Five-year-old Egyptian rally driver's son takes the wheel

[February 24, 2021]    CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian Mansour Tarek hopes to follow in his father's footsteps and become a professional rally driver when he's older.

Egyptian Mansour Tarek, 5, son of international rally racer Tarek el-Erian, reacts after completing in a one-day racing event in Giza, Egypt February 20, 2021. Picture taken February 20, 2021. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Aged just five, he is already on the track.

At an amateur rally in the desert on the outskirts of Cairo last weekend, Tarek clocked a time of just over four minutes as he navigated hollows and hillocks on a desert course on the outskirts of Cairo in a an open-sided buggy.

The winner came in at 1 minute 48 seconds.

"I jumped and I turned the wheel like this," Tarek said, smiling from the driver's seat after completing the race.

Tarek's father and co-pilot, Tarek el-Erian, said his priority was taking care of his son's safety by ensuring he has the right equipment and a small car that is easily operated.

(Reporting by Amr Abdallah Dalsh; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)

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