Grand Finale of the 46th “Coral Rally of Lebanon”…2024 Edition Podium completed by Basil Abou Hamdan as Runner-Up and Rabi Ayoub Third
Roger Feghali, along with his co-driver Joseph Matar, secured the title of the 46th edition of the “Coral Rally of Lebanon” in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10. This marks Feghali’s 17th title, as he dominated the three-day event. Basil Abou Hamdan and his co-driver Firas Elias, driving a Volkswagen Polo GTI, took second place, while Rabi Ayoub and his co-driver Georges Nader, in a Škoda Fabia, finished third. Born in 1973, Feghali has achieved a historic feat in Rally of Lebanon, with his name now synonymous with the event after claiming his 17th title—a legendary record.
Feghali set the pace by recording the best time in the special opening stage on Friday evening and maintained his lead through Saturday. On the third day, he adopted a strategy of caution, securing his victory with a significant lead.
Basil Abou Hamdan, who finished as runner-up, once again demonstrated his exceptional driving skills, earning a spot on the podium as he did last year. Meanwhile, Rabi Ayoub proved his mettle by finishing third overall.
Special mention goes to promising driver Karl Rizk, who finished fourth. Despite going off course and colliding with a safety barrier during the opening stage on Friday, which damaged his car, he continued the race with determination. However, he incurred a two-minute penalty for violating the closed park rules, causing him to drop to fourth place, losing his third-place position.
The race, held under hot summer weather and before a large crowd along the special stages, was part of the third round of the Lebanese Rally Championship for this year. The total distance covered was 636.70 km, including 199.08 km of special stages across Keserwan, Jbeil, Batroun, and Metn, on asphalt roads.
Final Standings
The following are the unofficial final overall standings for the 2024 Rally of Lebanon:Final Standings
The following are the unofficial final overall standings for the 2024 Rally of Lebanon:
- Roger Feghali and Joseph Matar in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10: 1:54:44
- Basil Abou Hamdan and Firas Elias in a Volkswagen Polo GTI: 1:56:13
- Rabi Ayoub and Georges Nader in a Škoda Fabia: 1:58:54
- Karl Rizk and Karim Abou Elias in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10: 1:59:31
- Rodrigue El-Rahi and Nabil Kambaz in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9: 2:02:39
- Tarek Younes and Salim Jalilati in a Ford Fiesta RS: 2:04:07
- Ahmad Khaled and Moussa Joharian (Jordan) in a Ford Fiesta: 2:05:33
- Charbel Chibli and Doulin Shlink in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9: 2:05:44
- Paul Qassifi and Rawad Issa in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8: 2:09:23
- Nasser Khalifa Al-Attiyah (Qatar) and Ziad Chihab in a Ford Fiesta: 2:09:35
- Shadi El-Fakih and Samer Safir in a Renault Clio 1.3: 2:10:14
- David Mazher and Shadi Nasr in a Citroën DS3: 2:10:51
- Joseph Salim and Carlos Hanna in a Peugeot 208: 2:10:54
- Rawad El-Hashem and Gary Kondakjian in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9: 2:12:30
- Ria Dagher and Nadim Abou Elias in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10: 2:16:17
- Henry Kaai and Rami Mounir in a Citroën DS3: 2:25:23
- Serge Akiki and Elie Mehna in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8: 2:31:30
- Joey El-Hajj and Christopher Kendakjian in a Hyundai: 2:43:57
- Joana Hassan and Clara Janbar in a Renault Clio RS: 2:51:08
- Kamil Mushrif and Najee Safir in a Honda Civic: 3:04:11
- Jason Wahba and Andre Mehna in a Citroën DS3: 3:07:39
- Nidal El-Jaridi and Fouad Harb in a Peugeot 206: 3:12:23
Category Winners
Joana Hassan and co-driver Clara Janbar won the RC4 R3 and emerging female driver and navigator cups. Kamil Mushrif and co-driver Najee Safir took second place in the NS NS3 category, while Nidal El-Jaridi and co-driver Fouad Harb won the NS NS1 category.
Karl Rizk and co-driver Karim Abou Elias won the RC2 NR4 category, followed by Rodrigue El-Rahi and Nabil Kambaz in second, and Tarek Younes and Salim Jalilati in third, also taking home the classification cup.
Ahmad Khaled and Moussa Joharian won the RC3 Rally3 category, while Charbel Chibli and co-driver Doulin Shlink took the RC2 NR4 category and the ladies’ navigation cup.
Shadi El-Fakih and co-driver Samer Safir won the RC5 Rally5 category, and David Mazher and Shadi Nasr won the RC4 R3T category.
Joseph Salim and Carlos Hanna won the RC4 Rally4 category. Ria Dagher took home the ladies’ cup, and Henry Kaai and co-driver Rami Mounir secured second place in the RC4 R3T category.
Serge Akiki and co-driver Elie Mehna won the NS NS3 category, with Joey El-Hajj and Christopher Kendakjian taking second place in the RC5 Rally5 category, and Jason Wahba and Andre Mehna finishing third.
Awards Ceremony
The awards ceremony was held at the headquarters of the organizing club in Kaslik, attended by official, military, and sports figures, as well as the club’s executives, sponsors, and motorsport enthusiasts. Notable attendees included the Director General of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Fadia Hallal, representing the Minister Dr. George Kallas; President of the Lebanese Olympic Committee Dr. Pierre Gelloh; Brigadier General George Sophia representing the Commander of the Lebanese Army, General Joseph Aoun; Lieutenant Colonel George Saloum representing the Director General of the Internal Security Forces, Major General Imad Osman; Major Dimitri Sakr representing the Acting Director General of General Security, Major General Elias El-Bisari; President of the Lebanese Automobile and Touring Club, Attorney Elie Assaf; Secretary General of the club Kamil Edde; Treasurer Attorney Gilbert Mseih; Miss Lebanon Nadine Kousa; President of the Motorsports Committee at the club and Chairman of the FIA Rally Commission Emad Lahoud; Dr. Raja Labaki and Attorney Ibrahim Choueiri, advisors to the Minister of Youth and Sports; members of the club’s board of directors; the family of the late Dr. Robert Sassi, who served as Director of the Mountain Rally and Rally of Lebanon for many years, and after whom the 11th special stage was named; the family of the late club board member Sheikh Nabil Khazen, who recently passed away in a tragic accident and after whom the classic car race was named; National Sports Committee Director Suleiman Khattar; Head of the Motorsports Division Kabi Kreker; Race Director Attorney Ziad Jamous; rally officials; and representatives of the sponsoring companies.
