Bin Sulayem, who climbed on the podium 7 times, followed by Jean-Pierre Nasrallah with 6, Nasser Al Attiyah (4 times), Nabil Karam (3 times), in addition to Rodrigue Rahi and Gilbert Bannout (2 times).
Abdo Feghali holds the record for most second place finishes with 6, while he shares the record for most third place finishes with Mohammad Bin Sulayem and Jean-Pierre Nasrallah (2 times).
Jean-Pierre Nasrallah airborne in his Subaru Impreza WRC at the 2002 edition of Rally of Lebanon
Mohammad Bin Sulayem’s four Rally of Lebanon wins make him the most successful non-Lebanese driver, but he’s not the only foreign winner, as Italy’s Pierro Liatti and Alex Fiorio, France’s Alain Oreille, and Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Bakhashab all have one victory.
Nasser Al-Attiyah, who’s been on the podium four times, is yet to win the event, which he’s contesting on a Skoda Fabia R5 this year in hopes of a maiden triumph.
In terms of car manufacturers, Renault has the most Rally of Lebanon wins with 7, the last of which came in 1993 when Alain Oreille won in a Renault Clio Williams.
Nicolas Amiouni, who’s the youngest ROL winner to date, gave Mitsubishi its 6th win last year, while other winning manufacturers include Ford (5 times), Lancia (4 times), Subaru (4 times) and Toyota (2 times). Coincidentally, German manufacturers Audi, BMW, Porsche and Opel all have one victory, along with Nissan.
Most Rally of Lebanon wins:
1. Roger Feghali – 11 times
2. Mohammed Bin Sulayem – 4 times
3. Jean-Pierre Nasrallah – 3 times
Most podium finishes:
1. Roger Feghali – 12 times
2. Abdo Feghali – 8 times
3. Mohammed Bin Sulayem – 7 times
4. Jean-Pierre Nasrallah – 6 times
5. Nasser Al Attiyah – 4 times
6. Nabil Karam – 3 times
7. Rodrigue Rahi / Gilbert Bannout – 2 times
Most second places: Abdo Feghali – 5 times
Most third places: Abdo Feghali / Mohammed Bin Sulayem / Jean-Pierre Nasrallah – 2 times
Most Rally of Lebanon wins by non-Lebanese drivers:
1. Mohammed Bin Sulayem (UAE) – 4 times
2. Piero Liatti (Italy) / Abdullah Bakhashab (Saudi Arabia) / Alex Fiorio (Italy) / Alain Oreille (France) – 1 time
Most Rally of Lebanon wins by manufacturer:
1. Renault – 7 times
2. Mitsubishi – 6 times
3. Ford – 5 times
4. Lancia – 4 times
5. Subaru – 4 times
6. Toyota – 2 times
7. Audi / BMW / Porsche / Opel / Nissan – 1 time