The third round of the National Rally Championship kicks off on Friday with the participation of nine drivers from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Jordan. The seven Jordanian drivers headed by Marouf Abu Samra, who finished in second place in the second round, will try to end the reign of Lebanon’s Roger Feghali, winner of the second round. Feghali and co-driver Joseph Mattar clocked 1h21m46s while Abu Samra and co-driver Malek Hariri came in second with 1h26m40s, followed by Jordan’s Mazen Tantash and co-driver Zaid Abu Zaid with 1h29m36s. Lebanon’s Nicolas Amiouni and co-driver Chadi Beyrouthy won the first round. Saudi Arabia’s Saeed Al Mouri and co-driver Amro Refai in their Mitsubishi Evo 9 will also bring excitement to the six special stages rally at the Dead Sea area. Lebanese drivers are taking part in the event after the FIA, the governing body of motor sports worldwide, decision to divide the Middle East Rally Championship into zones. The first zone consists of Lebanon, Syria, Cyprus and Jordan while the second consists of Dubai, Qatar and Oman.