Plenty of potential traps and plenty of sand in store for the 26 motorbikes and 37 cars and trucks still in the race. The days might follow on, but the results were different, with the stage between Baharija and Sitra Road claiming a few victims. Although Isabelle Patissier and Serguey Sukhovenko got through quite well, Benoît Rousselot found himself with a heavy price to pay. With two breakdowns, he spent nearly three hours and thirty minutes repairing his vehicle on the track. A lesson in mechanics for the Nancy-based driver and his navigator, Fabian Lurquin. Their apprenticeship continues… Serguey Sukhovenko is still in the lead of the T2 category with his Nissan Pathfinder.

Today was full of ups and downs for Team Nissan France Dessoude. The track had quite a few surprises in store on the route between Baharija and Sitra Road. With almost lunar scenery, extremely rough sections and sand-dunes, everyone had their own story to tell. Isabelle Patissier spent some time with a shovel in her hand instead of a driving wheel, as did Serguey Sukhovenko, who nevertheless kept the lead of the T2 class, while Benoît Rousselot had a long repair session…

Isabelle Patissier and Thierry Delli Zotti had to get out their shovels and planks in order to get themselves out of a particularly difficult sand-dune.
«We started this morning in 15th position. On this rough track, with a surface like corrugated iron, we caught up with Chabot quite quickly. But we decided to take things easy, as we soon came across an unexpected trap. We stopped at the first service area as our alternator warning light came on. It turned out not to be too serious, and we got going again. 50 km from the end, with the sand holding us well, and with reduced pressure in our tyres, we came across a bank of sand dunes. Up at the top, one of the organisation cars was parked, so we had to change our trajectory slightly in order to avoid it. We got over the top well, and down the other side, but it was totally impossible to get up the other side. We were stuck. The sand was horribly soft. I went into reverse to try and get some speed, but nothing doing. We got out the shovels and the planks, and further reduced the pressure. An unfortunate motorbike rider was a few metres from us, with his rear wheel totally covered in the sand. We lost at least fifteen minutes on that dune, in the horrendously soft sand. Overall, the stage was very rough, and packed full of traps. However, the heat was not as bad as yesterday. We started earlier, and you could tell the difference. To avoid exhaustion, I drank over three litres of water, and had some snacks during the day, so that I was not too shattered at the finish point.”

With Isabelle trying to keep up her strength, Benoît Rousselot and Fabian Lurquin needed all theirs. They spent most of the day in a marathon repair session, in two separate incidents. Carrying on eventually, they finally got to the end of this difficult stage…

André Dessoude explained what had happened to his driver.
«Benoît and Fabian had a broken front suspension at the start of the stage, after 13 km. It was actually a broken clip, which was holding the joint in place, most probably the result of a hard landing after a jump. It’s a very minor part. They courageously managed to repair the car, and got going after an hour and a half. But unfortunately, 200 km later, the transmission broke, most probably having been weakened by the first shock. Another repair session, and two more hours were lost. They suffered quite badly today, and the heat did not make things any easier. Personally, I really appreciate their attitude, their determination to get to the end no matter what happens. They are in the bivouac this evening, and that is the main thing …»

Benoît’s only comment, on returning to the bivouac, covered in sand from head to toe, looking tired, but still smiling and in good spirits: “There are days when it goes well, and days when it doesn’t…. But we still have a title to chase!”

In effect, nothing is ever written in stone in a Rally of Egypt, and this event has shown on plenty of occasions in the past that everything can change in a few kilometres.
Tomorrow, they are heading towards the Siwa oasis. More dunes, more tricky sections over 369 km of timed stage …