EgyptianSahara
October 19th, 2008, 15:09
The 25th Pharaons Rally 2008
The Rally of Achievments
The 2008 edition of the Pharaons Rally promised a lot of changes and surprises, and surely a new beginning towards Egyptian Achievements. Under the Patronage of the Ministry of Tourism and The Automobile and Touring Club of Egypt, with the Help of Travco & JVD the Pharaons Rally 2008 was an outstanding event. The race is known for its 7 days of travel & 3000 kms of endurance. Over 150 Motorbikes, 24 cars & 4 Trucks racing in their categories, with participants, assistance teams, organizers and media groups reaching over 600 persons in total will race the western desert for the 25th Pharaons Rally.
Stage 1: Cairo – Baharia 332,17 km. October 5th 2008
Usually know as the “classic” stage, just to escape into the Western Desert & towards our unique Oasis. Today was different, the heat and visibility were not helping competitors by any means!! The route passed through several chains of Dunes. The Rammak & Ghorabi Dunes decided to keep a few of the racers as guests for sometime. “As we drove, we started loosing count of the bikers fallen or parked left, right and center. They were just too many” Karim El Zanaty who finished 12th today.Car number 309 driven by the “Van Loons”, the VW Buggy flew off a “Slip Face” (Steep Dune) at the Rammak Dunes, & nose dived into the sand, rolled & tumbled to a halt!! Happily no one was injured, but the car was is no condition to be fixed over night, making them rely completely on their other VW Buggy to complete the race.
Ghorabi was the sand ball this year, as temperatures rose, sand loosened & almost each team had their share of getting stuck. “We did 750 meters in 1 hour!! Dragging Sandmats when my wrist watch thermometer states 50 DEGREES CELSIUS!! Azzam came out of the car to help me & was drained in very little time. The heat today is not something I want to experience on any other racing day” Ahmed Badr who was co-piloting for Azzam El Faruqi, together they finished 18th today.
Today’s Endurance day was won by the old friends Carlo De Gavardo & Jean Brucy in their Chevrolet D-Max where the heat of today’s stage seemed to suit that diesel engine perfectly!! On Bikes; David Casteu the French Veteran with team Vectra won today’s leg. Among the trucks, the Italians, Claudio Bellina, Paolo Arici & Mauro Nicolo in the Dutch DAF. Egyptians placed: 8th, 12th, 18th, 19th, 21st, 23rd, & 25th after day 1.
Stage 2: Baharia – Baharia 442,47 km. October 6th 2008
The organizers preferred that the racers should taste the bitter before the sweet. Driving and riding on today’s roughest of grounds shaked, tossed & wiggled loose each and every component on these machines not to mention their occupants! Till they finally reached the “Karaween” Sand Sheet which is silk smooth compared to anything before or after on today’s special stage. “We lost the cap for the power steering fluid, then had to remove one of the cooling fans which broke & came in the way of belts on the engine, and that was in the rough bit before the sand sheet.” Ahmed El Sirgany who finished 17th today, expresses the hardships on todays stage. “Our clutch let us down this stage, so we did our best as to drive steadily & not damage the disc.” Abdel Hamid Abu Youssef mentioning his troubles, on the 2nd stage, he finished 8th yesterday & 13th today. “Azzam kept driving behind me for a good 45mins. Not wanting to over take me. I started loosing concentration, while my co-pilot Hany Madbouli, always kept me alert and focusing on my heading & not my mirrors.” Karim El Zanaty. El Faruqi & Badr placed 10th today while Zanaty & Madbouli came in 16th. Lavielle & Polato came first in their Team Dessoude Nissan Prototype. Verhoeven on the other hand snatched today’s stage on motorbikes with his Team Vectra KTM 690.
Stage 3: Baharia - Sitra 382,85 km. October 7th 2008
“Today the Real Race Begins” Jacky Ickx. The stage which everyone has been waiting for, finally we see endless chains of dunes. Taking everyone from the inhabited to the Uninhabited, the Oasis of Sitra is located between Baharia & Siwa Oasis. After some 70 km of Hard ground & tracks the competitors will start surfing the dunes of “Ghard Al Kabir” and keep traversing between the Great Sand Sea & Al Kabir dunes. Sadly Team H.R.T. lost their 2nd and only vehicle left racing today. Following a similar scenario as his team mate 2 days earlier when he flew off a dune!! Again no one was injured; however injuries were usual among the motorbike riders.
Motorbike number 3 had broken down just 8 km before CP2 on todays stage, but to his luck we arrived to the scene & towed him to the CP where his assistance team was waiting to help. Polish rider Przygonski finished 6th in his category at the end of the 7 days.
The usual with cars as Lavielli & Polato grip first place with a good 30 mins. Lead on the 2nd car. Egyptians placed: 8th Sirgany, 11th Mido, 12th Zanaty, 18th Antably, 20th Abous-Soud who retired from the race due to mechanical troubles & 22nd Azzam. Also Gary Gabris & Ahmed Mokhtar had to retire from the race aswell.
Stage 4: Sitra - Siwa 371,68 km. October 8th 2008
Heading West the stage begins on flat hard ground for just 8 km. May they be enough to waken those still snoozing. After those few kms the dunes will begin their symphony all the way to Siwa Oasis. A good day for Abu Youssef & Holzknecht. They arrived in 4th place after today’s stage. Lavielle & Polato were first today in their Nissan and one motorbikes was the Dutch Verhoeven of Team Vectra. Other Egyptian team came in 12th, 13th, 16th, 17th. “We got stuck in the dunes once, but it took us 30 mins. to get the car out.” Karim El Zanaty, 13th today.
Stage 5: Siwa - Siwa 376,71 km. October 9th 2008
Sand Sand, & only sand. Then again the organizers must throw in a few rocks, carefully placed in certain valleys, where those carelessly deflated tires will suffer badly. Such chosen routes add spice, flavour & a bit of extra challenge for all those racers alike. Again Lavielle is 1st & Abu Youssef is 4th. Overall standings are starting to come into the picture with our Egyptians doing well so far. 7th overall is Abu Youssef, 11th El Zanaty, 12th El Sirgany, 15th El Faruqi 18th El Antably. Motorbike number 3 Przygonski our friend from stage 3 won today’s stage. The Italians Paccani & Brevi won in their Unimog in the trucks category.
Stage 6: Siwa - Baharia 410,38 km. October 10th 2008
Returning East all racers still have a lot of sand to face, only the last 80 kms. are of rough, hard and wavy ground. Our spirits were high with the results from the past 2 stages, but sadly Mido crashed, damaged the car & his co-pilot had to be airlift from his location of the crash for medical care, after diagnosis doctors declared that he will need rest. That was the end of Sand Sea Sailors in this year’s race. Hard Luck Guys, Respect the effort.
On the other hand, El Zanaty & Madbouli were delighted to hear that the 1st car on diesel category had’nt completed todays stage, Thus making Zanaty & Madbouli 1st over the Diesel category. Egyptians placed 11th, 12th, 15th, & 19th after todays leg.
Stage 7: Baharia – Cairo 342,29 km. October 11th 2008
The last stage on the 2008 Pharaons Rally came with hidden surprises just as the beginging of the rally. Lavielle’s Nissan had troubles which forced him to drive slower & stop a few times trying to fix the damage. Only when the Egyptian racers stopped to help & gave him the needed part to mend his car did we see his red Prototype Nissan fly by trying to make up for the lost time. Egyptians drove with a steady pace today following their “Old School” Veteran Azzam El Faruqi and arrived at the finish where around 1000 spectators and supporters were there to greet the champions return.
Christian Lavielle & Jean Michel Polato came 1st overall in the Cars
category in their Prototype Nissan of Team Dessoude.
David Casteu won overall in the bikes category on his KTM 690 of Team Vectra.
Karim El Zanaty & Hany Madbouli won 1st place in diesel category, 1st among the Egyptian Team & 9th place overall in the cars category.
Ahmed El Sirgany & Alain Besancon took 10th place in the overall cars category & 2nd place among the Egyptian Teams.
Azzam El Faruqi & Ahmed Badr placed 12th overall in the cars category & 3rd among the Egyptian Teams.
Mohamed El Antably & Mohamed El Khatib finished 17th overall in the cars category & 3rd in the diesel category which was the final surprise for this years first timers into the rally.
A respectable achievement for several Egyptian Teams, who took on a grueling offroad endurance race, that puts man & machine under extreme measures of abuse. Keep it up.
Article Taken off Campus Magazine issued November 2008, distributed in Cairo, Egypt.
The Rally of Achievments
The 2008 edition of the Pharaons Rally promised a lot of changes and surprises, and surely a new beginning towards Egyptian Achievements. Under the Patronage of the Ministry of Tourism and The Automobile and Touring Club of Egypt, with the Help of Travco & JVD the Pharaons Rally 2008 was an outstanding event. The race is known for its 7 days of travel & 3000 kms of endurance. Over 150 Motorbikes, 24 cars & 4 Trucks racing in their categories, with participants, assistance teams, organizers and media groups reaching over 600 persons in total will race the western desert for the 25th Pharaons Rally.
Stage 1: Cairo – Baharia 332,17 km. October 5th 2008
Usually know as the “classic” stage, just to escape into the Western Desert & towards our unique Oasis. Today was different, the heat and visibility were not helping competitors by any means!! The route passed through several chains of Dunes. The Rammak & Ghorabi Dunes decided to keep a few of the racers as guests for sometime. “As we drove, we started loosing count of the bikers fallen or parked left, right and center. They were just too many” Karim El Zanaty who finished 12th today.Car number 309 driven by the “Van Loons”, the VW Buggy flew off a “Slip Face” (Steep Dune) at the Rammak Dunes, & nose dived into the sand, rolled & tumbled to a halt!! Happily no one was injured, but the car was is no condition to be fixed over night, making them rely completely on their other VW Buggy to complete the race.
Ghorabi was the sand ball this year, as temperatures rose, sand loosened & almost each team had their share of getting stuck. “We did 750 meters in 1 hour!! Dragging Sandmats when my wrist watch thermometer states 50 DEGREES CELSIUS!! Azzam came out of the car to help me & was drained in very little time. The heat today is not something I want to experience on any other racing day” Ahmed Badr who was co-piloting for Azzam El Faruqi, together they finished 18th today.
Today’s Endurance day was won by the old friends Carlo De Gavardo & Jean Brucy in their Chevrolet D-Max where the heat of today’s stage seemed to suit that diesel engine perfectly!! On Bikes; David Casteu the French Veteran with team Vectra won today’s leg. Among the trucks, the Italians, Claudio Bellina, Paolo Arici & Mauro Nicolo in the Dutch DAF. Egyptians placed: 8th, 12th, 18th, 19th, 21st, 23rd, & 25th after day 1.
Stage 2: Baharia – Baharia 442,47 km. October 6th 2008
The organizers preferred that the racers should taste the bitter before the sweet. Driving and riding on today’s roughest of grounds shaked, tossed & wiggled loose each and every component on these machines not to mention their occupants! Till they finally reached the “Karaween” Sand Sheet which is silk smooth compared to anything before or after on today’s special stage. “We lost the cap for the power steering fluid, then had to remove one of the cooling fans which broke & came in the way of belts on the engine, and that was in the rough bit before the sand sheet.” Ahmed El Sirgany who finished 17th today, expresses the hardships on todays stage. “Our clutch let us down this stage, so we did our best as to drive steadily & not damage the disc.” Abdel Hamid Abu Youssef mentioning his troubles, on the 2nd stage, he finished 8th yesterday & 13th today. “Azzam kept driving behind me for a good 45mins. Not wanting to over take me. I started loosing concentration, while my co-pilot Hany Madbouli, always kept me alert and focusing on my heading & not my mirrors.” Karim El Zanaty. El Faruqi & Badr placed 10th today while Zanaty & Madbouli came in 16th. Lavielle & Polato came first in their Team Dessoude Nissan Prototype. Verhoeven on the other hand snatched today’s stage on motorbikes with his Team Vectra KTM 690.
Stage 3: Baharia - Sitra 382,85 km. October 7th 2008
“Today the Real Race Begins” Jacky Ickx. The stage which everyone has been waiting for, finally we see endless chains of dunes. Taking everyone from the inhabited to the Uninhabited, the Oasis of Sitra is located between Baharia & Siwa Oasis. After some 70 km of Hard ground & tracks the competitors will start surfing the dunes of “Ghard Al Kabir” and keep traversing between the Great Sand Sea & Al Kabir dunes. Sadly Team H.R.T. lost their 2nd and only vehicle left racing today. Following a similar scenario as his team mate 2 days earlier when he flew off a dune!! Again no one was injured; however injuries were usual among the motorbike riders.
Motorbike number 3 had broken down just 8 km before CP2 on todays stage, but to his luck we arrived to the scene & towed him to the CP where his assistance team was waiting to help. Polish rider Przygonski finished 6th in his category at the end of the 7 days.
The usual with cars as Lavielli & Polato grip first place with a good 30 mins. Lead on the 2nd car. Egyptians placed: 8th Sirgany, 11th Mido, 12th Zanaty, 18th Antably, 20th Abous-Soud who retired from the race due to mechanical troubles & 22nd Azzam. Also Gary Gabris & Ahmed Mokhtar had to retire from the race aswell.
Stage 4: Sitra - Siwa 371,68 km. October 8th 2008
Heading West the stage begins on flat hard ground for just 8 km. May they be enough to waken those still snoozing. After those few kms the dunes will begin their symphony all the way to Siwa Oasis. A good day for Abu Youssef & Holzknecht. They arrived in 4th place after today’s stage. Lavielle & Polato were first today in their Nissan and one motorbikes was the Dutch Verhoeven of Team Vectra. Other Egyptian team came in 12th, 13th, 16th, 17th. “We got stuck in the dunes once, but it took us 30 mins. to get the car out.” Karim El Zanaty, 13th today.
Stage 5: Siwa - Siwa 376,71 km. October 9th 2008
Sand Sand, & only sand. Then again the organizers must throw in a few rocks, carefully placed in certain valleys, where those carelessly deflated tires will suffer badly. Such chosen routes add spice, flavour & a bit of extra challenge for all those racers alike. Again Lavielle is 1st & Abu Youssef is 4th. Overall standings are starting to come into the picture with our Egyptians doing well so far. 7th overall is Abu Youssef, 11th El Zanaty, 12th El Sirgany, 15th El Faruqi 18th El Antably. Motorbike number 3 Przygonski our friend from stage 3 won today’s stage. The Italians Paccani & Brevi won in their Unimog in the trucks category.
Stage 6: Siwa - Baharia 410,38 km. October 10th 2008
Returning East all racers still have a lot of sand to face, only the last 80 kms. are of rough, hard and wavy ground. Our spirits were high with the results from the past 2 stages, but sadly Mido crashed, damaged the car & his co-pilot had to be airlift from his location of the crash for medical care, after diagnosis doctors declared that he will need rest. That was the end of Sand Sea Sailors in this year’s race. Hard Luck Guys, Respect the effort.
On the other hand, El Zanaty & Madbouli were delighted to hear that the 1st car on diesel category had’nt completed todays stage, Thus making Zanaty & Madbouli 1st over the Diesel category. Egyptians placed 11th, 12th, 15th, & 19th after todays leg.
Stage 7: Baharia – Cairo 342,29 km. October 11th 2008
The last stage on the 2008 Pharaons Rally came with hidden surprises just as the beginging of the rally. Lavielle’s Nissan had troubles which forced him to drive slower & stop a few times trying to fix the damage. Only when the Egyptian racers stopped to help & gave him the needed part to mend his car did we see his red Prototype Nissan fly by trying to make up for the lost time. Egyptians drove with a steady pace today following their “Old School” Veteran Azzam El Faruqi and arrived at the finish where around 1000 spectators and supporters were there to greet the champions return.
Christian Lavielle & Jean Michel Polato came 1st overall in the Cars
category in their Prototype Nissan of Team Dessoude.
David Casteu won overall in the bikes category on his KTM 690 of Team Vectra.
Karim El Zanaty & Hany Madbouli won 1st place in diesel category, 1st among the Egyptian Team & 9th place overall in the cars category.
Ahmed El Sirgany & Alain Besancon took 10th place in the overall cars category & 2nd place among the Egyptian Teams.
Azzam El Faruqi & Ahmed Badr placed 12th overall in the cars category & 3rd among the Egyptian Teams.
Mohamed El Antably & Mohamed El Khatib finished 17th overall in the cars category & 3rd in the diesel category which was the final surprise for this years first timers into the rally.
A respectable achievement for several Egyptian Teams, who took on a grueling offroad endurance race, that puts man & machine under extreme measures of abuse. Keep it up.
Article Taken off Campus Magazine issued November 2008, distributed in Cairo, Egypt.