20:00 – And that’s it from ATCL; the 38th Rally of Lebanon is officially over. Congratulations to all the winners and a big thank you to our sponsors and, of course, our readers and followers!
19:47 – Imad Lahoud: “The competition was great on all levels. You [drivers] are doing a great job, and I thank you for raising the Lebanese flag up high.”
19:44 – Roger Feghali: “I would like to thank the ATCL and the organizers, they’ve done a great job. I would like to thank Fady Aoun, and of course president Imad Lahoud, in addition to all of the marshalls.”
19:43 – Robert Aaraj: “It was a very tough rally, especially the Toula stage. The competition was great, before Henry and Bassel’s problems, but we stayed focused and clinched the win in the end.”
19:41 – Tamer Ghandour: “The competition was great. I wasn’t really thinking about the competition at first because we were focusing on the championship, but we’ve done a fantastic job, and our performance was flawless.”
19:39 – Nicolas Amiouni: “It was a great rally, and we wanted to compete for Group N glory and be on the podium, which is what we’ve managed in the end. We were very happy during the rally.”
19:36 – Roger Feghali: “We were preparing very well because of Nasser’s participation, but unfortunately, he retired very early. We won four out of four rallies, but it’s not just because of Roger, but because of the team’s efforts.”
19:26 – A post-rally drivers’ press conference will be taking place in ATCL tonight. The top 3 drivers, Roger Feghali, Nicolas Amiouni and Tamer Ghandour will be making an appearance, in addition to FWD class winner Robert Aaraj.
18:58 – Roger Feghali and co-driver Joseph Matar celebrate their 38th Rally of Lebanon victory in ATCL headquarters in Kaslik, and it’s an all-Motortune podium with Nicolas Amiouni/Elie Mousallem second and Tamer Ghandour/Salim Jleilaty third.
18:00 – Robert Aaraj is the front-wheel drive class winner, followed by Rony Kanaan and Elie Nehme in second and third respectively. Nehme was second in the category, but trouble in the final stage meant that he lost a big chunk of time, which relegated him to third.
17:25 – A gearbox issue in Eddy Abou Karam’s Evo X in the final stage prevented him from finishing the rally.
17:11 – Nicolas Amiouni completed the final stage, he finishes the rally in second place overall and wins the Group N class ahead of Tamer Ghandour.
17:02 – Roger’s done it! He completed the 13th and final specials stage in Nahr Ibrahim and therefore wins the 2015 Rally of Lebanon, extending his record to 12 victories!
16:34 – We would like to thank our sponsors for the 38th Rally of Lebanon, Yokohama, CompuLife and Total. Read more.
16:23 – With Bassel Abou Hamdan and Gilbert Bannout unable to continue, there are 17 cars left in the rally with just one stage to go, SS13 in Nahr Ibrahim, which kicks off at 16:49.
16:15 – In front-wheel drive, it’s Robert Aaraj in a very comfortable lead, with Elie Nehme second and Rony Kanaan third.
16:05 – Roger Feghali’s gap to Nicolas Amiouni is almost 6 minutes at the end of SS12. Amiouni is still leading in Group N, but could lose the position to Tamer Ghandour after his suspension problems.
15:49 – Gilbert Bannout picked up two punctures in Zabbough, which is why he was unable to complete the stage. He was 4th overall onboard the Ford Fiesta RRC.
15:47 – Bassel Abou Hamdan is out of the rally, he has an unidentified issue in his Citroen DS3 R3T.
15:41 – Bannout’s puncture has cost him dearly, he hasn’t crossed the finish line in SS12 yet. Majed Khoury’s also facing trouble in Zabbougha, he posted a very slow time and his car is reportedly leaking.
15:36 – Nicolas Amiouni reported a rear right suspension issue after 4 kilometers in Zandouka. He fixed it before Zabbougha but it broke again.
15:20 – Last-minute trouble for Gilbert Bannout, who picked up a puncture in SS12.
15:16 – Roger is on his way to extend his winning record. He finished SS12 in Zabbougha in 12 minutes 32.15 seconds.
14:56 – The 12th and penultimate stage starts in a few minutes. It’s the second visit to the Zabbougha stage, in which both Joseph Hindy and Rodolphe Asmar retired earlier today.
14:47 – The gap from Roger Feghali to Nicolas Amiouni is quite outstanding, 5 minutes 34 seconds. It is also worth noting that Kuwait’s Mshari Al Thafiri is the only non-Lebanese driver that is still running.
14:30 – Bassel Abou Hamdan slots it in between Henry and Robert in this stage. He finished the stage in 11 minutes 22 seconds.
14:15 – Henry Massaad has been consistently quicker than Robert Aaraj today. They both completed SS11, with the Renault Clio R3T driver 5 seconds quicker.
14:11 – Roger’s quickest again, nine special stage wins out of nine so far. In Group N, Nicolas Amiouni’s 15 seconds slower than Tamer Ghandour.
13:43 – The drivers will revisit the three stages that we’ve already seen today: Zandouka, Zabbougha and Nahr Ibrahim. Roger Feghali will resume the rally’s proceedings in a few minutes in Zandouka.
13:36 – Click here for the provisional overall results after SS10 – Nahr Ibrahim.
13:19 – Eddy Abou Karam has revealed that he’s willing to help his teammate Henry Massaad clinch the FWD standings if the situation requires him to do so.
12:53 – Henry Massaad admitted that he hasn’t doing the calculations, but he’ll be pushing hard in the final loop, while Rodrigue Rahi, whose Group N title hopes are still alive, said that nothing is clear yet.
12:42 – Tamer Ghandour said that everything’s being going great so far and that he aims to keep on pushing in the final 3 stages in order to secure the Group N title.
12:28 – Roger Feghali leads the rally, and he’s more than 5 minutes ahead of Nicolas Amiouni, who leads Group N. Robert Aaraj leads the FWD standings, but the battle for the front-wheel drive title is very much alive.
12:07 – Cars are regrouping at the moment in the Fouad Chehab Stadium. There are just 3 stages left until the end of the 38th edition of Rally of Lebanon.
11:56 – Bassel Abou Hamdan was very fast in Nahr Ibrahim. He finished the stage 16 seconds faster than Henry Massaad, who was in turn 22 seconds quicker than Robert Aaraj.
11:39 – Nadim Bou Mansour has had an accident in Nahr Ibrahim, he stopped his car by the side of the road. Nadim and co-driver Hugo Magalhaes are fine.
11:35 – Tamer Ghandour sets a very impressive time, he’s 4 seconds slower than Roger.
11:22 – Roger Feghali and Nicolas Amiouni have both finished the stage in Nahr Ibrahim. Roger does it in 9 minutes 42.93, which makes him 15 seconds faster than Nicolas.
10:55 – Click here for the overall results after SS9; the Nahr Ibrahim stage should start in a few minutes.
10:50 – Tough luck for another young driver, Elias Dehni, who was forced to retire due to a mechanical problem in his Peugeot 206 RC.
10:48 – It is worth mentioning that Roger Feghali has won every special stage so far, except for Friday’s super special, which was won by Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah, who’s out of the rally.
10:32 – The next special stage (SS10) will be held on a 15.42 kilometer course in Nahr Ibrahim. First car out is at 11:14.
10:15 – Sad news for Rodolphe Asmar and Vicken Kanledjian. They’re out of the rally after their Mitsubishi Evo IX caught fire in the Zabbougha stage (SS9). Surely not the Rally of Lebanon debut they had hoped for.
10:08 – Eddy Abou Karam is also significantly slower than his Group N competitors in Zabbougha, we hear he’s having brake issues with his Mitsubishi Evo X.
09:59 – Joseph Hindy has confirmed that he stopped just 1 kilometer into the Zabbougha stage due to a broken front differential. It hasn’t been the best of seasons for Hindy.
09:51 – Nicolas Amiouni’s quickest in the Group N class so far, he was 12 seconds faster than Tamer Ghandour in Zabbougha. Here’s a shot of Amiouni in his blue and yellow Evo X yesterday in Blat.
09:42 – Roger Feghali, meanwhile, finishes the stage in 12 minutes 38.00 seconds.
09:41 – There seems to be a bit of drama in Zabbougha. Tamer Ghandour has reportedly been in an accident but managed to continue, while Joseph Hindy’s Fiesta R5 came to a stop.
09:33 – The Zero car has just signaled the start of the Zabbougha stage (SS9). Roger Feghali should start any second. In the meantime, you can check the overall results after SS8 here.
09:14 – Young drivers Rodolphe Asmar and Elias Dehni are safely through the Zandouka stage, but there is no time for Patrick Njeim. Click here for times.
08:49 – FWD competitors Elie Nehme and Bechara Bechir have completed the stage, the latter is 2 seconds quicker than the former.
08:47 – Surprisingly, Eddy Abou Karam is also 20 seconds slower than Henry. Is he facing a problem?
08:43 – Henry Massaad has clocked 11 minutes 20.0 seconds, which is 20 seconds faster than what Robert Aaraj has managed on this stage.
08:35 – Nicolas Amiouni goes 6 seconds quicker than Tamer Ghandour, while Rodrigue Rahi’s not very off; he’s 3 seconds slower than Tamer. Live Timing.
08:27 – Roger Feghali has just finished the stage in Zandouka. He does it in 10 minutes 28.3 seconds. Let’s wait and see how Nicolas Amiouni and Tamer Ghandour compare.
08:13 – Bassel Abou Hamdan and Rodolphe Asmar will also be part of today’s competition. Abou Hamdan had a brake issue yesterday, while Rodolphe suffered from wheel damage.
07:56 – Today’s first special stage (SS8) will take place in Zandouka on a 17.67-kilometer course. Roger Feghali will be the first to start, in about 15 minutes.
07:49 – Eddy Abou Karam and Henry Massaad have returned to the action today. Henry will be looking to fight for the front-wheel drive class lead, while Abou Karam’s got nothing to lose.
07:40 – Good morning everyone, it’s the final day of Rally of Lebanon. Can Roger do it for the 12th time? We’ll find out later today. Speaking of Roger, he left the service area a few minutes ago.
Sunday, September 6, 2015 – Leg 2
22:00 – It’s been a dramatic and chaotic Rally of Lebanon so far, with 23 out of 33 drivers managing to finish on the first full day of competition. What can tomorrow be hiding?
21:37 – Roger leads the overall standings, Nicolas leads Group N but is just 0.6 seconds ahead of Tamer Ghandour. Robert Aaraj leads the front-wheel drive class ahead of Elie Nehme. Click here for the overall standings at the end of Leg 1.
20:56 – All 23 drivers are safely through the seventh and final stage for Saturday, marking the end of the first leg of 2015 Rally of Lebanon. Provisional final results to be posted soon.
20:53 – Renault Clio R3 drivers Walid Chlink and Elie Nehme finish the first leg, and it’s latter who’s more than 30 seconds faster in SS7.
20:45 – Nadim Bou Mansour has looked quite consistent in his first ever Rally of Lebanon participation, he finishes a trouble-free first leg in the Mitsubishi Evo X R4 alongside Portuguese co-driver Hugo Magalhães.
20:35 – Rony Kanaan is significantly slower in this stage than Robert Aaaraj, almost 50 seconds separated the FWD class competitors.
20:23 – Roger completes the seventh stage in 12 minutes 43.25 seconds. The 11-time Rally of Lebanon winner makes it 6 out of 6 special stage wins on Saturday and extends his lead to 3 minutes 13 seconds.
20:17 – Nicolas Amiouni completes the first leg, he crosses the final stage in Ain Aaya in 13 minutes 37.22 seconds, but he’s almost 33 seconds slower than Gilbert Bannout, who does it in 13 minutes 04.56 seconds.
19:59 – Today’s final stage and the seventh in Rally of Lebanon starts in a minute. A cautious Elias Dehni completes the stage in 26 minutes 00.66 seconds, signaling the end of SS6.
19:55 – It’s been a smooth second loop this evening, with no issues for anyone so far. Robert Aaraj extended his lead in the front-wheel drive class. Three cars are yet to cross the finish line: Emile Khoueiry, Nassib Nassar and Elias Dehni.
19:33 – Roger Feghali sets a blistering time, almost 1 minute faster than everyone. Rodrigue, meanwhile, is off the pace on this stage, he was around 40 seconds slower than Nicolas Amiouni and Tamer Ghandour. Live Timing.
19:26 – Amiouni posts a 18:06.47, which is almost 7 seconds slower compared to his previous time in Toula.
19:20 – The sixth and today’s penultimate stage has kicked off, Amiouni’s time should be appear any second. In the meantime, repairs are ongoing for Henry Massaad’s Renault Clio 4.
19:06 – Roger Feghali and co-driver Joseph Matar are now in a very comfortable lead, but an interesting battle behind them between Nicolas Amiouni and Tamer Ghandour might be coming up. Click here for overall standings after SS5.
18:53 – It’s been a crazy first leg in Rally of Lebanon so far, with 10 of 33 drivers retiring, including: Nasser Al-Attyiah, Henry Massaad, Tony Helou, Salah Bin Eidan, Eddy Abou Karam, Nabil Abdelhak, Bassel Abou Hamdan, Rodolphe Asmar, Ziad Feghali and Ziad Nemr.
18:50 – Bassel Abou Hamdan suffered from brake issues in his DS3 R3T and therefore failed to complete the fifth special stage.
18:36 – All remaining 23 cars are safely through the fifth special stage in Blat. Peugeot 206 RC driver Elias Dehni is the last car to cross the finish line, clocking 13 minutes 37.5 seconds.
18:26 – FWD contestant Rony Kanaan completed the stage in 11:59.7, almost 30 seconds off Robert’s pace; Kanaan’s rally hasn’t been perfect as he picked up a puncture earlier today.
18:20 – Ramy Menhem, the co-driver of Henry Massaad, has confirmed that the pair will return tomorrow to fight and keep their title hopes of alive.
18:10 – Predictably, Roger’s quickest in SS5, he’s almost 20 seconds faster than Amiouni. Tamer Ghandour, in the meantime, goes 2 seconds faster than Nicolas. Live Timing.
18:00 – Nicolas has just completed the fifth special stage in Blat in 10:44.8, which is 7 seconds faster than what he had managed during the first loop this morning.
17:27 – Nasser Al-Attiyah said that he slid and went off the track in SS3 (Blat), and he confirmed that he won’t be returning tomorrow.
17:22 – Carlos Hanna, Mshari Al Thafiri’s co-driver, revealed that they lost the handbrake but that everything’s going smoothly so far and that their aim is to finish.
17:20 – Rodolphe Asmar is one of several retirements today, he lost one of his wheels in SS4 and therefore could not finish the stage. He will return under rally 2 tomorrow.
16:49 – Tony Helou says the reason behind his accident in SS3 (Toula) is brake loss. He won’t be able to return under rally 2 rules because his DS3 R3T is beyond repair.
16:02 – Crews are starting to arrive to the service area in Fouad Chehab Stadium. Rodrigue Rahi, who’s in the fight for Group N glory and is third in the category, said that he wasn’t very happy with his Evo IX, especially in Toula (SS3).
15:50 – Saturday’s first loop of stages has come to and end. Roger leads the overall standings, and he’s exactly 2 minutes ahead of Group N leader Nicolas Amiouni. Click here for the overall results after SS4.
15:39 – Plenty of retirements and trouble for drivers in Rally of Lebanon so far; Ziad Feghali suffered from a broken gearbox and he’s out after putting in a great performance that saw him in second place in the FWD standings.
15:36 – With Henry Massaad unable to set a time in SS4, Robert Aaraj has taken the front-wheel drive class lead, which puts him in a great position to take the FWD class title.
15:26 – In Group N, it’s still Nicolas Amiouni who’s in the lead, followed by Tamer Ghandour and Rodrigue Rahi, so there hasn’t been any changes.
15:18 – Roger Feghali makes it 3 out of 3 wins this morning, extending his lead in the overall standings from Nicolas Amiouni, who’s 2nd overall and 1st in Group N. Click here for Live Timing.
15:00 – The drama continues in the 2015 Rally of Lebanon; FWD championship leader Henry Massaad has reportedly crashed out.
14:50 – Next up is SS4, which is happening in Ain Aaya on a 21.40-kilometer course.
14:46 – Here’s a shot of Nasser Al-Attiyah’s crashed Fabia R5, courtesy of ATCL’s official Facebook page.
14:44 – The stage has come to a halt. It appears that Tony Helou has crashed his Citroen DS3 R3T and there are reports that the stage has been cancelled, but nothing is official.
14:33 – Nicolas Amiouni is still leading the Group N standings despite losing 2 seconds to Tamer Ghandour, who’s now comfortably ahead of Rodrigue Rahi.
14:23 – Roger Feghali takes another stage win. He clocked 16 minutes 57.64 seconds in SS3 and took the overall lead as a result of Nasser’s very early retirement.
14:16 – It appears that Nasser Al-Attiyah is out of Rally of Lebanon after reportedly crashing his Skoda Fabia R5. More information here.
14:07 – We have Nicolas Amiouni’s time from SS3, he finished the stage 17:59.00. There appears to be a problem for Nasser Al-Attiyah, who failed to complete the stage.
13:51 – SS3 in Toula has just started, it is taking place on a 28.86-kilometer course, the longest of today’s stages.
13:35 – Click here for the overall standings after SS2. Meanwhile, today’s second special (SS3) is about to start.
13:22 – Henry Massaad leads the front-wheel drive class standings, 3 seconds ahead of Ziad Feghali, who’s in turn 5 seconds clear of third-placed man Robert Aaraj.
13:17 – In the overall standings, Nasser leads, 4.6 seconds ahead of Roger; Nicolas Amiouni is 3rd overall and first in Group N, but he’s almost 40 seconds behind the leaders.
13:12 – Here’s a video of Nasser Al-Attiyah earlier at the Blat stage, in which he was second fastest.
13:03 – Bassel Abou Hamdan is fastest in the front-wheel drive class, almost 9 seconds faster than Henry Massaad, who’s in turn 9 seconds ahead of Robert Aaraj. Henry is comfortable in the championship standings, but it looks like he won’t be taking it easy.
12:51 – In Group N, championship class leader Rodrigue Rahi sets a time similar to Nicolas Amiouni’s, while Tamer Ghandour is almost 6 seconds behind the pair.
12:45 – Roger Feghali goes quickest of all and shaves off 3 seconds from Nasser’s time after clocking 10 minutes 16.4 seconds.
12:42 – Nicolas Amiouni does it in 10:51.4, which is almost 30 seconds slower than Nasser’s time. Follow our live timing here.
12:39 – Nasser Al-Attiyah has completed the first special stage in 10 minutes 19.8 seconds. Let’s see how Nicolas Amiouni compares to that time.
12:25 – Elias Dehni has just left the service area as Nasser Al-Attiyah begins the first special.
12:19 – Most cars have left the service area, Joe Azzi is currently in the refueling area as Emile Khoueiry, Nassib Nassar and Elias Dehni wait for their turns. Nasser Al-Attiyah should start the first special at
12:06 – Disappointment for Eddy Abou Karam and the TGRS crew, a reported gearbox issue in his Mitsubishi Evo X has leaves him and co-driver Joseph Kmeid unable to leave the service area. His brother Emile is in the refueling area as we type this.
11:57 – A calm Nasser Al-Attiyah said that everything’s looking great so far, and when asked about the gap to Roger, he replied: “I honestly don’t know”. Gilbert Bannout, meanwhile, said that the conditions worsened when he and Roger got out on track yesterday, which explains the big gap.
11:54 – Crews are heading out of the service area and towards the first special stage (Blat) as we type this. Here’s a couple of shots of Nasser Al-Attiyah, Roger Feghali and Rodrigu Rahi.
11:35 – Rodolphe Asmar, also contesting the event for the first time, put in a great performance yesterday, and despite spinning his Evo IX, he posted a very competitive time. Rodolphe believes if it weren’t for that spin, he would’ve been in second place, behind Nasser Al-Attiyah.
11:27 – Young drivers Elias Dehni and Patrick Njeim, who are competing in Rally of Lebanon for the first time, plan to finish the event, and they won’t be taking any risks.
11:24 – Robert Aaraj was one of the many drivers who took it easy during the super special yesterday, but the aim is to “push hard” today and fight for the front-wheel drive class title.
10:51 – Here’s a great shot of all competing cars side by side at the Fouad Chehab Stadium in Jounieh this morning.
10:43 – Henry Massaad agreed that the conditions weren’t perfect and that he avoided taking any risks. He will try to push this morning and see how things pan out in the front-wheel drive class.
10:33 – In a chit chat with Eddy Abou Karam this morning at the service area in Fouad Chehab Stadium, the driver revealed that yesterday’s conditions were very poor and the heavy fog lead to poor visibility and poor grip on the track.
10:30 – Good morning everyone and welcome to our third day of live coverage from the 38th Rally of Lebanon. Today is when the real special stage action begins, with 6 specials scheduled to take place. Click here for the stage times and road closing times.
Saturday, September 5, 2015 – Leg 1
23:45 – Thank you for following, we’ll be with you tomorrow for a full day of action. Click here for today’s results, and here for tomorrow’s schedule.
23:40 – It’s Nasser Al-Attiyah who leads the standings heading into Leg 1, followed by Roger Feghali. Nicolas Amiouni was fastest in Group N, and Bassel Abou Hamdan in the front-wheel drive class.
23:30 – And the 2015 Rally of Lebanon super special stage comes to a conclusion tonight at the RPM circuit. Elias Dehni completes his lap onboard the Peugeot 206 RC in 2 minutes 36.13 seconds.
23:23 – Joe Azzi, Emile Khoueiry and Nassib Nassar have all completed their laps. You can check their times here. Elias Dehni, who belongs to the young generation of drivers, is the last car on track tonight.
23:13 – Elie Nehme successfully finishes the stage, and it’s Ziad Nemr who’s currently on the circuit, but he’s made a mistake and lost a good chunk of time, but he continues with no problem.
23:06 – It’s Pierre Wartanian is now in the spotlight, he’s the last Mitsubishi Evo driver for tonight, with 6 drivers left.
22:56 – Ziad Feghali and Kuwait’s Rashid Al Naimi have both successfully completed their runs, and it’s the young Patrick Njeim, who’s contesting Rally of Lebanon for the first time, now lapping the RPM track. Click here for Live Timing.
22:47 – Emile Abou Karam, who skipped all previous rounds of the season, clocks 2:19.37 despite making a small mistake in the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX. It’s Ziad Feghali in the Renault Clio RS now on the circuit.
22:39 – Racing is back underway with Walid Chlink and his daughter Doline onboard the Renault Clio R3.
22:20 – Drama for Tony Helou and Ziad Chehab, whose Citroen DS3 R3T has just stopped on track.
22:12 – Kuwait’s Mshari Al Thafiri and co-driver Carlos Hanna finished the stage in 2 minutes 18.10 seconds as other drivers prepare to take the track. Here’s a shot from off the track.
22:07 – In Group N, it’s Nicolas Amiouni who leads the class standings, followed by Tamer Ghandour and Eddy Abou Karam.
21:58 – He does it! Bassel Abou Hamdan completes the stage in 2 min 19.76 sec and leads the FWD standings. Click here for Live Timing.
21:56 – In the front-wheel drive class, Rony Kanaan leads the way with 2 min 20.83 sec, which puts him more than a second clear of Henry Massaad and Robert Aaraj. Let’s see what Bassel Abou Hamdan can do, he’s on track at the moment.
21:49 – Khalid Al Suwaidi put in a rather spectacular drive onboard his Ford Fiesta RRC. He clocks 2:16.63 and is now fourth in the overall standings.
21:39 – Tamer Ghandour just finished his run, he clocked 2:17.30, which is slightly faster than Eddy’s time. Robert Aaraj is now track in the Citroen DS3 R3T.
21:32 – Rodrigue Rahi and Henry Massaad have completed the super special on the Evo IX and Clio 4 respectively, and now it’s Eddy Abou Karam on track in the blue Evo X.
21:20 – Feghali has completed the super special in 2 minutes 15.62 sec. He’s 8 seconds behind Al-Attiyah. Is the weather playing a big part tonight? Don’t forget to follow our Live Timing here.
21:17 – Now it’s 11-time Roger Feghali on the circuit. Can he beat Al-Attiyah’s time?
21:12 – Amiouni is around 9 seconds slower than Al-Attiyah, he clocked 2 minutes 16.63 seconds. Gilbert Bannout is now on track in the Ford Fiesta RRC.
21:05 – Al-Attiyah completes the super special in 2 minutes 07.68 seconds. Nicolas Amiouni and co-driver Elie Mousallem are up next in the Mitsubishi Evo X N4.
21:03 – And it’s off! Nasser Al-Attiyah kicks off the competition onboard his Skoda Fabia R5. How fast can he go?
20:58 – The MINI Cooper JCW zero car is currently on the track, driven by Patrick Karam, with Mario Kallas as his co-driver.
20:55 – Nasser Al-Attiyah is preparing to take the start of the stage. The weather condition is far from ideal, with plenty of fog and therefore little grip; this should make things interesting.
20:50 – Yokohama’s show is underway, with Paul Kossaifi and Roni Deraoui setting the RPM track alight!
20:25 – Here they are, Paul Kossaifi’s BMW E46 M3, the car that powered him to a Lebanese Hill Climb Championship RWD title this year, and Roni Deraoui’s drift-spec Nissan 350Z.
19:20 – Before the super special stage action begins in about an hour, Yokohama drivers Paul Kossaifi and Roni Deraoui will put on a show for the spectators. We’ll bring you pictures soon!
16:45 – How did the drivers prepare and what did they have to say ahead of the 2015 Rally of Lebanon? Watch our pre-rally interviews during the ceremonial start yesterday to find out.
13:30 – Hello everyone. Today is race day. RPM Karting Lebanon will be hosting the 2015 Rally of Lebanon super special stage this evening, with racing expected to kick off at 8:30 PM. A few cars have already made it to Mtein.
Friday, September 4, 2015 – Super Special Stage
20:15 – We’ll see you tomorrow at the super special stage, which will be held at the RPM circuit in Mtein starting 7:30 PM.
20:09 – As the 2015 Rally of Lebanon ceremonial start comes to an end, here’s an earlier shot of Henry Massaad and Ramy Menhem in the Renault Clio 4. If you missed it, here’s an overview of the front-wheel drive class title chances ahead of ROL 2015.
19:55 – With 4 drivers out of the rally, there will be 33 cars competing in the next 3 days, and it’s currently Qatar’s Rashid Al Naimi who’s taking the start onboard his Mitsubishi Evo IX.
19:48 – Group N competitors and title contenders Rodrigue Rahi, Eddy Abou Karam and Tamer Ghandour are all set and ready to go in the 38th edition of Rally of Lebanon.
19:45 – Plenty of other drivers have taken the start, including 2014 Rally of Lebanon winner Nicolas Amiouni, front-wheel drive class leader Henry Massaad, who’s aiming to secure the title this weekend.
19:40 – However, it won’t be easy for Al-Attiyah, as he’s facing 11-time Rally of Lebanon Roger Feghali, who’ll be driving a red Ford Fiesta R5 alongside Joseph Matar, and will be looking to extend his record.
19:33 – Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, co-driver Matthieu Baumel and the Skoda Fabia R5 are the first to take the ceremonial start this evening. Al-Attiyah’s aim is to win the event for the first time in his career.
19:20 – The 38th Rally of Lebanon ceremonial start is underway here in ATCL; Abdo Feghali, who’s missing the event, is present among the crowd.
18:30 – Click here for images of Yokohama’s stand at the ceremonial start of the 2015 Rally of Lebanon.
18:00 – Lebanese rally legend Johnny Moacadieh’s Marlboro-sponsored Lancia Delta HF Integrale, which he used to spectacularly drive back in the 1990s, is currently on display at ATCL.
17:30 – Check out our video of the 2015 Rally of Lebanon scrutineering and drivers’ press conference that took place earlier today at ATCL in Kaslik. The ceremonial start is two hours away.
16:30 – Unofficial news: Al Abiad, Khalil, Halabi and Weiss out of 2015 Rally of Lebanon. Read more here.
13:05 – After that argument, the 38th Rally of Lebanon drivers’ press conference has come to a conclusion. We’ll keep you updated later today during the ceremonial start that is happening at ATCL headquarters in Kaslik starting 7:00 PM.
13:00 – There’s been an argument between Roger Feghali and ATCL official Nabil Komboz regarding the super special stage which is taking place at the RPM circuit tomorrow night.
Roger Feghali: “I think it would be better to cancel the super special stage in RPM. How are supposed to make a good show in Mtein with the cold weather, it’s hard to put heat into the tyres, so there will be a lot of spinning. Also, who’s gonna stay up there till 1:00 AM? The problem is that the ATCL put the rules, and then they ask for our opinion. Usually you ask for someone’s opinion before you do something.”
Nabil Komboz: “The super special stage is a promotion for the rally. The time interval between every car is 3 minutes, so the all of the super special stage should take a maximum of one and a half hour, and we should be done by 11:00 PM tops. There’s also TV coverage for those who can’t make it.”
Roger Feghali: “No one would be interested in the super special stage because of the political turmoil that is going on. Nobody’s gonna be interesting in watching the super stage on TV because of what’s happening.”
12:40 – Gilbert Bannout: “We switched to an RRC because it suits my driving style and I feel much more comfortable in it. We’re gonna learn from Roger and Nasser, and our aim is to improve stage after stage, without making any mistakes, and compare our times to Roger.”
Henry Massaad: “This year was a bit tough because there was good competition, I was winning and Robert was winning, and we got to a point where I was leading the championship, but I can win and I can lose. I’m happy with the car, we have a good setup and I’m relaxed.”
12:30 – Nasser: “I am very happy to be here in Lebanon. Of course, our aim is to win, but Roger’s a tough competitor and it’s going to be a fierce fight. We will try to win, but if we don’t, we’ll at least score some good points for the Middle East Rally Championship. However, I am here to win.”
12:27 – Roger: “Thank God, all of the preparations are going well. Nasser’s participation is gonna make it tough for us. As we all know, Nasser is a fast driver, but we’re well prepared and I hope we can win.”
12:25 – The drivers’ press conference is currently underway, with 11-time Rally of Lebanon winner Roger Feghali the first to speak.
12:00 – The following drivers will be part of the press conference: Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, Lebanese drivers Roger Feghali, Nicolas Amiouni, Gilbert Bannout, Rodrigue Rahi and Henry Massaad, in addition to Kuwait’s Salah Bin Eidan.
11:55 – Good morning, we’re live from ATCL headquarters where technical checks and scrutineering are taking place at the moment, ahead of a drivers’ press conference at around 12:30 PM.
Thursday, September 3, 2015 – Scrutineering and Ceremonial Start
Instant updates from the 38th edition of Rally of Lebanon, the fourth round of the 2015 Lebanese Rally Championship and Middle East Rally Championship, which is held over 3 days, between September 4-6.