The details of the rally school are complete. We put the lessons learned to use and came up with a course with the purpose to build a serious base of Egyptian teams for rally competitions. We will be concentrating on all aspects involved including how to be a co-pilot and a team manager (2 roles of the utmost importance and crucial to any team's success). There is already a volunteer instructors team of the highest caliber to cover these different aspects. The automobile club is also 100% on board with all its resources.

For those who are interested to become students of the rally school, pls go to the automobile club (10 kasr elnil street), ask for an application at the reception, fill it up with the most amount of details possible, and leave it at the reception to the attention of Mr. Magdi Bakir. Pls do that in the next week or so. There will be an initial meeting for all the applicants to meet each other, the instructors and the auto club officials on the 13th of January at 8 pm at the automobile club. All further details will be announced and discussed at that meeting. The school participation is possible to all assuming you have the will, motivation and passion. These are the only three requirements I can think of. Desert driving skills, previous rally participations and owning a 4x4 are nice but definitely not necessary.

Dear all,

Yesterday was the strangest day I have ever had in the desert. It was great at one point and very difficult at another. So many people showed up. Some were coming for the event, some were passers by (yes in the desert). We entered the desert with 27 cars but later in the day we were 48 cars and 9 bikes. This show of enthusiasm was partly the reason for the success and the difficulties that we had. The idea was simple. Have the Egyptian rally drivers run a mini-rally in front of the participants, to be followed by a short theoretical session and then a tour of an easier track where every participant would be accompanied by an experienced co-pilot.

Punctuality was good for a such a cold Friday morning. The briefing was held and the rules concerning safety and the day's program in general were explained. The rally part went very well with a very tight race between Azzam and Sergany. They finished the 30 kms track with ONE second difference. Mohannad took a high jump in one section of the track and broke his suspension which crippled his car. He was wearing his helmet and seat belt as is the standard for any rally driver and was completely safe and unharmed. This is however when discipline broke loose. Between the adrenaline pumping, people's genuine desire to help and the twenty some cars who joined us unannounced, there were cars unescorted everywhere. Amidst the confusion, one car took a dune a little bit faster than supposed to and rolled over. The support system that was planned for emergency purposes worked efficiently. The first-aid medic car rushed to the passengers’ assistance and 70 minutes later, they were admitted to the hospital where they were treated and are currently all fine. The rolled car along with Mohannad's car were towed and arrived at the gates of 6 October city 3 hours later.

Despite these unfortunate incidents, I believe the event has performed its purpose and taught us very valuable lessons. It showed us all, participants, guests, and rallyists that the desert is to be respected at all times, and that we need to follow the rules to the letter. The planned demonstration worked in the sense that it showed all participants the adventure, the challenges, the difficulties and the potential danger when one is not 100% careful. And finally one has to appreciate the incredible support and solidarity of everyone which would get you through anything even a day like yesterday.

More specifically, this experience will shape the future of the rally school, this uncharted territory, as follows:
- People will be assembled in groups of similar experience levels to avoid boredom and exaggeration.
- Adrenaline builds up too fast, therefore we will separate the mini-rallies from the school sessions but we will still hold both independent of one another.
- Each session will have a limited number of cars to maintain control. Unregistered guests will not be admitted. If more people are interested, we will simply hold more sessions.
- Theoretical sessions will increase to build up the knowledge level of the new-comers.
- Safety instructions given will be enforced with no exception or negotiation.

Finally, the turn out of people was bigger than our wildest dreams and it is encouraging for both the automobile club and the Egyptian Rally Teams to proceed while learning from and improving on previous experiences. We will adjust the school program and syllabus as per the above and will announce for interested individuals to go register at the automobile club so that we can start as soon as possible.

salam,
mido

Enjoy the latest videos...

http://sandseasailors.com/videos/pharaons-2007-rally-clips

http://sandseasailors.com/videos/sand-sea-sailors-video-pharaons-rally-2007

Dear all,

Your interest in the rally school announcement is encouraging to say the least. Ahmed badr and myself, have spent all yesterday making a very nice track and training ground for our event and we are ready.

All the event details can be found at http://www.egyptianrallyteams.com/www/ts-2007-12-07.php
If you are planning to come, pls take the time to go through it and know all the details. Everybody is welcome to this all-day event. You are responsible for your 4x4 and food. We need to know exactly (off list of course) who is coming and in which car. We can drive to the desert entrance point listed independently but the desert driving will be in a strict convoy. You will need to fill up your gas tank before you leave and have at least one gerry can of fuel on board for safety. There are no costs associated with this event. You can consider it a sort of demo or teaser for what's to come. Exact details of school syllabus and registration applications will be available at the event. Pls don't hesitate to ask any other questions you might have.

I am excited.
mido

Dear all,

Lately, there has been increasing interest in the desert and desert activities which led me to believe that more can be done.

Last week, I finally got the approval from the Automobile club of Egypt to start the first (I think) Egyptian Rally school in order to guide interested individuals about this sport and increase their awareness with emphasis on safety and environment as well as performance and technique.

This will be in the form of one practical session held the first friday pf every month somewhere in the desert and one theoretical session held the last friday of every month in the automobile club headquarters. The first of these events will be the 7th of December where the already existing rally drivers will take their cars out for a training session and we will host an introduction for first timers as well. The complete details will be posted closer to the date.

This is not all as this should lead to a real mini-rally organized at the end of February only for Egyptians by Egyptians. It will have an advanced category and an amateur category to include the vast majority of enthusiasts. The regulations will be very simple and only relating to safety. The adventure will be exciting and fun.

I hope this is good news. You can start emailing me personally with your feedback and/or willingness to participate.

That's all folks (merry melodies)
mido
sandseasailors.com

Gents,

Concerning our rally training session (grand prix) on the 2nd of November, I have some excellent news:

1- Sergany has suggested to make a slightly more complicated route than last time and along with badr they should give us an interesting 30kms.

2- Zanaty is also confirmed.

3- Last but not least, THE START LINE WILL BE MADE BY NO OTHER THAN FENOUIL HIMSELF. He has agreed to come participate with us. He might even race!!!

That's it for now. Keep checking http://sandseasailors.com or http://www.egyptianrallyteams.com for details.

Best regards,
Mido

Gents,
Welcome to my first newsletter issue. If you have not checked my website yet, please do so and give me your feedback whether positive or negative using the contact form here: http://sandseasailors.com/contact .
It is growing organically so feel free to send me any pictures you want to post or news or anything you would like to share. Scantily clad women are not allowed for the moment.
Also, I am hereby proposing to organize a rally training session or a dunes grand prix the first Friday of every month at least during the 4 months of the winter. It would greatly help to promote the sport when this event grows and attracts interested individuals and it would help us personally and our race cars to stay in shape.
The first one was organized before Pharaons 2007 and the second one should follow on the 2nd of November, in Kataniya as usual. Already Azzam, Mohannad and myself are confirmed. Ahmed Badr has volunteered to make a better marked track than last time and he will try to get some bikes as well. The rules are simple: Roll bar, 4 points seat belt and a helmet. Check http://sandseasailors.com or http://www.egyptianrallyteams.com for details.
Best regards,
Mido