September 16, 2016 – Motortune Racing has been producing champions for years, but the team has also been recently catering for young champions in the making. We’re talking about Motortune Racing Academy’s young drivers, namely Patrick Njeim, Matthias Njeim and Rodolphe Asmar.
The three young drivers have all had an exceptional season in 2016 and all three of them have concluded the year with at least one championship title in the bag.
The youngest in Motortune Racing Academy’s line-up is Lebanese karting champion Matthias Njeim (18 years old), who contested his first ever Lebanese Rally Championship season this year. Matthias showed impressive pace all through the year and piled up the kilometers by crossing the finish line in Spring Rally, Jezzine Rally and Rally of Lebanon, while a mechanical problem prevented him from doing so in the Cedars Rally.
RC5 championship title in the bag for Matthias Njeim who did not fail to deliver in his first season
Although Matthias had been alone in the RC5 category, his outstanding performances in the Suzuki Swift Sport paid dividends as he claimed the RC5 championship title at the end of the season.
Also a Lebanese karting champion and last year’s RC5 title winner, Patrick Njeim – Matthias’s 20-year-old brother – upgraded to a Peugeot 208 R2 this year and was able to consistently beat his RC4 rival Majed Khoury to claim the title after finishing 3rd in the front-wheel drive class and 1st in RC4 in Rally of Lebanon. Patrick also secured class victories in Jezzine Rally and Cedars Rally, and recorded one retirement in the season opener, the Spring Rally.
However, this wasn’t Patrick’s sole achievement this year as he powered to the Lebanese Hill Climb Championship FWD title following a string of superb performances that saw him challenge and outpace RC3 class drivers.
Patrick Njeim enjoyed a stellar season and went home with the RC4 championship title
The Njeim brothers are a treasure chest of talent and they have shown the ability to learn and improve quickly, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see them competing for front-running positions in the near future.
Motortune Racing Academy’s arsenal also includes Rodolphe Asmar, who’s a first-class driver and a fine asset. He currently leads the MERC-2 championship and is aiming for the title in October’s Cyprus Rally. He has done very well for himself in the Lebanese Rally Championship, driving the Ford Fiesta R5 to the podium in Spring Rally and Jezzine Rally, and managing 2nd in Group N and 4th overall in Rally of Lebanon. Rodolphe also recorded a major achievement when he secured the Lebanese Hill Climb Championship Group N title in Baabdat.
Rodolphe Asmar leads the MERC-2 championship and is eyeing the title in Cyprus
Additionally, Rodolphe and Patrick raced in Rallye d’Antibes in France this year and ranked 16th and 17th respectively in the highly popular R2 category that comprised 38 competitors.
Moreover, Motortune Racing Academy embraces other young drivers such as Alex Feghali, Christopher Njeim and Rashed Ghanem who currently compete in the Lebanese Karting Championship and are expected to climb the motorsport ladder in a similar fashion to Patrick, Matthias and Rodolphe.
Patrick Njeim and Georges Nader celebrate the RC4 class triumph at the end of the 39th Rally of Lebanon
Matthias Njeim describing the winning feel on the 39th Rally of Lebanon podium
Rodolphe Asmar concluded an outstanding local season with a place on the podium in Rally of Lebanon