Go for Paharaohs!

For the technical and administrative controls, the organisers of the Pharaohs’ Rally chose the Caesar Bay Resort, some 80 kilometres from El Alamein on the Mediterranean Sea. The water is turquoise and the sea breeze provides a pleasant interlude for the riders who make the most of this moment of respite before venturing into the Egyptian desert, otherwise known as the Libyan Desert, to the west of the country.

Unfortunately, for this third round of the FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship, the two official factory teams in contention for the title, Honda and KTM, have agreed to sit out the Pharaohs’ Rally, depriving their riders of what promises to be a very fine contest. This year, the Pharaohs’ Rally is introducing a new concept never used in Egypt, with a single bivouac and Specials forming petals around Baharia, enabling the riders to visit the region’s different types of terrain. This enormous variety of landscapes, together with tricky navigation off the beaten track, should make this 22nd edition an exciting and keenly fought event.

Last year’s winner here in Egypt, Juan Carlos Salvatierra, is hoping to repeat his success: “It’s a very fine rally”, he says, “but very tough as there is a lot of navigation and you have to keep very focused so as not to miss the waypoints. For me it’s good practice for the Dakar but of course a win would be very nice.”  

But the Bolivian rider will certainly have some tough competition in the person of Mohammed Al Balooshi (KTM): “I am very excited as it’s my first Pharaohs’ Rally”, he says. “This year, I have improved a lot after the first two rounds of the World Championship. Former winners of this Pharaohs’ Rally have explained to me that it is like a mixture of the Desert Challenge and the Sealine Rally. I can’t wait to discover the course, which is a new challenge for me. I shall do my best to be a good representative of my country, the Emirates.” The young Jakub Patiet (KTM), who was a rookie in 2014, and Italy’s Toia Diocleziano, will also be looking to make their mark. 

Anastasiya Nifontova will be competing in the Women’s category and in Quad, Poland’s Rafal Sonik (Yamaha) will be trying hard to hold off his Qatari rival Mohammed Abu Issa (Honda) and France’s  Antoine Leconte (Yamaha). 

Tomorrow, after a link section of 215 km, the first Special, 228 km long, will take the riders rapidly into the dunes before crossing the road and moving on to black earth with high-speed tracks. A final link section of 103 km will bring them back to Baharia after a total distance of 546 km.