ATCL will be organizing the first speed test of the season this Sunday at Fouad Chehab Stadium. The event has become an annual gathering for a huge number of motorsport enthusiasts in Lebanon and especially those with low budget who are unable to participate in bug events.
ATCL has announced that Thursday will be the last day of registration which will close at 4 Pm and scrutineering will take place onSaturday may 21, one day ahead of the event. [singlepic id=122 w=320 h=240 float=right]
Although some may not consider the speed test phenomena as a real motorsporting event or an actually motorsporting format, yet it has its regulations and norms. Apart from all this the speed test phenomena has opened the door for people with talent to shine. It also shed the light on many talents and played a role in giving them exposure which will help enter in higher level competitions such as Hill Climbs and rallies. ATCL technically describes the Speed Test as follows:
“The Speed Test is a driving event which involves maneuverability and skill on a closed circuit of 800 to 2000 meters long, with a minimum width of 5 meters. Straight lines should not exceed 80 meters. In order to reduce speed, Chicanes can be created with the use of soft traffic cones or blocks.”
Quick chat with Imad Lahoud
In a quick chat with Imad Lahoud, director of the event, we asked him about this year’s edition, their prepartion and the expectations as well as the media coverage.
“This year’s event is very challenging, but very rewarding at the same time. In terms of media coverage every driver will get the right exposure and the event will be covered live. OTV has showed a lot of passion towards this sport an is putting a huge effort in making it successful. They have promised a lot of new ideas in terms of coverage like onboard cameras and we will be waiting for an exemplary coverage from OTV. This year we have noticed that the role of media is helping the sport big time, especially with OTV and electronic media. Their work has motivated many drivers to take the challenge and participate and we have noticed some new entries this year, especially with prototypes that will also feature in Hill climb.”
“Organization for speed test events is not that difficult and we have all the experience to do a good job especially that our marshals have been active with these kinds of events for some time now. In term of spectators we believe that this year it will be a surprise for everyone because the media coverage has assisted in creating awareness for the event.”
2010
Last season saw the domination of Lebanese rally champion Abdo Feghali over the 3 speed test events. Abdo driving his famous prototype Mitsubishi EVO 6 was clearing very dominant and easily clinched all 3 titles.
2010 speed test raking:
Speed Test 1 Overall:
1- Abdo Feghali
2- Garo HAROUTIAN (group L Winner)
3- Rabih AYOUB
Speed Test 2 Overall:
1- Abdo FEGHALI
2- Chadi AKL (group L Winner)
3- Michel ABOU CHAKRA
Speed Test 3 Overall:
1- Abdo FEGHALI
2- Osmat Al Saifi (group L Winner)
3- Garo HAROUTIAN
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