Roger Feghali and his co-driver Joseph Matar, driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10, won the 46th edition of the Rally of Lebanon, marking Feghali’s 17th title, having dominated the race over the three days of competition.
Bassel Abou Hamdan and his co-driver Firas Elias, in a Volkswagen Polo GTI, took second place, while Rabih Ayoub and his co-driver Georges Nader, in a Skoda Fabia, completed the podium.
Roger Feghali, born in 1973, has achieved a historic feat that will be difficult, if not impossible, for any other driver to match at the Rally of Lebanon, which is now synonymous with his name, having won the event for the 17th time.
After leading the standings with the best time in the opening special stage on Friday night, and finishing the second day at the top on Saturday, Feghali managed to maintain a calming strategy on the third day, having built a considerable lead over the second place driver.
Driver Bassel Abou Hamdan, who finished second, once again demonstrated great skill at the wheel, making it to the podium as he did last year. Rabih Ayoub proved he is among the “greats” by finishing in third place overall.
It is also important to commend the promising performance of young driver Karl Rizk, who finished fourth after going off the road and hitting a safety barrier during the opening special stage on Friday, damaging his car. Despite this, he continued the race with determination and perseverance but was penalized with a two-minute penalty for violating the park closed rules, which demoted him to fourth place, losing the third spot.
The race, held under hot summer weather and in front of a large audience spread along the special stages, was part of the third round of this year’s Lebanese Rally Championship. The total distance covered was 636.70 km, including 199.08 km of timed specials, spread over 11 stages in the regions of Kesrouan, Jbeil, Batroun and Metn, on paved roads.
Final Overall Standings (Unofficial) at the End of the 2024 Rally of Lebanon:
1. Roger Feghali and Joseph Matar in Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10: 1h54’44”
2. Bassel Abou Hamdan and Firas Elias in Volkswagen Polo GTI: 1h56’13”
3. Rabih Ayoub and Georges Nader in Skoda Fabia: 1h58’54”
4. Karl Rizk and Karim Abou Elias in Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10: 1h59’31”
5. Rodrigue Rahi and Nabil Qombez in Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9: 2h02’39”
6. Tarek Younes and Selim Jleilati in Ford Fiesta RS: 2h04’07”
7. Ahmad Khaled and Moussa Jaharian (Jordan) in Ford Fiesta: 2h05’33”
8. Charbel Chibli and Doulene Schlink in Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9: 2h05’44”
9. Paul Kosseify and Rawad Issa in Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8: 2h09’23”
10. Nasser Khalifa Al-Attiyah (Qatar) and Ziad Chahab in Ford Fiesta: 2h09’35”
11. Chady Fakih and Samer Safir in Renault Clio 1.3: 2h10’14”
12. David Mezher and Chady Nassar in Citroën DS3: 2h10’51”
13. Joseph Salem and Carlos Hanna in Peugeot 208: 2h10’54”
14. Rawad El Hachem and Gary Kondakjian in Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9: 2h12’30”
15. Rhea Dagher and Nadim Abou Elias in Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10: 2h16’17”
16. Henry Kai and Ramy Mneim in Citroën DS3: 2h25’23”
17. Serge Akiki and Elie Mhana in Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8: 2h31’30”
18. Joey El Hajj and Christopher Knldjian in Hyundai: 2h43’57”
19. Joanna Hassoun and Clara Janbar in Renault Clio RS: 2h51’08”
20. Kamil Mouchref and Naji Safir in Honda Civic: 3h04’11”
21. Jason Wehbe and Andre Mneim in Citroën DS3: 3h07’39”
22. Nidal Jaradi and Fouad Harb in Peugeot 206: 3h12’23”
Categories
Karl Rizk and his co-driver Karim Abou Elias won the title in the RC2 NR4 category, Rodrigue Rahi and his co-driver Nabil Qombez took second place, and Tarek Younes and his co-driver Selim Jleilati finished third, also winning the trophy for the ranking.
Ahmad Khaled and his co-driver Moussa Jaharian won the trophy in the RC3 Rally 3 category, while Charbel Chibli and his co-driver Doulene Schlink took the RC2 NR4 category and the female navigation trophy.
Chady Fakih and his co-driver Samer Safir won the RC5 Rally 5 category trophy, David Mezher and his co-driver Chady Nassar won the RC4 R3T category, and Joseph Salem and his co-driver Carlos Hanna won the RC4 Rally 4 category trophy. Rhea Dagher won the female trophy, and Henry Kai and his co-driver Ramy Mneim took second place in the RC4 R3T category.
Serge Akiki and his co-driver Elie Mhana won the NS NS3 category trophy, Joey El Hajj and his co-driver Christopher Knldjian finished second in the RC5 Rally 5 category, and Jason Wahbeh and Andre Mneim took third place. Joanna Hassoun and her co-driver Clara Janbar won the trophy in the RC4 R3 category and the novice driver and co-driver trophy, while Kamil Mouchref and his co-driver Najy Safir finished second in the NS NS3 category. Finally, Nidal Jaradi and his co-driver Fouad Harb won the trophy in the NS NS1 category.
Awards Ceremony
The awards ceremony took place at the headquarters of the organizing club in Kaslik, with the presence of official, military and sports figures, club members, sponsors’ representatives and motorsport enthusiasts. Among the attendees were Imad Lahoud, president of the motorsport committee of the club and President of the Rally Committee at the International Automobile Federation (FIA), the family of the late Dr. Robert Sassi, who was Director of the Rally of the Mountain and the Rally of Lebanon for many years, and whose 11th special stage bore his name, as well as the family of the organizing club board member, National Sports Committee Director Sleiman Khattar, Motorsports Director Kabi Krayker, Race Director Attorney Ziad Jamous, rally officials and sponsor representatives.
