After three days at sea, more than 200 cars, motorcycles and microlights arrived from Marseille for the start of the 1983 Rothmans Pharaohs Rally in Egypt to tackle 3000 kilometres of challenging desert stages over eight days in 120 degree heat. Heading the entry list in the car class was six times Le Mans winner Jacky Ickx at the wheel of a Mercedes G-Wagen and 1982 Pharoahs Rally winner Andre Troussat, driving a Lada Niva. Over 120 enduro motorcycles entered with factory teams from KTM, Honda, Yamaha and BMW and for the first time ever, microlight aircraft were included in a motorsport rally event. Favourites for the bike class were 1982 Dakar Rally winner Cyril Neveu, riding for the Honda France team alongside his compatriot Patrick Drobecq.
This fascinating highlights film is beautifully and comprehensively filmed featuring superb action shots of all the top competitors in every class, set to a stunning backdrop of the ancient Egyptian pyramids. And there’s plenty of drama to feast your eyes on too, including the moment when several crews were held at gunpoint by members of a Bedouin Arabic tribe!