May 19, 2018

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.

Organiser Chahrazad Rizk told AFP she wanted to bring the event to Lebanon after taking part in similar rallies in Switzerland.

"The idea is to organise 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.