Ahead of the 43rd Rally of Lebanon, which the Automobile and Touring Club of Lebanon (ATCL) will run on September 3, 4 and 5, 2021, it is worth recalling the club’s own heritage. Founded in 1919, the ATCL is one of the oldest automobile clubs in the Middle East and the world, and celebrated its centenary two years ago.
The first rally in the Middle East
In 1951, José Chidiac organised, among many other events, a rally known as the “Tour du Liban”, covering around 500km and finishing at the Aley swimming pool. It is regarded as the first rally ever held in the Middle East. It was won by Louis “Lolo” Bassoul in a Renault Frégate.
A second edition followed in 1955, finishing at the Beirut horse-racing track, and was won by the same driver at the wheel of the same model. The Frégate dominated the era: between those two events, Pierre Hanineh drove one to victory in the first Syria–Lebanon Rally in 1952.
The Mountain Rally (Rallye du Mont)
The Rally of Lebanon traces its roots to the “Mountain Rally” of 1968, when the ATCL backed the idea of organising the event. The first edition drew 57 crews, including 14 from abroad, over 1,100km across Lebanon. It was won by the late Jean Bassili, founder of Sport Auto magazine, with Antoine Salim and Fayez Sahyoun in a Renault 10.
- 1970 – Gérard Asfar and Amin Hammoud (Renault 16)
- 1973 – Georges Matta and Georges Moughanni (Volkswagen 1303 S)
- 1974 – Tony Georgiou and co-driver Jean-Lou Eddé (Renault 12 Gordini), the last edition before the Lebanese war
In 1975 the club completed all the preparations to run the rally and register it on the FIA calendar, which recognised and approved it, but the security situation prevented it from taking place. The event was absent until 1979, when Georges Doumit and co-driver Samir Chikhani won in an Audi 80 LS.
1980 marked a turning point, with the big names returning to competition; Albert Bassoul and Gérard Sounal won in a Renault 17 Gordini.
Through the war years
During the 1980s, amid the war, the rally was not held in 1982, 1983, 1989 and 1990. Since then it has been cancelled only twice: in 2005, following the assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on February 14, 2005, and in 2020, because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In 1986 the rally was a round of the Cyprus Rally Championship, attracting 60 crews, and was won by Nabil Karam (“Billy”) and Joe Saghbini in a Porsche 911 SC RS.
The Middle East Rally Championship was officially launched in 1984, and the Mountain Rally joined the regional series for the first time in 1987 (October 9–11). It was won by the Emirati pairing of Mohammed Ben Sulayem and co-driver John Spiller in an Opel Manta 400.
The Rally of Lebanon era
In 1993 the event was renamed the “Marlboro Rally of Lebanon” and was won by France’s Alain Oreille and co-driver Jean-Marc Andrié (Renault Clio Williams), followed by his compatriot Jean Ragnotti.
The rally became an annual fixture attracting drivers from around the world, including Italy’s Sandro Munari, winner of the 1977 FIA Cup for Rally Drivers, and the French drivers Jean Ragnotti and Alain Oreille. The famous Finnish driver Tommi Mäkinen drove a car on the super special stage in the 1990s; in 1995 the 1993 European Rally Champion, France’s Pierre-César Baroni, took part; and in 1998 Norway’s Petter Solberg, a future world champion, finished second.
Arab and international participation continued with names such as Mohammed Ben Sulayem (UAE), Abdullah Bakhashab (Saudi Arabia), Saeed Al-Hajri and Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (Qatar), Yves Loubet (France), Piero Liatti (Italy) and the Emiratis Abdullah and Khalid Al Qassimi and Sheikh Suhail Al Maktoum, alongside leading Lebanese drivers headed by Roger Feghali, Jean-Pierre Nasrallah, Samir Ghanem, Nabil Karam (“Billy”), Maurice Sehnaoui (“Bagheera”), Abdo Feghali, Michel Saleh, Doumit Abou Doumit, the late Ziad Feghali, Eddie Abou Karam, Tamer Ghandour, Nicolas Amiouni and Rodrigue Rahi – and the list goes on.
Winners and records
Lebanese drivers have clearly dominated the honours roll. The most successful is Roger Feghali with 14 wins, followed by Jean-Pierre Nasrallah with three. Mohammed Ben Sulayem won four times, while Abdullah Bakhashab and Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah each won once (Al-Attiyah in 2019). Alain Oreille won in 1993, and the Italians Alex Fiorio and Piero Liatti won in 1994 and 2001 respectively.
From 2002, Lebanese crews took over the top step of the podium: Roger Feghali took a record 14 titles, while Jean-Pierre Nasrallah and co-driver Youssef Bassil won in 2002, Nicolas Amiouni and co-driver Chadi Beyrouthy in 2014, and Tamer Ghandour and co-driver Selim Jlelati in 2016. Two years ago, Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah claimed his first win in the Land of the Cedars.
In the co-driver’s seat, the most successful is Joseph Matar with seven wins, followed by fellow Lebanese Nabil Njeim with five.
In 2020 the Rally of Lebanon was not held because of the official general lockdown imposed to fight the coronavirus pandemic, which paralysed the world and Lebanon on many levels.