Despres takes the Pharaons
By TMX Archives on 22nd Oct 09
Red Bull KTM factory rider, Cyril Despres, of Andorra, celebrated his return to the Pharaons Rallye in Egypt with overall victory, leading in a trio of KTM riders at the conclusion of the seven-stage event.
It was Cyril's first appearance at the Pharaons Rally in five years and gave the French-born rider a chance to hone his rallye skills over a course that was largely challenging desert dunes.
Despres (pictured) started cautiously in the opening stage ‘‘...to get back into the groove,'' and also to secure a good starting position for the second day. His tactics paid off and he came home 13 minutes ahead Chilean ‘Chaleco' Lopez on day two and was then in second place.
Stage three sent riders straight into the dunes and Cyril opened the course and rode alone for the entire stage to capture the day's glory and the overall lead.
On what he described as a ‘‘...magnificent day,'' Despres then had a lead of 11-minutes ten-seconds going into stage four. After a mass start, Cyril rode most of the day and the 230km stretch with Poland's Jakub Przygonski to win the stage and extend his lead.
Stage five tested the riders with difficult navigation and Despres finished back in seventh place after getting stuck on the crest of a dune about 60km from the end, to trim back his overall lead.However, the Frenchman was back in form for stage six and crossed the line first, however the stage was eventually scrapped following an accident to an assistance vehicle.
On the final day, Despres emerged the overall winner ahead of Italian Luca Manca and Poland's Jakub Przygonski, both onboard KTM machines, but it was not all plain sailing.
Cyril Despres: ‘‘I was first into refueling and must have got some bad fuel because 50 kilometres further on, the bike's engine started to run rough. From there on I was obliged to ride at a maximum of 100 kph and keep my finger crossed all the way to the finish line.''
Despres was planning to return to Andorra to prepare for the fortthcoming Morocco Rally (October 24-30)
RESULTS
Open Class: 1 Cyril Despres (AND - 690 KTM) 2-hr 45-min 59-sec, 2 Luca Manca (I - KTM 660 Rally) +6:40, 3 Jakub Przygonski (PL - 690 KTM) +21:11, 4 Paolo Ceci (I - 450 Aprilia RXV) +30:16:, 5 Helder Rodrigues (P - 450 Yamaha WRF) +54:52, 6 Olivier Pain (F - 450 Yamaha WRF) +1:16:48, 7 Fabrizio Mugnaioli (I - KTM RALLY) +2:13:19, 8 Francisco Lopez (CHL - 450 Aprilia RXV) +2:46:45, 9 Jacek Czachor (PL - 690 KTM) +3:18:25, 10 Albert Hintenaus (ZA - 660 KTM Rallye) +3:58:30,...