DUBAI, 8 May 2005 — Lebanese Rally champion Abdo Feghali placed himself among elite drivers of the region in his first participation in the 2005 Jordan International Rally, the fifth of eight rounds of FIA Middle East Rally Championship.
A heated competition erupted in the last day of the event between Feghali who teamed up with co-driver Joseph Mattar in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8 and the rest of the top drivers: Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah, UAE’s Sheikh Khalifah Al Maktoum and Sheikh Khaled Al Qassimi.
Feghali secured the fourth position ahead of his closest rival Cypriot Andreas Tsoulouftas during the Rally’s 19 special stages which are considered the most difficult stages in the Middle East Championship.
“I faced several mechanical problems during the Dead Sea stages at 400 meters below sea level and a couple of stages later at 1,000 meters above sea level,” Feghali said.
“The second leg stages were short and needs special skills and I tried to finish with less damage although I lost two minutes in Mount Nebo stage,” he added.
Qatar’s Al Attiyah who is leading the standings with 40 points prior to the Jordan Rally, placed himself close to holding the Middle East Rally Championship title carried by UAE’s Khalid Al Qassimi last year.
Official Overall Positioning until SS 17 - Day 2: Nasser Al Attiyah/ Subaru Impreza WRX STI 2:08:57.1; Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi/ Subaru Impreza WRX STI 2:12:59.3; Sheikh Suhail Ben Khalifa Al Maktoum/ Subaru Impreza WRX STI 2:13:01.3; Abdo Feghali/ Lancer Evo VIII 2:18:12.9 ; Ahmed Al Sabban/ Subaru Impreza STI 2:18:39.2; Andreas Tsolouftas/ Lancer Evo VII 2:19:47.9 ;M. Abu Samra/ Lancer Evo VI 2:30:39.1; Faris Bustami/ Lancer Evo VII I 2:32:16.7.
