The competitors in this year's UAE Desert Challenge contested four legs in four days, averaging over 300 km a day in some of the Middle East's most inhospitable terrain, including the spectacular but hazardous Empty Quarter and its huge sand dunes.

The first leg saw Schlesser move into the lead when Prologue winner Shinozuka's Mitsubishi was delayed with a puncture. Jutta Kleinschmidt, the world's most successful cross-country rally driver from Germany, also had an unfortunate start in her Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero when she was forced off the road while trying to avoid an errant competing motorbike, and got stuck in deep sand for 10 minutes.

The leading trio of the two Mitsubishis and the buggy dominated the event, breaking away from the rest of the field in a battle of the cross-country rally giants. But the second leg was fast, and Schlesser's lightweight buggy with its high top speed was able to stay ahead of the Mitsubishis, which are more suited to tougher, more challenging terrain.

Shinozuka and Kleinschmidt fought back through the famous Empty Quarter, Kleinschmidt racing ahead for a while until she fell six metres from a sand ridge close to the finish of the stage and damaged the front of her car. Shinozuka won the leg, but it was not enough to grasp the lead from Schlesser.

On the final leg, Schlesser won again to take victory on the event and confirm his grasp on the World title, but Shinozuka was satisfied with second in light of his unlucky puncture on the first and final leg, and the event was, as always, good practice for the biggest event of all - the Dakar 2000 - which takes place in the North African Deserts early next year. In the T1 category for standard vehicles, French hero and downhill ski champion Luc Alphand retired early in the event in his Mitsubishi leaving the way clear for local driver Yahya Bilhilli to take the lead and win in his Nissan, with the hard charging Frenchman Jean-Francois Guinot closing in from behind to finish in second place in his Mitsubishi.

Despite retiring from the event, French sports legend, downhill ski champion Luc Alphand has won the Marathon Drivers' Trophy Championship in his Mitsubishi, while Mitsubishi is again the Manufacturers' Champion in the class (subject to the confirmation by FIA). .