Nick Georgiou looks to gain crucial Pirelli 'Star Driver' points in Syria
Lebanese driver Nick Georgiou will be hoping to score maximum points in the Pirelli 'Star Driver' category in Syria next week.
Lebanese driver Nick Georgiou will be hoping to earn maximum points in the Pirelli ‘Star Driver' category of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship during next week's Syrian International Rally.
Georgiou lost out on victory in last year's prestigious competition on a technicality to Cypriot Nicos Thomas, but Georgiou and Lebanese co-driver Joseph Matar start as favourites to claim their first points in the West Zone section of the competition, which will be fought out over the rounds of the regional series in Syria and Lebanon.
Kuwait's Meshari Al-Thafiri and Abu Dhabi's Ahmad Al-Mansoori qualified for the regional final - which will take place alongside the Dubai International Rally at the start of December – through the Gulf Zone's qualifying round in Kuwait.
"We changed the counting rounds for the West Zone after the recent Kuwait International Rally and Syria and Lebanon will now count for West Zone points.," said Derek Ledger, FIA Vice President and regional rally commissioner. "Nick Georgiou is registered for the West Zone and will start as the favourite to score Pirelli points in Syria."
Five points will be scored by a registered driver for a stage win, down to a single point for fifth position on a special stage. The two drivers who have amassed the most points from the Syrian and Lebanese rounds will qualify for the final.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, FIA Vice President for Sport and President of the Automobile and Touring Club of the United Arab Emirates (ATCUAE), will supply a new award. This will be presented to the winner by Derek Ledger at the end of the final round of the series in Dubai on Saturday, December 5th.