London to Cape Town World Cup Rally 2012

The Route Outline

The route drives across Europe before taking a ferry from Greece to to North Africa. After Egypt the route moves on to Saudi Arabia and on to Jeddah. From Jeddah we cross the Red Sea to Sudan, and a day’s run then brings us to Ethiopia, and a stunning mountain road takes us from the frontier deep into Ethiopia and the road to Kenya. 

Here we cross a demanding desert track and on to Nairobi for a day off …we then head south to Tanzania, driving from Arusha to Dodoma, and continue heading south for Zambia, where the local Motor Federation will be organising some Time Trials in the Plantations around Lusaka.

After taking in the splendours of Victoria Falls at Livingstone, we cross the Caprivi Strip, the narrow passage of land that takes us into Namibia, lots of gravel roads here… finally into South Africa and on to Clanwilliam, gateway to the Cederberg Mountains, and our drive into Cape Town …the celebrations will be an all-night section run from the bar of the Table Bay Hotel!

This is the first rally to stage a timed-drive with the clock ticking every day from Europe to Cape Town without recourse to airlifts or special shipping – the only boats involved are scheduled ferry-services, in a route that aims to keep the wheels turning all the way, clocking up results daily with the successful survivors going home with trophies at the end of a very special rally-adventure.

Date	Route	Country	Kms
Jan 1	Scrutineering, Brooklands. London Start: 7.00pm	UK	130
Jan 2	London to Beaune via Dover-Calais ferry, 3.40am	France	610
Jan 3	Beaune to Florence	France, Italy	840
Jan 4	Florence to Ancona (Port) - ferry, 4pm	Italy	300
Jan 5	Igoumenitsa (Port) to Kamena Vourla	Greece	470
Jan 6	Kamena Vourla to Piraeus (Port) - ferry, 12am	Greece	490
Jan 7	On Ferry - Rest Day	Mediterranean
Jan 8	Alexandria (Port) to Ain Sokhna	Egypt	350
Jan 9	Ain Sokhna to Safaga (Port) - ferry, 4am	Egypt	460
Jan 10	Duba (Port) to Yanbu	Saudi Arabia	520
Jan 11	Yanbu to Jeddah (Port) - ferry, 9pm	Saudi Arabia	350
Jan 12	Suakin (Port) to Gedaref	Sudan	720
Jan 13	Gedaref to Bahir Dar	Sudan, Ethiopia	510
Jan 14	Bahir Dar to Awasa	Ethiopia	760
Jan 15	Awasa to Moyale	Ethiopia, Kenya	510
Jan 16	Moyale to Marsabit	Kenya	250
Jan 17	Marsabit to Nairobi	Kenya	540
Jan 18	Nairobi - Rest Day	Kenya
Jan 19	Nairobi to Arusha	Kenya, Tanzania	410
Jan 20	Arusha to Dodoma	Tanzania	440
Jan 21	Dodoma to Mbeya	Tanzania	610
Jan 22	Mbeya to Mpika	Tanzania, Zambia	500
Jan 23	Mpika to Lusaka	Zambia	700
Jan 24	Lusaka to Livingstone	Zambia	500
Jan 25	Livingstone to Tsumeb	Zambia, Namibia	1050
Jan 26	Tsumeb to Windhoek	Namibia	650
Jan 27	Windhoek to Ai-Ais	Namibia	840
Jan 28	Ai-Ais to Clanwilliam	Namibia, South Africa	650
Jan 29	Clanwilliam to Cape Town	South Africa	330
		Total distance (kms) :	(14,400)