JEDDAH, 19 November 2004 — Lebanon’s ace rally driver Abdo Feghali will be looking to build upon his recent foray into Middle East gravel rallying when he tackles the Dubai International Rally starting in December. Feghali, the current Lebanese national rally champion tackled one of the most challenging gravel surface events in the FIA Middle East Rally Championship in Cyprus last month and was happy with his performance, despite retiring after the fourth special stage in the first leg with mechanical problems.
But he heads for the thrilling season finale in the United Arab Emirates fired up and looking forward to lining up against one of the strongest entries ever assembled for the traditional final round of the regional series at the wheel of his Red Bull Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 8.
“To retire from the Cyprus Rally was a disappointment and an obvious set-back to my plans in rallying,” admitted Abdo. “But we were lying in fourth position in the Troodos Rally, despite all the problems we faced on the first few stages. If I can have a good clean run in Dubai, then I will be able to reach the podium and that must be the goal.”
“I learned a lot from my time in Cyprus,” added the Red Bull driver. “The stages the organizers chose were not typical of Cyprus and more closely resembled those I would expect to see in Syria or Dubai. They were often fast and flowing, where the driver can get into a fast rhythm and set good times. I realized the importance of a good recce. You only get a limited time to take a look at the stages and you must ensure that your notes are up to speed and contain all relevant notes about the corners and the specific areas where you need to be cautious.”
Feghali admitted that he faced a catalogue of problems in Cyprus. He will be hoping for better fortune across the testing gravel stages he faces near Hatta and Fossil Rock in the Dubai International Rally.
Abdo and co-driver Jospeh Mattar had carried out a full recce of the route in the days preceding the start of the Nicosia-based event and are preparing to do the same in Dubai.
The Dubai International Rally looks set to attract around 50 entries from 14 countries for two-day competition over gravel and sand stages to the south of Dubai. The event is organized by the Automobile and Touring Club of the United Arab Emirates and will also decide the outcome of both this year’s FIA Middle East Rally Championship and the regional 1600 Championship, with action getting under way from the Al-Bustan Rotana Hotel in Dubai on Dec. 2.
