Qatar’s ace rallyist and series leader Nasser bin Saleh al Attiyah headlines the list of the 42nd Lebanon International Rally, the third round of the Middle East Rally Championship 2019, scheduled to be run on August 30 to September 1.
Attiyah has been runner-up in this rally thrice but has not been able to wrest the title from the local drivers, especially defending champion Roger Feghali who has won the rally for a record 14 times.
Last year, Attiyah was second in Lebanon, finishing 1 minute and 24 seconds behind Feghali.
Leading the MERC with 77 points after his victory in Qatar and Jordan, Attiyah would be more than keen to win in Lebanon, which has been quite challenging for the three-time Dakar Rally champion and a dominant driver in the region.
Qatari Abdulaziz al-Kuwari, who is in the second spot after Attiyah with 61 points, will miss the third round. Kuwaiti Meshari al Dhafiri is holding the third place with 33 points.
As many as 27 teams from Lebanon and other Arab countries such as Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and France are contesting in the three-day rally.
Host Automobile and Touring Club of Lebanon announced the list of drivers, navigators and their cars for the 2019 edition.
The total distance of the rally is 645.24 kms, of which 215.94 kms will be timed section over 11 stages. After the end of the Lebanon Rally, the Middle East Championship will move to Cyprus (September 27-29), before ending in Kuwait (October 31 – November 2).
