April 1, 2016 – His name is Michel Saad and he won the first ever Lebanese rally back in 1939, which was known as the Beirut Rally.
The first edition of the Beirut Rally was contested by 21 drivers, including Saad, who raced from Beirut to Ghazir and then up the mountain roads of Keserwan district, according to a text published in The Daily Star Millenium Special in December 1999.
“We had an MG, one of these heavy English cars that could speed up to 140 kilometers per hour” said Saad in an interview with the newspaper. However, Saad’s co-pilot Leyli Edde believed that the rally wasn’t just about winning.
“The rally was not simply about coming in first and being the big champion. It was about being young and the excitement of the country’s first rally. It was like one big picnic and we had a huge party at the podium ceremony.” said Edde.
