Last month the Pharaon's Rally took place. We've reported on the competition in the previous years as well, but this time we had actual friends competing so the interest and expectancy were much higher.
The famous 30 year race took place over six different stages, with the finish line close to the pyramids of Giza. This year, the fight is on mainly between Al Mutalwei-Andreas Shultz from the Fazza team and long-time veteran Jean Louis Schlesser. The two drivers currently occupy the first two places in the World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies, with Schlesser on second place.
One exciting feature for this year is the Dakar Challenge. This is a category reserved for amateur competitiors who have never raced in the Dakar and are not on the FIA priority list. The prize for this category is the amazing opportunity to start their engine on the Lima podium of the next Dakar edition. The prize is offered by ASO.
The first stage of the race offered a 330 km stretch of difficult terrain, which was comprised of all types of tracks that the Egyptian trails would have to throw at the machines and drivers.
Right off the bat, Schlesser suffered battery problems. Apparently the problems were also present in the Baja of Aragon competition. Basically, the buggy would short circuit when it would be put in reverse. Stuck on a dune and with no solution in sight, Schlesser was helped by Patrick Sireyjol who didn't hesitate to stop and lend a helping hand. He eventually finished sixth overall.
While all this was happening, the Mini driven bul Al-Mutawei was quickly gaining an advantage, especially due to copilot Andy Schultz's impeccable navigation. Catching up to the leader, a surprisingly quick Regis Delahaye scooped the day's second position. The third place of the day was taken by Patrick Sireyjol, who didn't lose too much time after helping Schlesser. Jon Mitsuhashi and Romanian pilot Costel Casuneanu took places four and five.
On a fast second day, Schlesser shortened the overall time gap between his truck and Al-Mutawei by 15 minutes, leaving him now just 5'40" behind the leader. Also holding on to the third place of the day was Patrick Sireyjol who stuck close to the Mini team and encountered no technical issues throughout the stage.
By the day's end, the places have shifted. Covering ground and with an impeccable driving style, Schlesser finished first, followed by Sireyjol and Al-Mutawei. Among the day's defeats, most notable was Ukraine's Team Sixt, who's LC200 suffered irreparable gearbox damage. Behind the three big names that grabbed all the attention, Michelle Cinotto, Jun Mitsuhashi and Nicolas Gibon-Akira Miura had always been close, waiting for a chance to snatch up a podium place.
Offering a grueling 426 km special stage, combined with a 159 km transfer, day three of the Pharaon's rally announced itself as the toughest stage of this year's event. As a result, Schlesser lost almost 15 minutes stuck between two sand dunes. The same thing would have happened to stage winner Al-Mutawei, if not for the helmet of Schlesser's copilot put up atop the sand dune to signal the car and avoid racers jumping over or smashing into them. Regis Delahaye and Boris Gadasin were able to gain a lot of ground today, due to Schlesser's event.
Another abandonement of the day say Rocco Anaclerio-Ringo and Maurizio Dominella step off after three failed transmissions, of which the last claimed their chances to finish the competition. On the other hand, Mistuhashi and Cinotto pushed on yet again, only to end up in fifth and seventh overall places.
Determined to win back all of his lost time, Schlesser scored a crushing victory in day four. Comprised of two special stages covering more than 460 km, he dominated both with a 25 minute advantage. This placed him in the lead, more than 10 minutes ahead of Al-Mutawei.
The Emirates driver encountered the same problem, getting stuck in the dunes, that Schlesser dealt with the previous days. However, as problems never come on their own, he also suffered a punctured tire.
All this allowed Patrick Sireyjol and Regis Delahaye to occupy second and third places, although the latter encountered a large array of problems, from getting stuck to crashing into another racer in the dunes.
On a different note, Dakar Challenge top spot was taken by Romanian pilot Costel Casuneanu of Mitsubishi who are trying to maintain the top spot for a chance to win an entry the 2013 Dakar race.
This days brought with it an unprecedented event, during the evening: on a routine check-up, Schlesser's buggy was found to have a 37.2 mm air intake, which is outside of the regulation. As a result, the Schlesser Adventure Team was excluded from the championship round, without even so much as an appeal.
A new day of racing saw the leaderboard shuffle yet again, especially with the favorite buggy now out. Following a strange day overall, Delahaye took to trailblazing until he was close to the finish line. Then, the most unfortunate thing happened: the Frenchman's axles, both front and rear, snapped at the same time.
Al- Mutawei stopped to check on them and see if they're alright, but pushed on to the finish line. On the other hand, Jun Mitsuhashi towed the French buggy back to the finish line, disregarding his chances to push on and win precious minutes.
Continuing the eventful day was the presence of Miroslav Zapletal and Aidyn Rakhimbayev who finished first and second on this stage. With the aid of the "Saint Bernard" Toyota VDJ 200 driven by Mitsuhashi, Delahaye finished the stage, while still losing some minutes.
On the Dakar Challenge scene, the events were also rather unexpected. Yesterday's favorite, Costel Casuneanu flipped the car over forwards and allowed for the Egyptian Tarek El Erian to take first place in the special classification.
On an intense last day, most of the places on the podium were almost certainly taken. With a huge time gap between himself and second place, Al-Mutawei was a sure bet, now with Schlesser out of the picture. Covering second and third places were Delahaye and Mitsuhashi, who have had a tandem drive the previous day as well. On a different note, Mitsuhashi won the T2 category as well, coming out in front of Gibon-Akira Miura, both from Toyota.
By the end of the race, all of the G-Force team had abandoned. Facing problems earlier this week, Vaslyev and Gadasin both had their cars damaged by the unforgiving terrain and speed of the competition.
In the Dakar Challenge, Tarek El Erian and his copilot Aly Mohamed scooped the first place and won the entry to the 2013 Dakar everyone longed for, in their Batmobile Buggy. With this win, they will be the first ever Egyptian team to participate in the South American Dakar.
Khalifa Al-Mutawei (Mini All4 Racing), winner: "It was a very positive result, and a great rally with excellent organization. We raced over varied terrain, like we will find in Perù. The disqualification of Schlesser certainly made our victory easier, but we will still attend the final round in Portugal with the new Mini."
Régis Delahaye (Buggy MD Racing), second: "We ran a great Rally, carrying out a lot of testing here in Egypt. The victory didn't come, but at least we got some satisfaction by winning the final special stage. I gave it my best in today's stage, and I'm satisfied with the evolution of the buggy, even if it still struggles on uneven terrain."
Jun Mitsuhashi (Toyota), winner T2: "Overall it was a satisfying week. We had just one mechanical problem, with the radiator, and nothing else. I'd say that we are ready for the Dakar."
