ATV Lebanon Middle East

For the lovers of Motor Sports in the Middle East and ATV in Lebanon, here is an interview with Yves Atallah.

He recently organized an ATV Speed Test event in the Metn area- Lebanon. You can check the list of winners as well as some great photos taken on location under: Polaris ATV Speed Test Beit Chabab 2010.

Hello Yves and thank you for this interview.

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You are the most welcome Fanoos.

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So what does ATV actually stand for?

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ATV is simply an acronym for All-Terrain Vehicle. It is from the family of motorcycles, but has four tires. Some ATVS may permit two passengers on board, but generally it's intended for just one rider. There are also some models with three wheels or even six wheels. This quad bike was originally used in agriculture, but later manufacturers saw its leisure or sport attributes and improved it to become what you can see today. The sport in generally governed by The International Motorcycling Federation or La FIM (Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme) based in Switzerland.

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What about the Arab World, like in Lebanon for example? Is there an official organization that oversees ATV and other kinds of Motorcycle Sports?

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Generally, most countries of the Gulf have one ...In the UAE, there is a federation called Desert Challenge. It is supported by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, and is headed by its president Sheikh Mohammed Bin Sulayem. He is very passionate about motor sports and is considered the Arab World's most successful rally star,... As for Lebanon, No, there isn’t one at the moment, but I am working on establishing a local federation. I am also contacting sponsors to help with the financial part, mainly Helmets On the official dealer of Polaris ATV in Lebanon...I am getting there... we are in the final stages if everything goes according to plan.

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Ok, good luck with that then. You lately organized the Polaris ATV Motocross Speed Test 2010 in Lebanon. Tell us a bit how it went.

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It was very nice. We did our best to turn it into a professional ATV speed test event, based on the information and standards supplied by the FIM. We had ATV drivers from all over Lebanon, with different backgrounds and different ATV brands not just Polaris, all reunited in one place thanks to their passion for the ATV sport.
The track was carefully crafted to be as exciting as possible, while remaining secure enough to prevent possible injuries. We had with us a highly trained Red Cross group, equipped with a 4x4 Jeep to facilitate their mission. We also had an evacuation plan ready, with the collaboration of Beit Chabab Hospital. Helmets were of course mandatory, and we did not get any serious injuries during the event. The Lebanese Army also supported our Marshals to insure the safety all around the track.

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What about the motocross track itself, was it an original design?

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Yes of course. It was actually a middle ground between the available setting and the additions we had in mind. The Municipality of Beit Chabab was very cooperative and helped us dig up the circuit. We followed an existing pedestrian path that we enlarged without destroying the surrounding nature, like the trees etc... We had 2 mud bogs, gravel surfaces, sand sections, slopes, tough inclinations...overall, it was an exciting track I believe.

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So who won then??

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Hahaha ...There were many categories based on the size of the ATV and model: Utility ATV, Side by Side ATV, Sport ATV etc...As for the winners, I can provide you with the list if you want.

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Yes sure, exclusively for us :) So will there be another event, for those who missed this one and would like to participate in the next one?

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Of course, there will be many more starting in Spring 2011 a huge event is being planned.

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Looking forward to that, please keep us updated. Any last words to end this interview?

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Yes I would like to thank the Lebanese Red Cross, the Lebanese Civil Defense and Army, Helmets On SARL, KENDA ATV Tires, Melody FM for covering the event and also Commercial Insurance ...and my wife Grace for being there and helping me out! Finally I would like to thank you Fanoos for this great interview.

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