Israeli participants turned the Pharaons International Cross Country Rally in Egypt slightly political. Ghada Abdel-Kader reports For Spanish Mondo champion Marc Coma, a rally driver for seven years, it was his fourth time to participate in Egypt's Pharaons International Cross Country Rally and the third time he wins. "Racing in the desert is amazing," Coma said. "I love Africa and desert races. I also love it here very much," the winner said. Coma's success perhaps may not have overshadowed the surprising entry of Israel, which fielded six car drivers divided into three teams. Driver Shekel Jehuda Nitzan and assistant driver Uri Gross were in Mitsubishi Pajero number 212. Driver Heymann Raz Yehoshua and assistant Segal Hillel drove a Mitsubishi Pajero number 214. Another car led by Shimoni Yehoshua and co-driver Ben-Shmuel Gidon were in a Mitsubishi Pajero number 221. There were five Israelis in the bike race. Gluska Eran on bike number 34 marque KTM, Avrahami Ohad, number 54, marque KTM, Wollenberg Eran on bike number 89, marque KTM, Freudenheim Roy on bike number 102 and Menashe Shlomo on bike number 105 marque Bombardier. None of them produced admirable results. Eran got no higher than 11th place with a total time of 31:53, while Ohad finished a lowly 31 at 37:17:15. Eran fared worse, 33rd place at 37:51:53 and Roy finished 60th with a time of 56:09:12. In the auto race, Yehoshua and Hillel took 14th place with a time of 95:25:42. Ahmed Saad El-Mestakawi, the Egyptian coordinator of the International Rally of the Pharaons and representing the Travco Travel Company said the rally was an International race "open to all countries. There are no specific regulations. This race is on the international agenda so we cannot prevent any country from participating. "It was not announced in the pre-rally press conference that Israel was taking part because it was not confirmed that Israel would enter. "This isn't the first time they participate," El-Mestakawi said. "They stuck to the rules. We treated them like any citizen, caring for their safety, until they left our country." El-Mestakawi asked to be "more realistic. Israelis are not prevented from coming to Egypt. There are international treaties between Egypt and Israel. Our country respects these pacts." Far from the controversy, champion Coma described the organisation this year as great. "Each time the competition is very different. I dedicate my win to all my team. I practice full time in order to be able participate in any race." Italian motorbike rider Roberto Albertinelli added, "The race was not so difficult. It is my first time in Egypt and in the rally. The rally is like a holiday, like a new beginning, its fun. There is preparation before the race. It was hard to make the body prepare. It takes lots of practice. The organisation was perfect. Moreover, the Egyptian people are so kind and friendly." El-Mestakawi said, "The preparation for the race took six months. The roads were chosen. Officials from the environment, the Egyptian Armed Forces and Monuments and Tourism were involved in the organisation. Its rules are based on the International Motorcycle Federation (FIM). "After choosing the race route, advertising for the race starts abroad to encourage countries to participate. We made administrative plans to prepare for the transportation, reservations of hotels and food, preparation for the districts of the race will pass through and safety measures." What differentiates this year from last is the number of motorbikes, 102, 108 cars and four trucks increasing the number of the countries to 17, the presence of media covering the event and changing the starting point of the race from the sphinx to the pyramids. "The awards aren't financially big and the race depends mainly on publicity. Publicity is the real award for the winner. The racers set up a commercial agreement with some companies to stick the company's logo on his car. If he wins, then it is it good publicity for the company. There are companies that have their own group of racers under contract. If they win, sales will increase," El-Mestakawi said. Italian female racer Silviai Giannetti has been riding for three years. She chose to ride on a motorbike "because it's like bodybuilding. It is my second time I participate in the rally. Organisation is very good. It is very beautiful here, number one in the world. Every time I finish a race I am so happy." A friend of Giannetti laughed. "She's a very good driver, better than many of the men." In the auto race, France won the first three places. Lavieille Christian and co-driver Borsotto Francois won first place with a total time of 25:31:09. French driver Sirey Jol Patrick and co- driver Vidal Paul took second with 27:20:55. Driver Pelichet Jerome and co-driver Decre Eugenie garnered third at 29:07:04. Egyptian driver Abou-Youssef and co-driver Mahmoud Ezzeddin finished fourth, 31:13:44. In trucks, Italian driver Paccani Matteo and co driver Brevi Attilio won the first place with total time 38:16:38. Italian driver Pezzotta Lucio and co driver Mutti Marino took second with a time of 56:25:43 On the motorbike, Spain took first and second place. Champion Coma's time was 25:33:17. Viladoms Jordi finished second at 25:50:59. The Norwegian rival Ullevalseter Pal Anders ended up in third place with a time of 26:28:11. Fourth went to Italian Graziani Matteo with a time of 27:28:19. Legendary car racer Jacky Ickx is the director of the JVD International SRL, the organising company of the Pharaons International Cross Country Rally). He told Al-Ahram Weekly, "Today is a very great day. Every day we come back to the pyramids we feel that it is such great part of Egyptian history. It's a great pleasure. We love this country. I didn't choose things but things choose you. I thought it was the right place to make the rally. We came once to Egypt and we fell in love with it. It charmed us with its beauty. "Every year the results get better. This year we didn't have any big accidents. We have nice winners and we hope to be there next year again in the 11th edition. "Competitors comment that the Egyptian desert is a very nice place to go. They like it. They all say we will come back. "The Egyptian competitors are doing very well in the race. The Egyptian teams are always in fourth or fifth place in the car competition. They have very good cars. In this race, they did their best ever," Ickx added.
