Annual Butterfly Rally :

[Al-khiyal]

Six countries to participate in Butterflies Rally in Tunisia

March 2, 2008 -- Car and motorcycle crews from Tunisia, Algeria, France, Morocco, Canada and Italy will take part in the 5th edition of the Butterflies Rally in Tunisia, scheduled to begin on March 7th in Tunis. The five-stage, 1,800-km race will pass through the towns of Tozeur, Douz, and Tembrine before ending March 11th in Hammamet.

[Al-khiyal]

International female rally drivers to tackle Tunisian desert

March 4, 2008 -- Tunisia's fifth annual Butterflies Rally, which will bring together female drivers from Maghreb and Arab nations, Europe and Canada, will start Wednesday (March 5th) in the suburbs of Tunis.

Nadia Ghammoudi – daughter of Olympic champion Mohammed Ghammoudi – is organiser of the Rally. She is one of the first Tunisian female drivers to enter the field, alongside Hend Chaouch and Abla Lassoued in the cars category, and Hamida Seklaoui in motorcycles. All have distinguished themselves in African and international competitions.

The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Physical Education selected Ghammoudi last year to supervise the Rally, due to her fame in local and international auto racing, and because she was the first Tunisian woman to enter the field.

At a February 26th press conference, Ghammoudi said that this year's Butterflies Rally, which comes "after the cancellation of the Dakar Rally for security reasons, is confirmation that the Tunisian desert is safe and that tourists can enjoy its beauty without fear."

According to the director, this year's Rally will also have a humanitarian dimension. Volunteer doctors will accompany race staff in order to conduct free medical examinations for inhabitants of Tunisia's southernmost towns.

In a statement to Magharebia, Ghammoudi highlighted the fact that this year's rally coincides with celebrations of International Women's Day and features women racers from around the world. She said this year's rally features more experienced racers, including veterans of the Dakar Rally.

Event organisers work hard to open the field up to more women. "Women have the ability to control a steering wheel," Ghammoudi said. "They don't tend to take risks; something that characterises a good driver."

Despite the high costs borne by racers – from 30,000 dinars in the motorcycle category to 50,000 in the car category – the number of entrants is encouraging to rally organisers. "Unlike in previous years, many drivers applied to participate in the Rally. Their participation was not at the request of the organising committee," Ghammoudi said. "This is a conclusive piece of evidence to the good name enjoyed by the Rally."

Hamida Seklaoui, who won last year's motorcycle championship, told Magharebia, "The main problem for any racer is to find a sponsor who will fund a part of the high costs incurred in this rally and all rallies."

Seklaoui, who said she had received all possible encouragement from her family to go into this field 15 years ago, added, "This is normal. My father and mother practiced the sport before and I didn't face any problems whatsoever. On the contrary, they have provided all possible support and assistance."

The driver expressed her belief that Tunisian fans have no problems watching a woman taking part in a rally. "At first, I noticed that a few of them were a little bit surprised. They are used to seeing women driving their cars, but it's rather unusual for them to see a woman driving a big-sized motorcycle."

The Rally, which rewards endurance more than speed, will start from the suburbs of the Tunisian capital and cover 1,800 km to end up in the extreme south on March 12th. The winning team will receive a week-long vacation in Egypt.

[Al-khiyal]

Tunisia's all-female Butterfly Rally to include charity caravan

February 5, 2009 -- International and Maghreb female off-road endurance racers will gather in Tunis on March 14th for the launch of the 6th edition of the Butterfly Rally, local press reported on Wednesday (February 4th). Car and motorcycle drivers will cover nearly 2000 kilometres of sand dunes and pebble tracks in 6 stages. Event organiser Nadia Gammoudi, one of the first Tunisian female rally drivers and the daughter of Olympic champion Mohammed Ghammoudi, will also lead a "solidarity caravan" to provide children living in the most remote regions of the Tunisian desert with medicine and toys, La Presse reported.