Pharaohs Rally 2011

PHARAOHS RALLY (Egypt) - 1st/8th of October 2011World Cup for Cross Country RalliesLEG 1 : CAIRO – TIBNIYA (3rd of October)Liaison : 89,06 km – Special Stage : 356,01 km – Liaison : 3,93 km

Kick-off for Team Sonangol Schlesser...As a tradition, the start of the Pharaohs Rally, the penultimate round of the World Cup for Cross Country Rallies 2011, was given in front of the Pyramids of Giza, near Cairo. Winner of the previous edition, the Team Sonangol Schlesser is determined to sign a new success this year. But this event is also an opportunity for the "boss", Jean-Louis Schlesser, to increase his World Cup ranking points.

This first stage, between Cairo and the oasis of Baharija was a difficult kick-off. On this varied route, competitors found many pitfalls and a tricky navigation. By opening the track, Konstantin Zhiltsov, Jean-Louis Schlesser’s co-driver, was already much in demand today. For 30 seconds only, the blue Buggy missed the first place but for the Team Sonangol Schlesser, the rally has just begun ... as confirmed by Jean-Louis.

"For a first stage, we had a very difficult navigation but the track was also very rocky and stony. With the number « 1 », we opened the track and in such a case, we had to secure our options ... Konstantin worked a lot today! The car performed perfectly, no problem. We crossed a really beautiful area, a real lunar landscape. Just great ... Losing 30 seconds today, doesn’t mean a lot, and the rally has just begun. "

The Buggy Schlesser is second place overall tonight, 30 seconds only behind the amazing Vladimir Vasiliev. Tomorrow, the Russian will have the privilege to open the track, a quite difficult exercise...

The second stage of the Pharaohs Rally will be a loop around Baharija. A 473 km Special Stage, the longest of the 2011 edition, with « serious » crossings to be negotiated carefully and a strong navigation.

Pharaohs Rally 2011Monday 3rd of October: CAIRO – TIBNIYA (470,35 km) Tuesday 4th of October: TIBNIYA – TIBNIYA (478,46 km) Wednesday 5th of October: TIBNIYA - SAHL BARAKA (310,64 km) Thursday 6th of October: SAHL BARAKA - SAHL BARAKA (362,51 km) Friday 7th of October: SAHL BARAKA – TIBNIYA (541,27 km) Saturday 8th of October: TIBNIYA - CAIRO (414,28 km)


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