Rallying cry

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CELEBRATING its 10th anniversary is the Pharaons International Cross Country Rally 2007 taking place from 30 September to 7 October, reports Ghada Abdel Kader. The Travco Travel Company, the leading leisure company in Egypt, is the official travel partner for this year's event, which is being held under the auspices of Minister of Tourism Zoheir Garanah.

The rally is an extended drive in the Egyptian desert, past over 70-metre-high high dunes, majestic canyons, extraordinary pinnacles of sand and soothing oases. This year the number of participants is 462 from 17 countries including Egypt, Tunisia, France, Brazil, Holland, Belgium, Sweden, Norway, Argentine and Italy.

Motorcycling champions are Marc Coma, David Casteu, Jordi Villadoms, Paul Ullevaseter, Matteo Graziani, 2006 Italian champion, and Oscar Polli Tutti. The car line-up will also include previous rally winners across the globe, including Christian Lavieille, the Nissan team champion of Mondo T2 2006, Stephane Hernard, Volkswagen winner of the rally of the pharaons 2005, and Krysztof Holowzcyc. On the trucks, Giascomo Vosmara (IVECO winner of the rally 2006) is among the top Italian challengers.

Eight international TV sports channels will cover the event. The first stage of the 2,950 kilometre long race began near the Sphinx to the Baharia. From there, the rally's second stage heads to Sitra. The third stage is from Sitra to Siwa and the fourth from Siwa back to Sitra. From Sitra, the participants race to Baharia in the fifth stage and back to Cairo again in the sixth stage, after which they race back to Giza on 6 October in the last stage