.jpg)
.jpg)
Feghali : ‘Always persevering, pushing forward’
By Khaled Al-Omeri, Jordan News
- +
- -
AMMAN —
Lebanese rally driver and triple national drifting champion Abdo Feghali’s
early passion for cars pushed him to pursue motorsports and speed racing. Born
into a motorsport enthusiast family, Feghali’s earliest memories include his
father’s car workshop that operated out of their home, where his father used to
customize and tune cars for races. His father also competed in races, which
fascinated Feghali and made him want to be a part of the sport. اضافة اعلان
At the age of 19, Feghali had the chance to compete in his first National Rally championship in Lebanon. He came 3rd place overall, which motivated him to push forward with his team and nurture his talent, to improve in Lebanon and the region.
(Photo: Red Bull)
Feghali has a long list of achievements in motorsports. He started his career in speed races and rallies, winning 24 championships nationally and regionally. In 2013, he achieved a Guinness World Record for the world’s longest drift (11.2km) at Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi, doubling the previous record.
In 2008, he launched Red Bull Car Park Drift, one of the most successful drifting championships. In this competition, one drifter is selected to represent their country to compete for the “King of Drift” title in the world finals.
Feghali did share some embarrassing moments; he and his co-driver once filled water in the intercooler (because rally cars always tend to overheat quickly). The pair forgot to close the lid, and the hood popped open as the car accelerated, shattering the windshield. As with many embarrassing stories, Feghali and his co-driver did not find it amusing at the time, but now they see the tiny slip-up as funny. Luckily, the pair came in second that rally.
Feghali says that “every race, no matter how big or small, was a challenge on its own. Whether national, regional, or international, the competition is always so strong”.
(Photo: Red Bull)
One of his biggest challenges was competing with his brother, Roger, who Feghali regards as his “biggest opponent” due to the brothers knowing each other’s strengths and weaknesses, both in their car’s technical specs and personally.
Like his inspiration from his father, Feghali sees the passion for cars in his children. His son, Christopher, began participating in karting championships when he was 4 years old. Christopher got the title of Youngest Karting Champion in Lebanon at the age of 7, and multiple national karting championships. He came in 1st place in the European and regional championships in the Micro Max and Mini Max categories.
Feghali focuses on nurturing Christopher’s talent and passion to eventually make his dream of participating in F1 races come true, even though they are aware of how hard and costly this journey could be.
Despite delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and current economic challenges in Lebanon, Feghali’s passion for motorsports has not changed. In 2022 and 2023, he hopes to launch a few rally races and speed tests, in addition to preparing a calendar for his son Christopher to pursue his goals in the Middle East and internationally.
Feghali cites Lebanon and Jordan as pioneers in motorsports in the region, and as stirring interest in other Arab countries.
“I remember King Hussein, may his soul rest in peace, used to participate in Lebanese races back in the 1950s and 60s. I can never forget one of the World Final for Red Bull Car Park Drift, which was held at the Dead Sea, where the entire world came to Jordan and witnessed and learned the art of drifting and tuning cars from Jordanian talents.”
Feghali believes that motorsports are rousing great interest in the Arab region, which has hosted the Middle East Rally Championship, the Red Bull Car Park Drift, MotoGP, Rally Dakar, Formula-E, and various other competitions.
(Photo: Red Bull)
“The drive and passion for achieving such records — starting with a podium stand in the first rally I ever participated — shows the talent and the commitment to keep getting those high numbers and great results. You may not always get the best numbers, but how you work, how much you are committed, and how fast you are set you apart. These things make me proud of myself, and of course, this translates to my son. I not only focus on him getting great numbers in races, but also on how he deals with his team, the media, social media presence, fans, and the people around him. Life is not about being Number 1; it is about always persevering, pushing forward,” Feghali says.
He hopes talented youth in the Arab world have this mindset, that would help raise their participation in regional and F1 races and increase their representation at international level.
Read more Sports
At the age of 19, Feghali had the chance to compete in his first National Rally championship in Lebanon. He came 3rd place overall, which motivated him to push forward with his team and nurture his talent, to improve in Lebanon and the region.
(Photo: Red Bull)
Feghali has a long list of achievements in motorsports. He started his career in speed races and rallies, winning 24 championships nationally and regionally. In 2013, he achieved a Guinness World Record for the world’s longest drift (11.2km) at Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi, doubling the previous record.
In 2008, he launched Red Bull Car Park Drift, one of the most successful drifting championships. In this competition, one drifter is selected to represent their country to compete for the “King of Drift” title in the world finals.
Feghali did share some embarrassing moments; he and his co-driver once filled water in the intercooler (because rally cars always tend to overheat quickly). The pair forgot to close the lid, and the hood popped open as the car accelerated, shattering the windshield. As with many embarrassing stories, Feghali and his co-driver did not find it amusing at the time, but now they see the tiny slip-up as funny. Luckily, the pair came in second that rally.
Feghali says that “every race, no matter how big or small, was a challenge on its own. Whether national, regional, or international, the competition is always so strong”.
(Photo: Red Bull)
One of his biggest challenges was competing with his brother, Roger, who Feghali regards as his “biggest opponent” due to the brothers knowing each other’s strengths and weaknesses, both in their car’s technical specs and personally.
Like his inspiration from his father, Feghali sees the passion for cars in his children. His son, Christopher, began participating in karting championships when he was 4 years old. Christopher got the title of Youngest Karting Champion in Lebanon at the age of 7, and multiple national karting championships. He came in 1st place in the European and regional championships in the Micro Max and Mini Max categories.
Despite delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and current economic challenges in Lebanon, Feghali’s passion for motorsports has not changed.
Feghali focuses on nurturing Christopher’s talent and passion to eventually make his dream of participating in F1 races come true, even though they are aware of how hard and costly this journey could be.
Despite delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and current economic challenges in Lebanon, Feghali’s passion for motorsports has not changed. In 2022 and 2023, he hopes to launch a few rally races and speed tests, in addition to preparing a calendar for his son Christopher to pursue his goals in the Middle East and internationally.
Feghali cites Lebanon and Jordan as pioneers in motorsports in the region, and as stirring interest in other Arab countries.
“I remember King Hussein, may his soul rest in peace, used to participate in Lebanese races back in the 1950s and 60s. I can never forget one of the World Final for Red Bull Car Park Drift, which was held at the Dead Sea, where the entire world came to Jordan and witnessed and learned the art of drifting and tuning cars from Jordanian talents.”
Feghali believes that motorsports are rousing great interest in the Arab region, which has hosted the Middle East Rally Championship, the Red Bull Car Park Drift, MotoGP, Rally Dakar, Formula-E, and various other competitions.
(Photo: Red Bull)
“The drive and passion for achieving such records — starting with a podium stand in the first rally I ever participated — shows the talent and the commitment to keep getting those high numbers and great results. You may not always get the best numbers, but how you work, how much you are committed, and how fast you are set you apart. These things make me proud of myself, and of course, this translates to my son. I not only focus on him getting great numbers in races, but also on how he deals with his team, the media, social media presence, fans, and the people around him. Life is not about being Number 1; it is about always persevering, pushing forward,” Feghali says.
He hopes talented youth in the Arab world have this mindset, that would help raise their participation in regional and F1 races and increase their representation at international level.
Read more Sports
