April 6, 2016 – While no great battle is expected for the overall lead in the 32nd Spring Rally, there are plenty of fights to look forward to throughout the different categories. The 2016 edition of the Spring Rally brings a lot of unknowns, which should make it quite a thriller. Here are five things we expect from Sunday’s event:
1. Abdo Feghali’s race to lose
Abdo Feghali has virtually no competition. He enters the 2016 Spring Rally in a Ford Fiesta R5, and his only competitor is the 20-year-old Rodolphe Asmar who made his rallying debut last year, and lacks experience compared to Abdo. So, it’s safe to say that victory’s within Abdo’s reach, should everything go smoothly. Rodolphe, meanwhile, should be able to finish on the podium in his first appearance in the Fiesta R5, especially after impressing in Group N last season. There’s also Tamer Ghandour, who’s competing in an Evo X R4 and is expected to fight at the front of the pack.
2. Great battle brewing for Group N glory
Group N has always been one of the most hotly-contested categories. Last year saw an immense battle unfold between Rodrigue Rahi, Tamer Ghandour and Eddy Abou Karam, and it was Rahi who came out on top in the end after a season-long combat. The same drivers, excluding Ghandour, have returned for more Group N action this year, and they face further competition from other drivers in the category, which should provide us with lots of excitement.
3. Front-wheel drive/RC3 class an unknown
Reigning champion Roger Feghali switched from all-wheel drive to front-wheel drive and will appear in a Citroen DS3 R3 on Sunday. He faces competition from Henry Massaad in a Renault Clio R3T, Bassel Abu Hamdan in a DS3 R3, Rony Kanaan in another DS3 R3 and Walid Chlink in a Clio R3. Will it be a walk in the park for Roger or will his rivals, who are more accustomed to FWD, stop him?
4. Interesting little scrap in RC4
Majed Khoury and Patrick Njeim are the only RC4 competitors, with the former having the upper hand in terms of experience. However, Patrick’s new weapon for his second season in rallying is a Peugeot 208 R2, while Majed keeps the Skoda Fabia R2. It should be close between the two.
5. No competition in RC5, but there’s a new face
Patrick Njeim passed the torch to his younger brother Matthias in the RC5 class. Newcomer Matthias will be driving the Suzuki Swift Sport on Sunday and will be alone in the category, but everyone’s keeping a close eye on the karting champion whose main target is to finish his first ever rally.