Red Bull athlete Abdo Feghali strikes first with victory on the 29th running of the Spring Rally in Lebanon.
A quick glance at the entry list for the 2013 Spring Rally suggested that the Mitsubishi Evo X was the car to have on the asphalt twisties across 172km of Lebanon. And when you happen to have a Guinness World Record Holder behind the wheel, then your chances look even rosier.
Abdo Feghali, who forewent his usual Chevvy commitments and opted for the Evo in Lebanon, proved a safe pair of hands, dominating each of the stages in the #1 Evo X and pulling out a 2-minute advantage over his nearest rival after the opening third stages. ‘Dado’ Feghali, who in February broke the record for the longest continuous drift, duly took the honours at the Spring Rally, an event he won for the first time back in 2003.
Feghali’s nearest rival would prove more difficult to nail down, the speed of Nicolas Amiouni in the #3 machine at first lighting up the timing screens, though the newly signed Red Bull athlete would be forced to retire after the opening stage. The baton was then passed to Joseph Hindy in the #10 entry, though mechanical issues would strike down Amiouni’s countryman in the closing stages of the rally. Eventually, it would be Gilbert Bannout in the #5 MINI Countryman who took second place after a solid effort with new co-driver Renaud Jamoul across difficult terrain.
Eddy Abou Karam rounded out a good event by taking third in the #12 Evo IX. Rabih Ayoub, who delivered a stirling effort in the #9 Mitsubishi, was just one second adrift of a podium spot with a solid fourth place. Hindy, who masnaged to coast his ill-luck-struck Evo X to the finish, rounded out the top five. All eyes though were on Feghali, who started the 29th Spring Rally by bettering Nahr Ibrahim’s long-standing opening stage record time.
If you were unable to make the Spring Rally, then the below footage from Biser3aTV might be of interest.
– FULL GALLERY OF IMAGES AVAILABLE HERE – CLICK – Shots courtesy of Ephrem Chemaly, Chady Souaid, Najib Haiby and Biser3a
