Lebanese Karting Driver, Joey Hajj is coming back to the Lebanese Motorsport scene after his absence from the Lebanese Karting Championship due to the lack of sponsorship. We talked to Joey during his pre-Spring Rally recce and found out more about his plans for the season. Joey has been competing in 10 Karting Championships so far with 22 podiums in the bag and a championship!
Q: We’re surprised to see you coming back competing in a new discipline. How long have you been working on it?
A: I’ve been working on it for the past two years and it always failed to happen due to the lack of sponsorship. The biggest proof is the relatively small number we’re encountering this year… The drivers were always at least 25 to 30 drivers!
Q: How did it all happen?
A: I did a really hard work completing a good portfolio of myself and searching for sponsors all around since August 2018 and eventually it did pay off. I wanted to prove this to all Motorsport lovers; that anyone can really get a sponsor and do a rally if the will is there…
Q: We saw you’ll be competing onboard a Clio RS. Who will be your team?
A: Yes, I will be competing onboard Emile Khoueiry’s Renault Clio RS. My team will be D72 Racing. I would like to thank them a lot for the huge support as they are one of my main sponsors too. I would also like to thank my other sponsors: Carbo Oil, PTX Clinics, Imara, Pro Cars, Gap plastic, Beit Rita, Kris-Tee Kids Entertainment and last but not least Mearco Assurance. I wouldn’t be here without them all!
Q: Who will be your co-driver for the season?
A: My Co-driver will be Carl Theophile Georgevitch. He’s young (19 years old) and it is his first rally too. We share the same passion. We got some help from Tamer Ghandour and Salim Jleilaty; I would like to thank them too. We just completed our Recce and it’s all going well so far.
Q: Will you be contesting a full season?
A: Well it depends on how things turn out and if I get more sponsors. But, for now I will doing the Spring & Cedars Rallies in addition to one Speed Test.