|
 | Rahhala Racing first Egyptian team to get FIA World Championship Ranking.
|
The Egyptian Rahhala Racing wrote personal history of motorsports when it became the first Egyptian team to ever achieve an FIA World Cross-Country Championship Ranking. The pioneering team ranked 9th in the final standing for the World Championship in 2010 - a ground-breaking feat as it marks Egypt’s first achievement in the International Motorsports arena.
The team was able to achieve this historic achievement thanks to all its members. Pilot Hani Omar and co-driver Akram Al-Sharif’s record-breaking performance on the Cotel Buggy secured them the 7th position of the general standings in the 2010 International Pharaons Rally - the best result of the Egyptian and Arab participants in this fourth and final round of the World Cross Country Rally Championship.
Throughout the rally, Omar and Al Sharif were amongst the most prominent participants and reached up to 5th place, providing fierce competition for their European rivals, before finishing 7th and ensuring two points in the championship ranking. These points put Hani Omar in 24th in the World Championship ranking and co-pilot Akram Al-Sharif nabbing the 26th place for co-drivers.
Tarek El-Erian piloted Rahhala Racing’s second car, the two-wheel drive Buggy Batmobile, with co-pilot, Mohammed Aly. El-Erian being the youngest racer in the whole rally managed to finish the demanding rally in fourth place of the 2WD Category, and as a result secured himself the 7th place in the 2 Wheel drive Trophy in the 2010 Cross-Country World Championship.
In addition to their international achievement, Rahhala Racing has a promising chance in the National Championship as the teams previous wins in the Egypt Rally Cup made Hani Omar take the lead in the pilot rankings, with Tarek El-Erian closely following in third place in the Egyptian Championship. Similarly, Akram Al-Sharif ranked at the top of co-pilot championship, with Mohamed Aly coming in third.
Hani Omar amazed the Pharaons Rally when he was the Overall leader in the 2009 Edition, an unprecedented achievement for any Egyptian team throughout the 30 year long history of the Pharoans Rally. This win comes after a series of astonishing national achievements for the racing duo.
In the following year, Omar and Al Sherif, with a standard Jeep Wrangler, won their standard "T2 Category" and came in 3rd position overall in the Rally Cup Egypt 2010. This was a testament to their capability, as they managed to overtake a big number of teams entering with modified cars with much higher capabilities.
As for Tarek El Erian, the Pharaons Rally 2009 was his debut on the international rally racing scene. While being the youngest participant, El Erian shattered expectations and managed to achieve third place in the diesel category and the seventh in the overall ranking. Building on this win, he won the second place in the Egypt Rally Cup 2010, winning the second stage with the best time.
While Rahhala Racing has managed to secure numerous groundbreaking national and international wins, their commitment goes beyond their motorsports competition. Rahhala Racing has dedicated itself to the promotion of road safety and through meetings and seminars conducted by team members in schools, universities and clubs.
This is aimed at raising awareness about driving safe on the roads, and reducing the incidence of street racing - a prevalent practice amongst Egyptian youth that puts the lives of both of drivers and pedestrians at risk. Rahhala Racing also works to raise awareness about the rally racing sport Egypt.
2010/11/12 | 11:21 AM CET | EDITOR: MR/HS/KHALEK
|
|
