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Stage Il Cairo-Baharija. The victory of our Francisco Lopez!

Francisco “Chaleco” López achieved an amazing victory on the first stage of the Pharaons Rally. The Chilean rider has just arrived to Aprilia Africa and he does it on the best way: winning a stage. But that is not all, the success of Team Aprilia Giofil continues with the second place of Alex Zanotti and the fourth for Paolo Ceci.
Bahariya. A great and unexpected start, especially because of the presence of the French rider, Cyril Despres, present leader of the Cross Country Rally World Cup Classification. Instead, Francisco Lopez made a strong start on the 12th edition of the Pharaons Rally, this morning at eight o´clock, on the foot of the Giza Pyramids, by winning the first special stage.

“Chaleco” has taken confidence with his new bike immediately, and except for a small navigation mistake, he carried out a perfect performance, followed by his team mate Alex Zanotti. The Sammarinese, absolute third last year, and winner of the 450cc class, lost a bit of time in the complex way in to the oasis of Bahariya, but still got an excellent result, only four minutes after López.
Noale´s bike was perfect today, so Paolo Ceci finished on the fourth place, just preceded by Luca Manca, despite a fall that broke his helmet. Therefore, the three Aprilia bikes monopolized the podium of the 450cc, especially the twin cylinder of the Team Aprilia Giofil, which gave a great show for the top of the ranking. Despres, on his side, finished only seventh, and 14´30´´ after López.
Tomorrow is the second stage of the rally, 433 km from Bahariya to Dakhla, 386 of which will make the special stage of the day. López will start first, with the difficult task of opening the race track.

A bad day for Aprilia Giofil Team, Pharaons Rally fourth stage. This morning, after the start in row of all the motorbikes in the Abu Mingar plane, Francisco Lopez went back to the bivouac with fuel supply problems. Practically the gas tube of one of the half petrol tank had blocked and he spent time to arrange the problem. The stage was divided into two special trials and the Chilean sparkled in the second one, the most difficult navigation one, where he has been the faster. A big demonstration both of the power that the potential of the RXV 450 Africa, that until today proved that can compete on the same level against the KTM 690.
Abu Mingar – Baharija stage saw also Alex Zanotti retirement. Alex, from San Marino, 17 kilometres after refuelling fall because of a gutter; he faint for a few minutes and transported to the bivouac with an helicopter. The first diagnosis speaks about a cranial trauma, anyway Alex is perfectly conscious and it seems that there is any problem. He has been transported to the Cairo American Hospital for medical tests.
The best of Aprilia’s pilots has been Paolo Ceci, absolute ninth and third of 450. The Jury, following to the meeting, took five minutes off to Paolo Ceci for the help gave to Francisco Lopez during the stage of yesterday and seven minutes and a half for the help gave to Zanotti during the stage of today. He is absolute fourth in the Overall and first in the 450. The new Overal league sees Cyril Despres on the top with eleven minutes on Luca Manca and twenty-one minutes on Paolo Ceci who precede Jakub Przygonski
Tomorrow the Pharaons 2009 fifth stage will bring the pilots to Sitra, with a 381 Kilometres and lots of dunes special trial.

Stage Baharija-Dakhla. Lopez second of the stage and still leader

Francisco López is the second of today´s stage and keeps the leadership on the overall ranking, even if the time difference on Despres was reduced to 1´37´´. Zanotti is fifth of the day and Ceci got the seventh place.

Route southwards for the second stage of the Pharaons Rally 2009, the longest leg of the Egyptian race, with 433 kilometers. Starting first this morning, Francisco López has opened the way for a long part of the journey. After the refueling, the road became a fast track, so the French rider, Cyril Despres, who started seventh this morning, joined López at the kilometer 280, showing the power of his 690cc bike, with which he has marked a distance from the 450cc from Aprilia.
This result allows López to maintain the leadership on the overall ranking, even if the distance between him and Despres has been reduced to only 1´37´´. Tomorrow, Despres will start first, which gives López a good chance to reach him along the stage.
Good day also for Alessandro Zanotti, fifth of the day, and second in the 450cc class, 25 minutes away from the winner. The man from San Marino is the third overall, and should be aware of the possible attacks from Luca Manca, that follows him only 10 seconds away.
On his side, Paolo Ceci, after yesterday´s fall, has watch over his stage, getting the seventh position of the day, and fourth on the 450cc. The man from Modena is now sixth overall.
The two other pilots of Aprilia Africa, Daniele Carmigniani and Gaetano De Filippo, concluded on the 23rd and 25th place.
Tomorrow, the third stage of the Pharaons 2009 will head back North to Abu Mingar, with 356 km to go.

Stage Dakhla-Abu Minga. Off-day for Chaleco

A banal damage to the starter motor relais force Lopez to stop in the desert for two hour and a half, when Franco Picco attain to restart it. Zanotti is fifth on stage today, followed immediately by Paolo Ceci. Paolo Ceci, from San Marino, is hard-and-fast thirth and first of the Overall 450, while Ceci is fifth. Lopez skids in fourteenth position.

The Pharaons Rally 2009 thirth day stage was begin in a perfect way for Francisco Lopez. The Chilean gained more than one minutes in the CP3 on Cyril Despres, who was starting in front of him. Than, after jumping a dune, he had a bad landing and his motorbike turned off. In spite of the checks and of Zanotti and Ceci’s help that in the while reached him, he couldn’t restart it. Lopez was almost resigned, when Franco Picco came and, making bridge among his battery and Chaleco Aprilia’s starter motor, managed to made Chaleco take the round again.
In reality was the relais of the starter motor that didn’t work, at that point Chaleco loosed more than two hours and the only thing he could make was ending the stop. Now he slides on fourteenth position, with two hours and a half of delay from Despres, but for sure he will not save oneself during the next stops, having a perfect feeling with Aprilia Africa.
Surely has gone better to the other two bishop of Aprilia crew Giofil, Alex Zanotti and Paolo Ceci. The first one, in spite he loose time driving for 60 Kilometres with one hand due to the break of the stirrup used to bring the instrumentation, ended anyway hard-and-fast fourth and first in the 450. In Overall is thirth behind Despres and Manca and also first in the 450.
Excellent trial for Paolo Ceci too: although a few minute lost tryng to help Lopez, he classify immediately behind Zanotti and in occupies the fifth position in the Overall league and the second in the 450.
Tomorrow the fourth Pharaons stage will bring the Rally again in Baharija. From Abu Mingar Bivoac there will be a spectacular start of all the motorbikes, the Pharaons Rally Grand Prix. 
 

Stage Abu Mingar-Baharija. Zanotti falls and leaves the Pharaons.

A bad day for Aprilia Giofil Team, Pharaons Rally fourth stage. This morning, after the start in row of all the motorbikes in the Abu Mingar plane, Francisco Lopez went back to the bivouac with fuel supply problems. Practically the gas tube of one of the half petrol tank had blocked and he spent time to arrange the problem. The stage was divided into two special trials and the Chilean sparkled in the second one, the most difficult navigation one, where he has been the faster. A big demonstration both of the power that the potential of the RXV 450 Africa, that until today proved that can compete on the same level against the KTM 690.

Abu Mingar – Baharija stage saw also Alex Zanotti retirement. Alex, from San Marino, 17 kilometres after refuelling fall because of a gutter; he faint for a few minutes and transported to the bivouac with an helicopter. The first diagnosis speaks about a cranial trauma, anyway Alex is perfectly conscious and it seems that there is any problem. He has been transported to the Cairo American Hospital for medical tests.
The best of Aprilia’s pilots has been Paolo Ceci, absolute ninth and third of 450. The Jury, following to the meeting, took five minutes off to Paolo Ceci for the help gave to Francisco Lopez during the stage of yesterday and seven minutes and a half for the help gave to Zanotti during the stage of today. He is absolute fourth in the Overall and first in the 450. The new Overal league sees Cyril Despres on the top with eleven minutes on Luca Manca and twenty-one minutes on Paolo Ceci who precede Jakub Przygonski
Tomorrow the Pharaons 2009 fifth stage will bring the pilots to Sitra, with a 381 Kilometres and lots of dunes special trial.

Stage Baharija-Sitra. Chaleco Motocross Style

Great Francisco Chaleco’s stage victory: the chilean has fun driving in a spectacular way, surpass eleven pilots and win the stage with more then seven advantage minutes on Manca.

Ceci is today sixth and always on third position in the Overall. With five minutes allowed from the jury, he is the winner of the third stage: Aprilia RVX Africa dominated by now three stage out of five!
The great day of Chaleco’s rescue came today during the fifth Pharaons Rally stage, 386 kilometres of special stage from Baharija till Sitra. Started fourteenth this morning, Francisco Lopez drived as he knows, had fun with Ivan Boano beginning a friendly fight in the technical stretches, but especially he has been the faster of today detaching the second, Luca Manca, of even seven minutes. An incredibile performance, if we think on the comparison with the KTM 690 on generally very fast grounds.
Excellent day also for Paolo Ceci, reached at the end by Lopez after he had navigated alone for the all stage. He concluded absolute sixth and third of the 450, behind Lopez and Rodriguez and in the Overall is always absolute third and first in the lowpowered.
Yesterday night the International Jury allowed to Paolo seven minutes and a half for the assistance gave to Zanotti and five minutes for the assistance gave to Lopez during the stage of the day before. In this way Ceci is effectively winner of this Pharaons third fraction, the Dahkla-Abu Mingar, bringing at three the Aprilia’s victories out of the five competed by now.
Finally an update on Alex Zanotti conditions: he is fine and going back to Italy with a scheduled fly.
Tomorrow sixth and penultimate stage of the Pharaons, the Sitra-Baharija, with the Rally’s longest special stage of 431 kilometres.

Stage Sitra-Baharija. Ceci third of the stage counts on the podium

Third place overall for Paolo Ceci in the sixth and penultimate Pharaons Rally Stage. But Przygonski surpass him in Overall and now Aprilia Giofil's pilot is absolute fourth in the 450.

Pharons Rally's caravan is going close to Cairo, where tomorrow will end the twelfth edition of JVD International round. Sixth stage today, from Sitra to Baharija, stopped at the 287th of the 411 scheduled kilometres cause an accident happened to an assitance transport.
Started first this morning, Francisco Lopez opened the road among Sitra's dunes and has been reached from Manca and Przygonski first and from Despres later. The four arrived together at the finishing point and the chilean pilot made signed the absolute sixth time, second of the 450. In the Overall league he went back at the eighth position up.
Has gone better to Paolo Ceci, that drived almost alone for the all day. Paolo Ceci, from Modena, placed absolute third and first in the 450, even if has been preceded by the polish Przygonski who surpassed him in the Overall. Paolo is actually fourth, detached of one minute by the direct opponent. Tomorrow, for the last stage, he will start behind Przygonski, so his purpose will be to reach and control the polish, taking two advantage minutes back that will permit him going up the podium. Is still more concrete the victory possibility of the 450, in which he has 25 advantage minutes on the portoguese Rodriguez.

Stage Baharija-Cairo. Ceci on the highest Pyramid

Paolo Ceci at the finishing post of the seventh Pharaons Rally stage is absolute fourth and great winner of 450. In the today’s stage Francisco Lopez is second with 46 seconds. Without the drawback had during the third leg he could surely fight for the victory. Great trial for Aprilia RXV 450, that showed that can fight with the big KTM 690. Four motorbikes out of five on the finishing post with the only retirement of Zanotti, who had an accident.

Paolo Ceci tried it all this morning to reach again the third absolute position during this seventh and final Pharaons Rally 2009 stage. He started back the direct opponent Przygonski and at the Baharija Oasis exit tried a cut to gain ground, but he finished in a disconnected zone that braked him. After refuelling, when he understands that was too late to reach the polish, made his round, ended on a seventh position. He arrived absolute fourth on the finishing post situated in front of Giza’s Pyramids, but above all he deservedly won class 450, replacing his team mate Alex Zanotti, who wons last year on the début of Aprilia 450 Africa.
Another great trial today for Chaleco Lopez. The crazy chilean had fun taming the bicylindric small Aprilia and also today sparkled getting the second absolute place, at a few seconds from Manca. In the Overall he ended eighth, but Chaleco runs a great round with two winned stages. Without the electric problem had during the third leg, where he loose more than two hours and a half, Lopez could surely fight for the final victory.
Daniele Carmignani and Gaetano De Filippo, the two attended by the Team, closed respectively on 16° and 17°place.Are four the Aprilias on the finishing post, out of the five that one week ago started from Giza. The only retirement was the one of Zanotti, that suffered an accident during the fourth stage.
For Filippo Assirelli’s Team has been a great Pharaons and an important step that will define, during the next weeks, tha participation at the next Dakar.