This is probably not your usual interview again. We met with both Tamer Ghandour and Nicolas Amiouni for a long chat, to talk about the previous spring rally and the issues concerning rallying in Lebanon in addition to WRC Jordan and many other topics. Both MotorTune driver were honest and frank.
Khaled Karam: Tamer and Nicolas tell us more about the last Spring rally and how did you find the new stages?
Tamer Ghandour: this initiative from ATCL served us all very well. The previous edition of Spring rally has become known property and the drivers have variable experiences on. The new stages were a test for everybody and it showed many new things and was positive for everybody in general. I really wished that the stages were longer but nevertheless it’s a good that top speed was very high especially when the roads are fine and have the right condition.
Nicolas Amiouni: it was a very good rally for everyone and the new stages were fantastic as Tamer told you before. I really fancy stage one in Bqosta it was amazing?
KK: but didn’t you feel that the roads were over bumpy?
TGh: no not at all many previous stages in older rallies are bumpier, take Arjes for example, were the roads are in worse condition than what we had in spring Rally. The roads were relatively fine and by the way the people who were mostly harmed from bumpy stages are Nicolas and me.
NA: I totally agree with Tamer on this issue and I really have to add that people who suffered under high speeds should work more on themselves.
KK: How crucial was the “DogBox” in the car at such a rally?
NA: very crucial especially that people without a “DogBox” like Tamer, lost some times on the straights, but it was not catastrophic although it might have helped.
TGh: Well I believe that a “DogBox” was very important in the rally, but it can be done really without it. We knew its importance as the rally started not before, but without the “DogBox” we were doing fine and we were in a good position.
KK: Spring rally is being done 2 stages repeated 3 times. Don’t you think that it will be much more exciting if it was 3 stages repeated twice?
NA: Local rallies in Jordan are done in 3 stages repeated twice, anyway the night stages in Lebanon are much different than the day time ones, so it’s practically new stages at night.
TGh: We can be very happy with the new stages as a start, but they should be longer. It could have been much better if the stages were 15 or 20 km long and repeated 3 times, rather than being 10 km only. In addition to this I agree with what Nicolas said that night stages are considered different because driving in them is so much different.
KK: Cedars rally is on the way, would you favor the inclusion of night stages or not?
NA: We seriously don’t care. At the end this is a rally and you should drive in any possible condition, rain, snow, mud, night, and whatever happens it part of the rally and the person who has a problem with this shouldn’t do rally.
TGh: High average speed, low average speed it doesn’t matter also. Every driver should adapt to the circumstances and Cedars rally should not be different.
KK: Nicolas you lost your back wheel in the first stage, have you not did that where would we have found you at the end of the rally?
NA: There is no “what ifs” in such a situation. I lost my wheel and it cost me a lot but my stage times were very fast from SS3 onward. It could have a rally without problems while other drivers suffer and I win. This is rallying and such things happen and we look forward. I don’t use excuses like this, simply it’s my fault and I lost a wheel.
KK: Tamer you were around 4 seconds away from finishing on the podium. The 3 drivers ahead of you were on EVO 10s, supposedly you are on the same machinery in the future can you beat them?
TGh: I can’t use the car as an excuse. I am very happy with the car, and I am absolutely sure that if Roger Feghali was on EVO 9 he would have still won. I want to use the EVO 9 to its full potential and the car in this situation is not an issue. Again, to clarify the issue of missing on the podium, I missed on the podium because I lost focus in SS5 and lost time although I was 8 seconds ahead before entering the stage. It was totally my fault and not down to the car. The “DogBox” would have played a part over the course of the rally. If I was on “DogBox” I would have been 20 or 25 seconds ahead, so loosing focus in stage 5 wouldn’t have cost me that much.
NA: After the rally many drivers complained about their cars. I believe that many cars need to change drivers and not the other way around. Even WRC cars are just 2.5 seconds per km faster than our cars, so it’s not much of a difference over the length of this rally. The gap in some stages was very huge even a WRC car wouldn’t have helped.
TGh: I need to mention also that some cars are old from the outside but from the inside the cars are not that old.
KK: Tamer, ahead of the rally you were suffering some sponsoring problems. How did you manage at the last moment to solve them, and is this problem solved on the long run?
TGh: 90% of last year’s rallying budget was personal investment. The car is also my personal investment. I thought this might be a push for the sponsors to give us a hand. I wasn’t planning to participate in spring Rally and I suffered many last minutes blows, but MotorTune was on my side, and we in MotorTune are a team and we help each other accordingly. On the stages we fight to the maximum but we help each other and push each other forward outside car. We all feel happy for each other when we have good results but we fight hard to beat each other too.
Looking to the future I don’t know how much I can continue like this, I will have to see how things evolved. Drivers like Nick Georgiou have been driving for 5 years without a sponsor and this is a very difficult situation for us. The situation in the country is not really helping. The country is suffering and all drivers are finding it difficult to get sponsors.
KK: How do you find the new Championship format issued by ATCL especially that it’s a mixture of many events together and they are not precisely complete rallies?
TGh: I have no problem with this format at all. Some drivers are complaining that this format allows you to get points from regional rallies, although this is true, it really doesn’t help any driver in gaining positions if he was consistent and scoring good points in the major rally events. So the format is probably fair and it protects full rallies.
KK: Nicolas, you will be having a number of foreign rallies. Will this help you in a way to gain points and build on your current 5th position in the championship, or is it very difficult?
NA: Finishing 5th in spring rally was very costly, but I will be pushing hard for results in both the Cedars rally and the Rally Of Lebanon in order to get better results. I would be also looking forward to finish on the podium in all Jordan locals so I bring with me points that will aid me to increase my championship position.
KK: Jordan rally is on the way, how do you both see the competition in all categories, WRC, S2000, MERC and group N as well as the locals in Jordan too?
TGh: Jordan rally is one event we all wait for, and we even wait for it much more when there is a Lebanese driver participating. Nick Georgiou has done it before and we tried to convince him again this year but budget issues are very important in such events. Nick had very good results previously and this is a good motive for Nicolas to do the rally and we are all on his side.
13 cars will be participating in the rally, and Nicolas stands a good chance to get a very good result, since he has the experience of such rallies in Jordan. He should start on a cautious pace and then push hard later on.
NA: I hope everything will go fine and we suffer no problems at all, if this is the case we should challenge for a podium in our category for sure.
TG: Many S2000 participants don’t have the experience of such a rally, so although Nicolas’s car is not that competitive in such event he will stand a chance to compete. In the S2000 category Nasser Al Attiyah has the edge as well as Prokop and Hanninen.
NA: Nasser totally has the edge; he has the experience and speed.
TGh: In the WRC category I believe that Loeb always has the edge. He can play with his rhythm very easily. He can use the long stage, “The Jordan River” to push and make a gap and will manage his rally accordingly. Ogier, Solberg, Hirvonnen and Yari Matti are all very good but the Ford due will making a harder effort.
NA: This talking about strategy is very important. This is what we hope for in Lebanon. Having a longer stage would give us space to maneuver and to plan our rally, when to push and when not to push.
KK: Returning back to the spring rally, was it better race with S2000 cars or group N cars?
NA: I think group N cars are much faster in such rallies.
TGh: I think they will be very close and group N cars would be a little bit faster.
KK: Let’s say this year’s Rally Of Lebanon has the same stages like last year, which car should be faster, the EVO 10 or the Mitsubishi EVO 10 R4?
TGh: The R4 will probably be faster than S2000 cars in Lebanon. The stages in Lebanon are very different than those around the world. Many things are completely different, the roads, the Tarmac and many other things. You really don’t have a definite setup in ROL. Your setup is always a compromise. With the new regulation the R4 will have different features and just like S2000 cars, the car features and durability will be the same when you finish stages as when start them.
NA: As Tamer said Lebanon is not like any rally, R4 kits are coming soon and they will be tested so everything will be clear ahead of the rally. A good driver on a Group N car will definitely beat a bad driver on S2000 and vice versa. The car gives a 10 % edge, not more. Take the spring rally for example, in the downhill at Besre, it’s about how much you push downward. Whether you are on a group N car or another, it’s about how hard you push. The real difference between an EVO 9 and EVO 10 in Spring rally stages over the course of a whole stage will be around 3 seconds not more if you are on the limit. Roger was beating me by 9 seconds, I need to make this difference before thinking about the car.
TGh: I totally agree, the time sheet shows you everything. When you are down in about 20 to 30 seconds it’s never up to the car. A driver should make the maximum about his car and then complain.
KK: Any last message guys?
NA: Lately some drivers have been talking about sportsman ship and not offending each other. What’s happening is that drivers are offending each other and then asking their competitors not to do so. Well I believe let it be open. Let people say whatever they want.
TGh: In the last interview you had on you website this is exactly what happened. “قتلو القتيل ومشيو بجنازتو”
NA: I believe that we are on a different level from this, and put this on record; I really don’t care and lose my time on people with such claims. We are on a much higher level than this. It’s outrageous to say that the level of the rally was not good. People with such opinions should show us what they have.
KK: Anything for the Sponsors?
TGh: I would like to thank all the guys helping us in addition to my company bright enterprise, in addition to MotorTune. I really hope sponsors will pay more attention to the sport and give us more support. All drivers have limitation without sponsors. Their performance is affected and many other aspects.
NA: One last message. I would like to congratulate Joseph Hindy, for his good sportsmanship and honesty. Ahead of the rally he said he was at 100% and after the rally he found out that he was not prepared and he said it openly. We appreciate people like Joseph and such attitude should be the one that overwhelms motorsports. We send him a salute and wish him the best for the second rally.
TGh: We talk about Joseph with all this credit although he is on the competitor team, but due to his spirit and good sportsmanship and we consider him like one of us.
NA: before we end this I would like to add the MotorTune is not mine or Tamer’s property. We are part of this team and fight for it. We respect everybody and all teams and we hope that people would stope offending MotorTune on the go. MotorTune is not responsible for everything going wrong with other teams and in the sport in general.