Drivers take part in the "Rallye des Graces" upon arriving in the Lebanese coastal city of Byblos, north of the capital Beirut, on May 19, 2018, during the first leg of the tour. / AFP PHOTO / JOSEPH EID
BEIRUT — Lebanon is hosting its first ever women-only classic car rally, with female drivers flying in from across the world for the occasion.
The 28 drivers in the two-day Rallye des Graces event include women from France, the United Kingdom, China, and Algeria.
They set off Saturday from the Automobile and Touring Club of Lebanon, a seaside club in Kislik, north of Beirut, and are to tour the country, as far east as the Bekaa plain along the border with Syria.
Organizer Chahrazad Rizk told AFP she wanted to bring the event to Lebanon after taking part in similar rallies in Switzerland.
Drivers take part in the “Rallye des Graces” upon arriving in the Lebanese coastal city of Byblos, north of the capital Beirut, on May 19, 2018, during the first leg of the tour. / AFP PHOTO / JOSEPH EID
“The idea is to organize a women’s rally each time in a different Middle Eastern country,” said Isabelle Labrousse, a driver who made her first visit to Lebanon for the occasion.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Editionby email and never miss our top stories
After leaving Kislik, the cars parked briefly under searing sun at the ancient port of Byblos.
“I’m very happy to participate in this event, it’s magical,” said Rima Lucas, a Lebanese driver at the wheel of an old red Porsche.
A female driver takes part in the “Rallye des Graces” upon arriving in the Lebanese coastal city of Byblos, north of the capital Beirut, on May 19, 2018, during the first leg of the tour. / AFP PHOTO / JOSEPH EID
Laurence Boule, on her first visit to Lebanon, said she was happy at “the prospect of spending a day in these beautiful old cars… with all these women from around the world.”
Advertisement
But she said Lebanon’s rugged terrain and the lack of road signs had complicated matters.
“Our first kilometer went very well until we got lost,” she said. “But we only found charming Lebanese people to redirect us.”
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
