This third RALLY OF PYRAMIDS was organized by Fenouil, creator of the Tunisian Rallies, Pharaohs, Paris/Dakar/Paris. Originally, it was found on a free timetable slot but this year, it took place in the same time than many others off road events (Sardinia, Tunisia, Dakar series, Jordan...).

The departure shifted over 4 days because of a boat strike. Finally, the rally started without the Israeli competitors: they stayed on the border because they did not get the authorization on time. The rally began with about one hundred people in Lybic-Egyptian desert, which is one of the most wild and dry deserts of the world, supported by Egyptair and Toyota Egypt, which participated officially for the first time in a motor-sports competition.

Two rockets for a hole-shot

The menu: 9 days in the desert and 12 special tests, with some singular. For example, the first day the Cannonball Desert, 4x4 and motorbikes lined up, separated by one kilometer, in Qattara hollow (-80 meters) with a general hole-shot 40 kilometers further, at CP1. The fast Egyptian Abdellamid Abouyoussef (Buggy Toyota-Cotel) won, in front of the still young Italian Franco Picco (Yamaha) who overtook him on a technical path between dunes, quicksand and high grasses and finally won of few. The third is the Canadian motorcyclist David Pontich (KTM), before the Egyptian Wale Sawe (Yamaha), and the Egyptian Abusuud and his Wrangler.

On the 7th position car/bike, we find the Belgian paraplegic driver Thierry Gerome, on a Can-Am quad. Thierry raced on motorbike the first rally of Pharaohs of Fenouil, 25 years ago, just before a terrible accident, reason of his handicap. He came back in Egypt for the first time.

Finally, in car/bike race, two Egyptian winners: Abdelhamid Abouyoussef (Buggy Toyota-Cotel), ahead of Abusuud (Jeep Wrangler), then two motorcyclists Franco Picco (ex-twice winner of the Pharaohs of Fenouil, 2nd of Paris/Dakar), and the Egyptian Khaled Kapo, both on Yamaha.

Swiss cheese dish on cathedral dunes

There was also an historical classification (vehicles more than 25 years old), won by Swiss Missiliez Son (Daihatsu Feroza) in front of Missiliez Father (Range Rover). On motorcycle, Thierry Poujouly and his Barigo Rotax took the 2nd place at the last special test, the Sakkara's Pyramids, the only timed event in the world where we can see so much pyramids!

Bivouacs were on the sand, in magical places. The atmosphere was relax and pleasant (golf competition at nightfall, Swiss cheese dish on a campfire in the middle of the dunes). The rhythm was sometimes fairly hard if we look at the roll over and the spectacular crashes. Fortunately, there was only one broken collarbone. During the award ceremony, on a boat on the Nile, competitors and sponsors promised to come back next year. And Fenouil promised to find even beautiful route for 2009.

FINAL CAR CLASSIFICATION
1 – A. ABOUYOUSSEF (EG)/T. HOLZKNECHT (ALL) TOYOTA-COTEL
2 – M. ABUSUUD (EG)/H. AHMED (EG) Jeep WRANGLER
3 – E. MISSILIEZ (CH)/P. SUTER (CH) Daihatsu FEROZA
4 – S. MAILLARD (CH)/C. LUY (CH) LAND ROVER
5 – H. MISSILIEZ (CH)/JM. DARIOLI (CH) RANGE ROVER
6 – JF. LARPIN (FR)/L. RAUFIE (FR) TOMCAT
7 – M. KUBICEK (CH)/M. KUBICEK (CH) RANGE ROVER
8 – G. GARBIS (EG)/A. MOUKHTA (EG) BUGGY BIZARRE
9 – Y. MILLIEZ (FR)/M. MILLIEZ (FR) Jeep WRANGLER
10 – M. JOLY (BEL)/JN. LEYENS (BEL) LAND ROVER

FINAL MOTORCYCLE CLASSIFICATION
1 – Franco PICCO (IT) YAMAHA
2 – Khaled KAPO (EG) YAMAHA
3 – Thierry POUJOULY (FR) BARIGO
4 – Pierre Yves DESCHAMPS (FR) YAMAHA
5 – Jérôme BOUQUET (FR) YAMAHA
6 – Wale SAWE (EG) YAMAHA
7 – Ahmed ZACZAC (EG) YAMAHA
8 – Emade SAHADWE (EG) YAMAHA
9 – David PONTICH (CAN) KTM
10 – James THOMAS (UK) KTM

COURAGE PRIZE
Thierry GEROME (BEL) QUAD CAN AM 610 RENEGADE