Lebanon, July 09: Roger Fegahli, driving a Subaru Impreza, won the Rally of Lebanon on Sunday (July 6). The Lebanese brothers of Roger and Abdo Feghali dominated the 27th Rally of Lebanon to take first and second place respectively over the 21 timed tarmac stages. Roger, the elder brother, beat Abdo's 1999 specification Toyota Corolla WRC by a total of 65.7 seconds, but the pair had been separated by only seconds for much of the rally. The Rally of Lebanon - the second round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship - started on Friday and ended in Jounieh on Sunday (July 6). Abdo won the 2.1 kilometre super special stage, but Roger took the lead as the race moved onto the traditional tarmac stages in the hills north of Beirut.


Roger temporarily lost his lead when he had a flat tyre, but quickly regained the advantage as the opening leg progressed in hot and humid conditions through the mountains.


After 11 special stages, the pair were separated by 21 seconds. On the final day, Roger pulled further ahead after a solid and trouble-free performance.


Final positions: 1. Roger Feghali and Ziad Chehab Subaru Impreza WRC 2 hours 46 minutes 07.0 seconds 2. Abdo Feghali and Joseph Mattar Toyota Corolla WRC 2 hours 47 minutes 12.7 seconds 3. Rodrigue Rahi and Patrick Ziade Lancia Delta HF Integrale 3 hours 7 minutes and 12.4 seconds


Bureau Report