In a first appearance on Le Mans circuit and under the sponsorship of BEASTS festival, scheduled to take place in Beirut this coming August, Lebanon’s presence was strongly felt on the famous French race track during an endurance race on an LMP1 car.
Behind the wheel of the BEASTS- sponsored car was British professional racing driver Oliver James Webb who set a New Privateer Non-Hybrid lap record around Le Mans, the fastest ever in category history, driving an LMP1 car equipped with a Nissan Nismo engine.
This impressive international presence of Lebanon marked the 85th edition of Le Mans race, the world’s oldest active sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since 1923. While the highest number of – eighteen – victories throughout the race’s history was scored by Porsche, the last decades witnessed a fierce competition from manufacturers such as Audi and Toyota, and a number of teams and independent manufacturers.
Topping Lebanon’s news this summer was the announcement of Oliver Webb’s participation in the BEASTS festival with his LMP1 car, as one of the most prestigious international guests the festival will bring. The British driver’s attendance to the 2017 festival comes following his partnership with the festival’s organizers, sponsors of his participation in Le Mans race, and BAC, the British manufacturer of single seater road-legal supercars, with an appearance promising the most beautiful shows.
BEASTS activity also extends to sponsoring the participations of the British driver in the international speed races in which Lebanon will be represented through the BEASTS team, namely: the Gumball 3000 race held from Riga to Mykonos between July 1 and 8, the Nürburgring race in Germany on an LMP1 car held between July 13 and 16, and the SPA Francorchamps 24-hour race in Belgium on a McLaren, between July 26 and 30.
With this initiative, BEASTS will become the first Lebanese festival to successfully promote both its activities and Lebanon’s name in the most prominent international events. Taking place from August 24 to September 3 at the Beirut Waterfront, the BEASTS festival will host a number of breathtaking car racing performances and sports shows in addition to a wide range of cultural and artistic activities, Multimedia and 3D mapping shows, as well as a street food court, and a kids area designed to conform with the best international safety standards.
About BEASTS:
Beirut Events and Street Shows, BEASTS is a non-profit organization born in 2017 from its founders’ will in preserving a Lebanon that has been, and will always be, an exemplary beacon of openness, and an innovation platform attracting the region and the world.
Founded by Rasha Jarmakani and Maya Abou Saleh, BEASTS will hold its first festival in Beirut under the slogan “#wedreamlebanon” initiating social, cultural, and entertainment activities that target all Lebanese social and age categories with no exception, promoting the sense of national belonging across Lebanese generations, and highlighting a resilient Lebanese culture of success and achievement.
BEASTS also aims at repositioning Lebanon on the international tourism map, through attracting international talents and audiences, and adopting state of the art innovative technologies showcasing Beirut and Lebanon as an avant-garde hub for regional trends.
While actively working towards increasing Lebanon’s exposure on both the regional and international scenes, BEASTS initiatives are designed to proudly contribute into dynamizing our local economy through touristic, cultural and entertainment activities that attract thousands of visitors and a large number of businesses and entrepreneurs investing in creating more job opportunities for the Lebanese.