15:03 – With his 13th victory at Rally of Lebanon, Roger Feghali also secures the Lebanese Rally Championship title for the 13th time.
15:00 – Nasser Al-Attiyah collected 4 stage wins in Rally of Lebanon and ended up 6th overall despite retiring on the first day.
14:46 – Rodolphe completes the final stage to claim the Group N class victory and his first podium in Rally of Lebanon! Patrick Njeim triumphs in the RC3 and front-wheel drive classes.
14:30 – He’s done it! Roger Feghali extends his unbeaten record to 13 victories in Rally of Lebanon by crossing the finish line in the final special stage, Zabbougha 2. He also gifts Skoda its second victory at the event, having previously won the 2010 edition on a Fabia S2000.
13:59 – No drama in Zandouka 2 as all competitors are safely through the stage. We’re nearing the end of the rally now with only Zabbougha 2 left.
13:40 – Nasser Al-Attiyah goes fastest in Zandouka 2, around 9 seconds faster than Roger, who now holds a huge lead that’s over 5 minutes.
13:10 – Fun fact about Rally of Lebanon: Mitsubishi and Renault are the two most successful manufacturers in the event, with 7 wins for each.
12:40 – This afternoon’s schedule: Zandouka 2 @ 13:19, Zabbougha 2 @ 14:22, Podium Ceremony @ 16:30 in ATCL.
11:20 – The competitors are heading back to the service area in Fouad Chehab Stadium at the moment for 30 minutes of service before they tackle today’s second and the rally’s final loop.
10:51 – Eddy Abou Karam is second quickest on this stage. He’s been showing great pace so far today on the Hyundai i20 R5.
10:48 – Roger takes the stage win with a 12:39.47. Nasser loses 2 minutes to Roger as a result of his puncture.
10:35 – The stage has been stopped! Joseph Hindy and Henry Massaad have gone off and they’re out of the rally. Both crews are okay.
10:20 – Bad luck strikes again for Nasser, he’s at the side of the road in Zabbougha changing a flat tyre!
10:05 – The second stage for today is the 20.14-km Zabbougha that is famous for its many hairpins. It starts at 10:16.
09:51 – Osmat Saify had a troubled day yesterday with no anti-lag on his Mitsubishi, and it appears that he’s having more issues today; he’s got the blinkers on and driving slowly through Zandouka.
09:33 – Joseph Hindy does the stage in 10:38.1, fourth quickest so far. You can check all of the drivers’ times here.
09:25 – Roger completes Zandouka 1 in 10:08.2, but he’s beaten by Nasser Al Attiyah, who takes the stage win by clocking 9:55.1.
09:18 – It’s a different starting order today. You can check it out here.
08:55 – There’s been a change to the Zandouka stage this year as it will go through Baabdat and its famous jump that we usually see in the Baabdat Hill Climb. An Öhlins Trophy will be rewarded to the driver with the longest jump.
08:42 – Zandouka 1 is the first special stage today and it starts at exactly 9:13 with Roger Feghali the first driver tackling it onboard his Skoda Fabia R5.
08:39 – Rodrigue Rahi is not returning under Rally 2, which means that Nadim Halabi is unofficially this year’s Group N champion.
08:35 – Most of the drivers who retired yesterday are returning under Rally 2, including Nasser Al-Attiyah, Raafat El Mohtar, Emile Abou Karam, Bassel Abu Hamdan, Mathieu Reboisson, Tony Abi Gebrayel and Assem Aref.
08:32 – Good morning! Today is the third and final day of Rally of Lebanon. Abdo Feghali announced yesterday night that he won’t be participating today due to a hand injury.
____ Day 3 | Sunday, August 27 ____
17:54 – In Group N, it’s Rodolphe Asmar who leads ahead of Nadim Halabi and Nassib Nassar. Patrick Njeim holds a comfortable lead in RC3, followed by Henry Massaad and Elie Nehme.
17:50 – Click here for the final results at the end of SS7, today’s last stage. Roger leads the rally, more than 3 minutes ahead of his brother Abdo who sits in 2nd place.
16:03 – Abdo Feghali is quickest of all in SS7; Rodrigue Rahi reportedly retires with a tyre problem.
15:58 – Rodolphe Asmar sets an unusually slow time in Sourat. It’s more than a minute slower than his time in the first loop. What sort of trouble could he be in?
15:57 – Roger Feghali just completed Sourat 2 in 16:30.90 and ends Day 2 in a super comfortable lead as both of his main rivals hit trouble.
15:46 – Today’s last stage, Sourat 2, is now underway with Rodolphe Asmar the first car out now that Nasser’s out.
15:34 – Tony Abi Gebrayel joins the list of retirements with a broken driveshaft.
15:18 – Abdo’s stoppage was due to a puncture, we have learned, which dropped him to 3rd place overall. He was forced to stop to make a tyre change.
15:00 – Indeed, Abdo has stopped for a yet-unknown reason but has rejoined the action after losing a big chunk of time.
14:49 – And now we have news that Abdo Feghali has also stopped on the stage! Meanwhile, Al-Attiyah is officially out of the rally after going off the road; he and Mathieu Baumel are okay.
14:40 – It appears that Nasser Al-Attiyah has stopped in Ain Aaya. We’re still waiting for confirmation.
14:15 – Matthias Njeim is the leader in RC4, while the sole RC5 class competitor Henry Kahi is still competing and therefore holds the class lead.
13:56 – Rodolphe Asmar’s lead in Group N is reduced from 20 seconds to 16 seconds as Rodrigue Rahi hit back in this stage. Patrick Njeim is running comfortably in front-wheel drive.
13:44 – With Abdo third quickest in Monsef 2, Roger’s lead is now up to 16 seconds.
13:34 – Great stuff by Nasser Al-Attiyah whose time in Monsef has improved by 10 seconds. He clocks 8:28.9 and is just 1 second slower than Roger.
13:07 – As a reminder: Roger leads the rally and is 14 seconds ahead of Abdo, while Nasser sits in 3rd. Rodolphe Asmar leads in Group N, whilst Patrick Njeim tops the RC3 and front-wheel drive classes.
13:05 – It’s going to be an interesting loop. Drivers were having a hard time in the first one, so will they be taking it easy in this one?
12:48 – The second loop starts at 13:21 in Monsef. We have had many retirements so far, including: Emile Abou Karam, Bassel Abou Hamdan, Assem Aref, Tamer Ghandour and Raafat El Mohtar.
11:31 – Abdo Feghali has apparently been held up by Rodrigue Rahi in Sourat, which explains the deficit to Roger.
11:28 – The competitors are regrouping at the moment in the service area in Fouad Chehab Stadium. 30 minutes of service will follow before they leave for the second loop.
11:16 – More bad news from Sourat: we’re told Raafat Al Mohtar has stopped. Lots of drama in one stage.
10:57 – We just received news that front-wheel drive competitor Bassel Abou Hamdan was involved in an accident. Luckily, the crew is okay, but they’re out of the rally.
10:49 – It’s a back and forth battle in Rally of Lebanon between Roger and Abdo Feghali. Roger wins in SS4 and retakes the lead. Abdo lost 17 seconds to Roger in this stage, which means Roger holds a 14-second advantage.
10:46 – Eddy Abou Karam is another victim in Sourat. He has stopped at the side of the road and reportedly picked up a puncture.
10:44 – There seems to be a problem for Tamer Ghandour, whose car has stopped in SS4. The reigning champion hasn’t been the luckiest of drivers this season.
10:41 – Roger goes 13 seconds quicker than Nasser.
10:36 – Nasser Al-Attiyah completes Sourat 1 in 16:33.05. Meanwhile, here’s a short clip of Eddy Abou Karam pushing his Hyundai i20 R5.
10:25 – Sourat 1 is now underway. At 28.85 kilometers, it’s the rally’s longest stage and it’s the one of the most popular among drivers.
09:39 – However, it’s Abdo Feghali who goes quickest of all by clocking 12:13.79 and therefore takes the 40th Rally of Lebanon lead!
09:37 – Roger Feghali beats Nasser Al-Attiyah in Ain Aaya by 5 seconds to extend the gap to his Qatari rival.
09:33 – Jordan’s Assem Aref is out of the rally due to mechanical problems. He has just arrived to the service area.
09:05 – Ain Aaya 1 will start in nearly 10 minutes. Roger Feghali and Abdo Feghali are currently tied for the lead.
08:55 – Nadim Halabi leads in Group N with a 2-second margin to Rodrigue Rahi. Patrick Njeim is quickest in RC3 and is 9 seconds ahead of Bassel Abu Hamdan.
08:29 – We’re sad to hear that Group N competitor Emile Abou Karam is out of the rally after having an accident, but both he and Thierry Rouhana are okay.
08:22 – Abdo Feghali goes second quickest, just a second off of his brother, which means the battle for the lead has officially begun.
08:16 – Roger beats Nasser’s time by 7 seconds, clocking 8:32:0 and takes the provisional lead. Now we wait for Abdo’s time. Tamer Ghandour completes the stage in 9:01:0.
08:14 – Nasser Al-Attiyah successfully completed the first special stage with a time of 8:39.0, whilst Rodolphe Asmar does it in 9:15.2.
08:00 – Reminder: Al-Attiyah won yesterday’s super special stage in RPM and he was 3 seconds quicker than Abdo Feghali, who was second quickest. Let’s see how the Lebanese drivers can fight back today.
07:26 – The first driver to start Monsef 1 is none other than Nasser Al-Attiyah in the #1 Ford Fiesta R5. He will being the stage at exactly 8:04.
07:08 – Cars are heading of out of the Parc Ferme and into service as we type this. They have 15 minutes of service before they head out to the first stage in Monsef.
07:05 – Good morning everyone! Today is the second day of the 40th Rally of Lebanon. We have 2 loops of 3 special stages on the menu. Monsef, Ain Aaya and Sourat will be the hosts for today.
___ Day 2 | Saturday, August 26 ____
19:47 – So that’s it for today, Nasser Al-Attiyah wins SS1, but there’s a long way to go tomorrow and on Sunday. Full times in this link.
19:43 – Qatar’s Nasser-Al Attiyah goes quickest of all with a 2:02.15, whilst Roger slots in 3rd place behind his brother Abdo.
19:36 – Nope, because both Eddy Abou Karam and Abdo Feghali beat Nadim’s time. Abdo takes the lead with 2:05.03, whilst Eddy clocks the 2nd fastest time with a 2:08.46. Let’s see what Nasser and Roger can do…
19:30 – Gilbert and Raafat slot in 2nd and 3rd places respectively. Nadim is still in the lead, but will it be for long?
19:26 – The last 6 cars all belong to the R5 category: Roger Feghali (Skoda Fabia R5), Abdo Feghali (Skoda Fabia R5), Nasser Al-Attiyah (Ford Fiesta R5), Eddy Abou Karam (Hyundai i20 R5), Raafat Al Mohtar (Ford Fiesta R5) and Gilbert Bannout (Skoda Fabia R5).
19:18 – Nadim’s Group N rivals Rodrigue Rahi and Rodolphe Asmar couldn’t get near his time.
19:08 – Now it’s Nadim Halabi driving the Mitsubishi Evo IX who takes the lead after clocking 2.09.42.
18:57 – Currently, it’s Patrick Njeim in the Citroen DS3 R3 who leads with a 2:13.74, which is very impressive, considering he’s quicker than a lot of Group N cars.
18:25 – It’s Tony Abi Gebrayel who leads at the moment with a 2:19.89. With 7 crews having completed their runs, there are 24 more to go.
18:03 – You can stay updated with all the times through our Stage Times section.
18:02 – The super special stage has officially kicked off! The cars will start in reverse order, meaning that the two highest-numbered cars will start first.
17:14 – Amazing drift show by Paul Kossaifi on the BMW E46, Roni Deraoui on the Nissan 350Z and David Abou Jaoude on the Toyota GT86.
16:53 – In case you did not know, there will be two cars at the same time on the track, just like last year, which should spice things up a bit for the spectators.
16:43 – The super special stage is sponsored by our partner Total.
16:40 – Most of the cars have taken the official start of the rally. The super special will be preceded by an on-track show featuring drifters Roni Deraoui and David Abou Jaoude, in addition to Lebanese Hill Climb and Speed Test champ Paul Kossaifi.
15:30 – And we’re currently live from RPM Karting circuit that will witness that start of the rally in half an hour. The competing cars are parked in the parc ferme at the moment.
12:49 – Njeim: “We have to earn all the points necessary to claim the front-wheel drive and RC3 titles. I’m glad Henry and Bassel are back in the competition, it’s going to make things more interesting.”
12:47 – Aref: “We’re used to gravel stages so Rally of Lebanon is going to be quite difficult for us. We want to gain as much points as possible in order to claim the MERC 3 title.”
12:46 – Asmar: “We want to push hard and win the Group N category. We couldn’t push a lot last year because there was the championship at stake, but this year is different and I hope we can put the faster cars under pressure.”
12:45 – Abou Karam: “This is our first year on an R5 and it is true that we’re 2nd in the championship, but our aim is to improve ourselves on the car, so we’re concerned with the championship.”
12:45 – Ghandour: “The competition is going to be very tough this year considering there are several R5 cars, but we’re gonna try our best to be in front-running positions.”
12:42 – Feghali: “I also feel well-prepared although we didn’t test as much as we would have liked. Naturally, our aim is to win this rally and I know it’s not going to be easy”.
12:40 – Al-Attiyah: “It’s a special rally and we’re well-prepared. We competed in Cedars Rally and conducted two tests after that, so I think we having everything in place”.
12:30 – Several drivers will appear in the conference including: Roger Feghali, Nasser Al-Attyiah, Tamer Ghandour, Rodolphe Asmar, Eddy Abou Karam, Patrick Njeim, Assem Aref .
12:30 – We’re happy to announce that our Live Updates are brought to you by Men’s Lounge Nicolas Hachem.
12:25 – Hello everyone! It’s the first official day of the 40th Rally of Lebanon. We’re currently live from the Villagio Resort in Mrouj where the Drivers’ Press Conference will be held in a bit.
_____ Day 1 | Friday, August 25 _____