07:40 PM – And it’s wrap here from ATCL HQ! Stay tuned for more pictures and videos from the event!
07:33 PM – Abdo Feghali said that he has struggled on some of the stages due to the high amount of gravel on the course; he also mentioned that his favorite stage was Torzaya which is why he pulled some great times there.
07:25 PM – Nasser Al-Attiyah: “I am very happy with the result, even with second place. We’ve had difficulties in Leg 1. We’ll go back and study what happened for next year.”
07:22 PM – Roger Feghali: “Nasser and I knew that the rally was pretty much over today, the last few stages were practice for Nasser.”
07:20 PM – The press conference has just started with Roger Feghali, Nasser Al-Attiyah, Giovanno and Abdo Feghali.
06:50 PM – A post-rally press conference will take place after the cerenomy; we’ll be posting a few quotes from the drivers.
06:21 PM – Drivers are on their way from the final stage in Zabbougha to the podium ceremony at ATCL Headquarters in Kaslik.
06:00 PM – Roger Feghali and Nasser Al-Attiyah showing great sportsmanship at the end of the Rally. Congratulations to both drivers! Great effort by all the drivers, and hard luck to those who failed to finish; there’s always next year.
05:33 PM – Nasser Al-Attiyah bagged five stage wins, with an early win in SS1 and four consecutive wins from SS10 till SS13 on Sunday.
05:27 PM – Roger Feghali becomes the third most successful driver in MERC history, Abdo Feghali takes championship title. Click here to read more.
04:54 PM – Roger Feghali wins the 36th Rally of Lebanon!! A record 11th time at the event, beating main rival Nasser Al-Attiyah by a comfortable margin.
04:50 PM – We’re 11 minutes into SS13, results should appear any minute now.
04:25 PM – Majed Khoury has retired from the 36th Rally of Lebanon for unknown reasons. In the meantime, the front-running drivers are heading towards the 13th and final stage of the rally.
03:54 PM – Nicolas Amiouni sets the fourth fastest time, relegating Misfer Al-Marri to fifth. Click here for SS12 results.
03:45 PM – Tamer Ghandour, who’s been extremely impressive so far, was just 6 seconds slower than Gilbert Bannout who finished the stage in 17 minutes 58.3 seconds.
03:40 PM – Abdo Feghali a consistent third, while Misfer Al-Marri is progressively improving with fourth fastest.
03:33 PM – All-Attiyah finishes Kefraya 2 (SS12) in 16 minutes 39.1 seconds, just two seconds quicker than Roger; the gap between the pair is now down to 38.4 seconds with just one stage to go.
03:30 PM – Results from the penultimate stage should start appearing any moment now.
02:53 PM – For more results from SS11, click here.
02:21 PM – Nicolas Amiouni beat Abdo Feghali to third place; the Evolution X driver is up to 6th overall after yesterday’s retirement, 2 minutes and 46.2 seconds ahead of Chafic Boulos.
02:20 PM – Nasser Al-Attiyah goes quickest again; the Qatari driver has reduced the gap to 40 seconds after gaining 9 seconds on Roger in Zandouka 2!
12:45 PM – Click here for the unofficial SS10 results.
12:37 PM – Nicolas Amiouni’s been pretty fast this morning; he finished SS10 just 0.9 seconds off of Abdo Feghali’s time. Gilbert Bannout is still struggling with his Fiesta R5, he was down in 8th.
12:27 PM – Meanwhile, Laurent Baz is enjoying the sun as he awaits the tow truck following his retirement.
12:00 PM – Al-Attiyah, the Feghali brothers and Gilbert Bannout are back into the service area at the Fouad Chehab Stadium in Jounieh.
11:40 AM – A heavy crash puts Garo Haourtian out of the rally! Click here for more information.
11:20 AM – Nasser Al-Attiyah takes a second stage win in the 36th Rally of Lebanon! he shaves 8 seconds off Roger Feghali’s comfortable lead. The pair are now separated by 49.2 seconds. Abdo Feghali is third fastest, a further 20.9 seconds adrift.
10:47 AM – Peugeot 206 driver Laurent Baz is out of the rally due to a “mechanical problem”.
10:43 AM – The morning loop’s final stage (SS10) kicks off at 10:59 AM from Zabbougha.
10:40 AM – After his 2011 and 2012 disappointments, things are looking good for Robert Aaraj in the front-wheel drive category this year; he’s on his way for a first ROL victory.
10:25 AM – Click here for SS8 results and here for SS9.
10:17 AM – Roger Feghali is now almost a minute clear of Nasser Al-Attiyah in the overall standings. Absolutely relentless performance from Roger so far.
10:11 AM – A souvenir photo for Motortune fans at the stages!
09:53 AM – Roger’s dominance continues into SS9; he crosses the line 5 seconds quicker than Al-Attiyah.
09:47 AM – Cool factoid: A car has to be less than 8 years old (+2005) in order to qualify for the rally.
09:30 AM – Nicolas Amiouni is fourth quickest in Zandouka, just 4 seconds behind Abdo Feghali. Amiouni retired from the Rally yesterday and is contesting Rally 2 today.
09:13 AM – Don’t miss our photo galleries from Day 2 and Day 3.
08:37 AM – Gilbert Bannout is way off the pace, he does it in 10 minutes 47.3 seconds, almost a minute slower than Roger.
08:29 AM – Don’t miss yesterday’s post-leg 1 interview with Roger here.
08:25 AM – Roger went through the stage in 9 minutes 38.4 seconds; Abdo is keeping it safe, he’s done it in 10 minutes 06.5 seconds.
08:22 AM – According to Motortune Racing’s Facebook page, Roger Feghali just went fastest in SS8, beating Nasser Al-Attiyah by 11 seconds. No official times at the moment though.
08:16 AM – Stage lengths for today: Zandouka 17.67 km, Kefraya 27.90 km and Zabbougha 19.51 km.
08:05 AM – Most cars have left the service area and off to SS8 in Zandouka. Nasser Al-Attiyah should be starting the stage any minute now.
08:00 AM – Good morning everyone and welcome to the final day of the 36th Rally of Lebanon!
Sunday, September 08, 2013 – Rally of Lebanon, Final Day.
01:45 PM – Click here for the unofficial overall results after SS7.
01:40 PM – Nicolas Amiouni is clearly furious with the situation, this is what he wrote on Facebook: “Huge f…. disappointment. Once again my car let me down in rally of lebanon. The car caught fire in the stage and stopped. I dont know if it could be fixed before tomorrow…”
01:10 PM – Tomorrow will hopefully be an action-packed final day with 6 stages in contested in Zandouka, Zabbougha and Kefraya. SS8 will kick off from Zandouka at 8:00 AM in the morning.
12:42 PM – Chafic Boulos is 6th overall and is eyeing the Group N title for the second consecutive season; his hopes were surely boosted by Amiouni’s restirement. All he has to do now is cross the finish line safely.
12:30 PM – Click here for the provisional SS7 results.
12:26 PM – Roger Feghali goes 2 seconds quicker than Nasser Al-Attiyah in Sourat 2 (SS7) with 16 minutes 20.1 seconds. Abdo Feghali was far off with 16 minutes 57.4 seconds.
12:23 PM – Nicolas Amiouni’s campaign has come to unfortunate end, the Lancer Evolution X driver and Red Bull athlete suffered from an unknown mechanical failure. Amiouni was leading the Group N class.
12:20 PM – A slight delay with SS7 results, they should start appearing any minute now.
12:04 PM – Ziad Karanouh picked up a puncture on his front left tyre in Torzaya 2 (SS6); here’s a photo of Ziad and co-driver Fadi Succar working on the Peugeot 207.
11:54 AM – If things remain the way they are right now, Roger Feghali will be crowned Rally of Lebanon winner for a record 11th time. Abdo Feghali meanwhile is on the way for the Lebanese Rally Championship title triumph.
11:38 AM – Click here for SS6 results.
11:26 AM – Gilbert Bannout is 8.9 seconds off of Abdo Feghali on SS6, a slight improvement from the Ford Fiesta R5 driver who’s competing for the Lebanese Rally Championship title with Abdo.
11:19 AM – Our GoPro camera getting REAL close to the action.
11:06 AM – Tamer Ghandour looking very impressive so far; the Lancer Evolution IX driver is 11.7 seconds slower than Amiouni.
11:01 AM – Nicolas Amiouni is fourth quickest in SS6, 12 seconds off of Abdo; We await Gilbert Bannout’s time at the moment.
10:49 AM – Roger Feghali is in relentless form; he bangs in the quickest time on SS6 with 10 minutes 20.9 seconds, which is 10 seconds up from Al-Attiyah’s time. Click here SS6 results.
10:44 AM – Nasser Al-Attiyah so far quickest in SS6 (10 minutes 29.9), Abdo Feghali is 13 seconds down. Roger’s time should appear any minute now…
10:27 AM – A photo gallery from Friday night’s stages, click here. This is one shot of Gilbert Bannout’s Fiesta R5 from the album.
10:19 AM – Nicolas Amiouni spun while going through SS5; he’s now past the finish line, 50.9 seconds off of Roger’s time. Gilbert Bannout went fourth quickest.
10:10 AM – And Roger goes across the line in 9 minutes 06.5 seconds! He extends his lead to 30.9 seconds from Nasser Al-Attiyah. Click here for the SS5 results.
10:03 AM – Abdo Feghali has just gone through the finish line, he’s 9.9 seconds slower than Al-Attiyah. All times being posted are unofficial, therefore subject to change.
09:57 AM – We have the first unofficial time of the day, Nasser Al-Attiyah crosses SS5 (Nahr Ibrahim 2) in 9 minutes 15.9 seconds.
09:25 AM – Don’t miss this video of Torzaya’s (SS3) hairpins last night.
09:15 AM – First car out this morning is, as usual, Nasser Al-Attiyah’s #1 Ford Fiesta RRC; the Qatari goes into SS5 21 seconds behind rival Roger Feghali.
09:00 AM – Good morning everyone! We’re back online for the third day of action from the 36th Rally of Lebanon.
Saturday, September 07, 2013 – Rally of Lebanon, Day 3.
12:02 AM – And here you have it, the unofficial overall results after SS4. Also, enjoy this video from the parc ferme and service area earlier this evening.
11:41 PM – Some interesting factoids from today: Nasser Al-Attiyah suffered from brake issues throughout the stages, Abdo Feghali had a late tyre puncture which cost him precious time while Emile Abou Karam damaged his car on one of the hairpins and picked up a puncture later on.
11:36 PM – Drivers will revisit tonight’s stages tomorrow morning with Nahr Ibrahim 2 at 09:41 AM, Torzaya 2 at 10:17 AM and Sourat 2 at 11:35 AM.
11:21 PM – Most cars are now back into the service area.
10:52 PM – Abdo Feghali remains third overall, 2 minutes behind Roger and 36 seconds ahead of Nicolas Amiouni who’s comfortably in front of Gilbert Bannout. Click here for the SS4 results.
10:45 PM – We have just received news that Majed Khoury (#32 Skoda Fabia R2) and Rabih Ayoub (#21 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX) are out of the rally.
10:41 PM – Joseph Hindy is another retirement tonight, click here for more information.
10:26 PM – Click here for the provisional SS4 results.
10:20 PM – Roger Feghali sets the quickest time on SS4 and extends his lead to 21.5 seconds ahead of Nasser Al-Attiyah. There are also unconfirmed news that Abdo Feghali has had tyre issues on the fourth stage which put him 26 seconds behind Nicolas Amiouni who went third fastest.
10:00 PM – Nadim Halabi has some sort of a problem on his #38 Renault Clio. Here’s a shot of the driver.
09:54 PM – Hicham Al Abiad on the #26 Renault Clio is out of the rally after going off course on SS3! Luckily, Hicham and co-driver are both fine.
09:47 PM – Gilbert Bannout was rather slow in the Torzaya stage, he crossed the finish line in 11 minutes 36.6 seconds, which is around 15 seconds slower than main rival Nicolas Amiouni.
09:40 PM – Here’s a picture of Nasser Al-Attiyah in SS2 (Nahr Ibrahim).
09:10 PM – Don’t miss our photo gallery from yesterday’s super special stage.
08:53 PM – Abdo Feghali leads the way in SS3 (10:51.8)! the MINI RRC driver went 0.8 seconds quicker than his brother Roger. Nasser Al-Attiyah meanwhile was 1 second down on Roger. This is looking like an intense battle.
08:45 PM – No he’s not, he finishes SS2 in 13 minutes 40 seconds. Gilbert Bannout is fourth quickest on the Fiesta R5, he’s just 0.2 seconds behind Amiouni overall.
08:39 PM – Still no time for Mshary Al Thefiry, is he out of the rally?
08:32 PM – Roger now leads the overall standings, 10.2 seconds ahead of Al-Attiyah, who’s in turn 10.9 seconds clear of Abdo Feghali.
08:24 PM – Roger Feghali and Abdo Feghali both go faster than Al-Attiyah.
08:14 PM – Nasser Al-Attiyah goes quickest, more than 1 minute and a half ahead of Misfer Al-Marri. Click here for SS2 results.
08:08 PM – For a reminder of the SS1 results, click here.
08:00 PM – There was smoke coming out of Nasser Al-Attiyah’s Fiesta RRC earlier today at the service area; could it spell trouble for the Qatari?
07:58 PM – Results should start to appear in a few minutes.
07:41 PM – Nasser Al-Attiyah has just started the first stage of the day in Nahr Ibrahim; it’s a 15.42-kilometer stage, followed by a 17.39 km course in Torzaya. The final stage for tonight is on a 28.85-km track in Sourat.
07:26 PM – Misfer Al-Marri, Abdo Feghali, Nicolas Amiouni, Chafic Boulos and Roger Feghali have all gone out. Here’s a shot of Roger’s Fiesta RRC leaving to Nahr Ibrahim.
07:15 PM – Drivers are now leaving the service area, first out is Nasser Al-Attiyah on his #1 Ford Fiesta RRC.
06:38 PM – Don’t miss this video of yesterday’s showdown between Roger Feghali vs Nasser Al-Attiyah.
06:31 PM – Here’s a shot from the service area at the Fouad Chehab Stadium.
06:00 PM – Following yesterday’s exciting super special stage, the 36th Rally of Lebanon action resumes this evening at the Fouad Chehab Stadium. Competitors will head to Nahr Ibrahim for the first stage of the day and second special stage overall.
Friday, September 06, 2013 – Rally of Lebanon, Day 2.
12:10 AM – Make sure you follow us here tomorrow; the action kicks off at 7:00 PM in the evening from the Fouad Chehab Stadium in Jounieh, heading towards Nahr Ibrahim, Torzaya and Sourat.
12:05 AM – Full SS1 Results.
12:04 AM – Nasser Al-Attiyah takes the early rally lead with a 03:13.6! Roger Feghali is just 2 seconds down on his Qatari rival while Nicolas Amiouni finds himself in third place ahead of Gilbert Bannout and Abdo Feghali.
12:00 AM – According to Abdo Feghali, Nasser is using wet weather tyres at the moment; the Qatari reckons they are best suited for the track’s current condition.
11:59 PM – Now it’s Nasser Al-Attiyah’s turn as Misfer Al-Marri crosses the line in 03.27.0, 12 seconds off of Roger Feghali’s time.
11:54 PM – A 03:24.6 for Abdo puts him fourth overall. Here’s a cool shot of the driver from practice. Here are the provisional SS1 results so far –> http://bit.ly/1amnnvx
11:52 PM – A big mistake from Abdo! He’s overdone it into the first corner.
11:49 PM – Abdo Feghali in blisteringly quick pace; the crowds are going wild!
11:48 PM – Nicolas Amiouni made it look too easy in the Lancer Evolution X; he does it in 03:22.8 and beats Gilbert Bannout, who’s in a superior Fiesta R5, to second place overall.
11:38 PM – The 10-times Rally of Lebanon champion does it in 03.15.5 to take the lead by a comfortable margin! Roger surely made things much harder for Abdo Feghali and Nasser Al-Attiyah.
11:36 PM – Roger Feghali in an absolutely stunning lap at the moment.
11:32 PM – An extremely clean and brilliant drive from Tamer Ghandour earns him third place overall so far; and now it’s Roger Feghali’s time to shine!
11:27 PM – And across the line in 03:23.4! Gilbert Bannout takes the lead.
11:23 PM – Kuwaiti driver Mshary Al Thefiry crosses the finish line in 03:43.0, as Gilbert Bannout waits for his turn in the Ford Fiesta R5.
11:19 PM – He does take the lead! Eddy pulled a 03:39.0, dropping Dany Abou Chacra to second place.
11:17 PM – Eddy Abou Karam is putting on a brilliant show for the fans on his Lancer Evolution X, and it’s looking like a good lap so far. Will he take the lead?
11:14 PM – Henry Massaad goes sixth quickest on the Skoda Fabia S2000, and now it’s Eddy Abou Karam’s time for a run.
11:09 PM – He was quick indeed, Joseph takes second overall. Click here for the full results so far.
11:07 PM – Joseph Hindy looking rather quick at the moment on the Lancer Evolution X.
10:49 PM – Yes he can! He goes more than 3 seconds quicker than Ayoub. Abou Chacra is driving a Lancer Evolution IX R4.
10:47 PM – Rabih Ayoub is still the man to beat, can Dany Abou Chacra do it?
10:35 PM – It’s Robert Aaraj’s time for some action; the Renault Clio driver has successfully secured the FWD class title in the Lebanese Rally Championship and he’s aiming to score his first ROL triumph after two disappointing retirements in 2011 and 2012.
10:30 PM – Rabih Ayoub bangs in the quickest time so far tonight, a 03:33.5 on his Lancer Evolution IX. We’re almost halfway into the drivers’ list with 19 out of 39 contestants to go.
10:23 PM – Garo Haroutian lands the second best time (03:36.6) behind Joe Kfoury. Garo committed a driving error, costing him precious time.
10:17 PM – No surprises there, Abdel Hak just crossed the finish with the slowest time this evening. Click here for the full timing list.
10:13 PM – Nabil Abdel Hak just hit the barriers! He’s now having a hard time finishing his run due to the damage on his Lancer Evolution X.
10:06 PM – Hicham Al Abiad just scored the second best timing with a 03:42.0 on a Renault Clio RS to beat Joe Azzi for the FWD category lead.
09:49 PM – Despite a minor error, Joe Azzi has taken the FWD class lead.
09:39 PM – The difference between front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive is now pretty apparent; Joe Kfoury just dropped the benchmark time to 03:34.4. You can watch the event live on OTV, or via live streaming.
09:34 PM – Following a very clean run on his Fabia R2, Majed Khoury takes the provisional lead as Joe Kfoury heads out on his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX.
09:29 PM – Ziad Karanouh remains the quickest driver with a 04:07.1, but it won’t be for long as the faster AWD cars will start rolling out eventually. Majed Khoury is now on track in a Skoda Fabia R2.
09:22 PM – Laurent Baz is the seventh driver for the evening, still 32 drivers to go.
09:17 PM – Click here for the provisional SS1 times.
09:12 PM – Ziad Karanouh is on track with his Peugeot 207; the front-wheel drive cars are having a hard time on some of the tight corners.
09:01 PM – We just received news that the engine on Abdo Feghali’s MINI RRC is blown, nothing confirmed yet though, we’ll wait for some official news.
08:54 PM – First car’s out on track, it’s Ziad Melhem on his #50 Peugeot 306 S16.
08:40 PM – The Hyundai Veloster safety car is currently on track; the stage will feature more than 20 corners including one jump.
08:20 PM – 10 minutes to go before the start of the super special stage – the first stage of the 2013 Rally of Lebanon – in Beirut Waterfront.
07:40 PM – And he’s off, marking the start of the 36th Rally of Lebanon! Here’s a shot from instagram.
07:38 PM – Nasser Al Attiyah is at the starting line at the moment, waiting for the Lebanese flag to fly off.
07:00 PM – Another picture of a great trio. From left to right: Nabil “Billy” Karam, Nasser Al-Attiyah and Abdo Feghali. Billy will be putting on a great show for the fans as part of the entertainment activities before the start of the super special stage.
06: 37 PM – A souvenir photo for the Motortune squad next to Roger Feghali’s Ford Fiesta RRC prior to the 36th Rally of Lebanon super special stage.
06:15 PM – With the super special stage now nearing, make sure you follow us on Twitter for more updates and pictures.
04:10 PM – The competing cars are arriving to the Beirut Waterfront area where the super special stage will be take place this evening.
04:00 PM – We’ve got a “Rally of Lebanon Special” category on our website dedicated to the event. Make sure you visit it for the latest news, videos and photographs.
02:45 PM – It is worth mentioning that the 2006 super special stage, which was held at the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, attracted more than 10,000 spectator.
02:00 PM – Nasser Al-Attiyah’s weapon for the 2013 Rally of Lebanon is a Ford Fiesta RRC. Here’s a shot of the car during scrutineering in ATCL HQ.
01:35 PM – We have the first photo gallery from the 36th Rally of Lebanon, and it’s from scrutineering to be more precise. Click here for the pictures.
12:51 PM – The press conference has come to an end. Head to the Beirut Waterfront tonight for some “super special” rally action. We’ll be there for the usual coverage.
12:48 PM – Mshary Al Thefiry echoed Nasser Al-Attiyah comments, he also believes that there will a lot of surprises, and he hopes to win the event.
12:44 PM – Contrary to what had been reported, Roger Feghali is not present at the press conference.
12:38 PM – Abdo Feghali: “My focus is on the Lebanese Rally Championship, it’s a battle between Nicolas Amiouni, Gilbert Bannout and myself. My aim is to stay ahead of Nicolas and Gilbert, but I also have to push and keep up with Roger and Nasser.”
12:34 PM – Here’s a picture from inside the press room.
12:29 PM – Nasser Al-Attiyah: “I believe there will be lots of surprises, and our aim is to win this rally. Hopefully, all drivers will reach the finish line.”
12:25 PM – The pre-rally press conference has officially started. As mentioned earlier, Nasser Al-Attiyah, Mifer Al-Marri, Mshary Al Thefiry, Roger Feghali, Abdo Feghali and Gilbert Bannout will be at the table.
12:16 PM – We’re expecting a great battle for the lead this year between Roger Feghali and Nasser Al-Attiyah. Click here to watch the fierce competition between these two back in 2011.
12:00 PM – A few minutes before the start of the pre-rally press conference. Nasser Al-Attiyah, Mifer Al-Marri, Mshary Al Thefiry, Roger Feghali, Abdo Feghali and Gilbert Bannout will be present.
11:47 AM – Another photo from scrutineering, it’s Nicolas Amiouni’s Red Bull-sponsored Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, will it give him wings tonight?
11:28 AM – If you forgot how last year’s International Rally of Lebanon – in which Roger Feghali secured his 10th victory – went, click here for a 5-minute summary video as a reminder.
11:18 AM – Here’s a shot of Dany Abou Chacra’s Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX R4 from scrutineering.
11:07 AM – Click here for the full list of drivers contesting the rally.
10:52 AM – The pre-rally press conference will be held at the ATCL headquarters in Kaslik in about an hour, while the highly-awaited super special stage is scheduled at 8:30 PM tonight.
10:50 AM – Good morning everyone and welcome to our instant updates for the 2013 edition and 36th Rally of Lebanon! We’ll be with you throughout the event’s four days.