Reporting from El Gouna at the end of Day Fifteen

The final day saw a sting in the tail with two Time Trials to shake up of the survivors.

The first Test Section was a seven kilometre stretch of interesting tarmac on an unused section of road through the mountains. This was always going to be a test to favour the more powerful cars and so it proved with Terry Ward and Geoff Nicholls leading the second placed car by over 20 seconds in their Mercedes 450SEL. Arnold and Dorothy Denman had been taking a gentle approach on the Touring Route of the Nile Trial but took the opportunity to have a go on this smooth tarmac test. They took fifth place here and would later receive the special test award for the section as the four cars ahead had already been previous test winners.

The second Test Section was much more daunting. Named 'The Long One' the test ran for 84 kilometres over stony and sandy tracks through the desert, with hills on either side. Much of the test was a reverse direction repeat of the Day 13 test with a 20 kilometre extension at the southern end. Several crews found the Day 13 test very hard and elected to bypass the section to make sure they reached the El Gouna finish. For the crews in rally prepared cars the test would be a final opportunity to have a real go. Almost everyone who romped over this thoroughly enjoyed it. The Brodericks were able to take things easy and were beaten by the Holden HK of Michael and Anne Wilkinson who took nearly two minutes off the Datsun crew. The 1800 ex-works Landcrab, a survivor of the original London to Sydney, was more cautious coming third a further four minutes behind the Holden. Their cautious approach was understandable as the crew decided to leave the sump-guard at home on the basis that it was too heavy!

Marius Winkelman and Victor Silveira da Conceicao had been looking forward to the test as a good opportunity to test their Plymouth PB3 coupe before next years Peking to Paris but they were thwated by an engine breakdown before reaching the section. After replacement tyres had been found in Cairo and brought to Luxor overnight the Nissan Pathfinder of Roger Allen and Maggie Gray was ready to go but once more suffered a puncture after which the crew took things very gently to make sure they reached the end. Michael and Sarah O'Shea were another crew running very low on tyres and came to rest in the test with a puncture and no further spares. Eventually Peter Banham arrived to cut and fit two sections of scrap tyre to a wheel using ty-wraps so that the Jaguar could reach the end of the test.

Others to limp out of the desert, included the immaculate Chevrolet Coupe of Paul and Sandra Merryweather who had been in the touring class, treating it all as a motoring holiday for once, but decided on tackling the final test as a shake down for Peking to Paris. The Chevy romped it, but then came out limping with rear brake issues. The Humber Super Snipe – an early side-valve model saw its front suspension collapse, with the sweeper crews of Simon Ayris and Andy Inskip, and The Banhams, working hard to the end.

After joining a parade of cars through the streets of Hurghada all that remained was the final run to the Red Sea resort of El Gouna where a good crowd of onlookers cheered the cars through the finish arch set up beside a harbour full of glamorous boats. The evening prize giving party, an outdoor affair around the hotel pool of the Steigenberger Hotel, proved a success.

Harry and Catherine Hickling took top honours for the best effort in a pre-war car in his rare Kellner-bodied MG SA tourer, with the Alvis Girls, Caroline Greenhalgh and Rosie Gibson, in second place – a great effort given this was their first ever rally. The Classic Class was taken by The Brodericks with their ultra reliable Datsun 240Z with Michael and Anne Wilkinson in second place in the Holden.

David and Karen Ayres won the Spirit of the Rally as apart from the gallant effort with the oldest car – the Peking Paris 1907 Itala, David had been helping other competitors with mechanical ailments.

The True Grit Trophy went to the ever cheerful crew of Stephen Hyde and Janet Lyne who soon realised their Jaguar MkII was not best suited to some of the route conditions but carried on anyway.

Against All Odds went to Bill and Bridget Bolsover who got their Jaguar E-type to the finish, quite literally 'against all odds' even after holing the sump and punishing the lovely car to the end.

And so ended the first-ever classic rally to come this way. The Nile Trial has broken new ground – rather a rare accomplishment in the current political climate. Entrants have driven across the top of Northern Africa taking in Tunisia and Libya to reach Egypt – a memorable Endurance Rally Association first.