Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles

Today is the first day of a 48-hour leg, 340 kilometres long as the crow flies with 12 checkpoints along the way, 5 on the first day. CP6 doesn't open until the morning of the second day. On the other hand, CP4 must be reached before 10:00 on the second day, otherwise it and any subsequent CPs will not count.

This is the first of two back-to-back marathon legs, the last of the Rallye. This first marathon will lead the Gazelles from Neijakh to Mhamid. From the start, they find themselves in a quagmire that is almost impossible to cross, between the canal and Oued Rheris, whose name means "evil" in the local Berber language. 

Vast rocky plateaus follow, as far as the eye can see, hard on the vehicles and also on the body. The landscapes are grandiose and call for precise navigation and careful driving. The course follows the Algerian border, passing several military posts along the way, where soldiers watch the passage of the Gazelles with an amused eye. The mercury rises as we head south. Most of the Gazelles gather in small groups and put up their tents between CP4 and CP5, the occasion to share treats from home around a campfire and to spend a night under the stars. Up with the sun, the teams resume this long leg which leads to the legendary Draa Valley and the next bivouac, situated close to the palm groves of Mahmid. This leg is often a turning point of the race, when the gap widens irrevocably between the head of the race and the rest, barring mechanical problems...


ACTEMIUM / Banque CIC 101
Catherine HOULES and Mélanie SUCHET in an ISUZU D-MAX
After spending 2 hours helping Team 185 out of a fix, the "St Bernards" of the desert camped out with the Gazelles of Team 138 for the night. "We've been chasing each other all day; it makes sense that we would end up sleeping in the same place", explains Catherine Houlès, winner of last year's Rallye with a different teammate.

VALEURS ET PATRIMOINES / CREDIT MUTUEL 116
Elisabeth VETTER and Claire SALANNE in a TOYOTA KZJ 95
The Gazelles spent the night outside the bivouac and so didn't get started until 7:30 this morning. After the night under the stars they have some trouble getting motivated out on the course, and have some difficulty crossing Oued Rheris. "We are doing the Rallye for us, and for the handicapped children and their families of Enfant Soleil Association, who live in isolated areas. My challenge is to get over the high dunes, for me and for the people following us on the website.»

MAISONS FAMILIALES / SOCIETE GENERALE 118
Anne-France MOISAND and Karine DENOIS RACT GRAS in a TOYOTA HDJ 100
Another excellent performance for these Gazelles as they reach all 12 checkpoints. "We went to fuel up, and as we left we realized that we had a flat tire; we changed the tire in 10 minutes flat in front of a group of amazed mechanics."

GREENTECH / CREDIT MUTUEL 120
Delphine BICHOFFE and Christine HUNKA in a LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER
Today, it's the exhaust pipe put on upside down, after heating in the dunes the other day... the blunders are adding up, luckily with no serious consequences. On the other hand, the Gazelles had a super bivouac. On the menu: foie gras, Sancerre wine served in real glasses, chocolates and champagne provided by Dominique Serra... Unforgettable! As for action, these communicative Gazelles have an artist friend who has created a comic strip relating their Rallye adventures which can be seen at sur www.capmedinasouka.fr. The girls wear their characters on their helmets: Doukie for Delphine, Koukie for Christine.

R. MONNOT / CREDIT MUTUEL 121
Valérie and Virginie BERNARD in a TOYOTA LAND CRUISER
The sisters have been having a good Rallye, although their performance will not get them to the podium. They managed to reach all 12 checkpoints of this marathon leg, no small feat! On the other hand, if there was a prize for the most beautiful 4WD, they would be strong contenders with their psychedelic stickers!

GROUPE ADAO / LCL 122
Catherine KERAMIDAS and Isabelle CHARLES in a TOYOTA HILUX
The Gazelles advanced well to checkpoint 11, where they encountered a wind storm that cloaked their points of reference and threw their compass into a panic. After 3 hours spent wandering in terrible conditions, they found the CP with the help of another team. but didn't reach CP12

MMC MITSUBISHI / CREDIT MUTUEL 133
Danielle BIGATA and Dominique HERRAIRE in a MITSUBISHI
The older of the two is 67 years old... These Gazelles don't try to follow a straight heading, but rather plot their way from one CP to the next, avoiding major obstacles. They note the GPS coordinates posted outside inns and other noteworthy points of reference. They spent the night at CP4 with some other Gazelles.

CCI de Sète / SOCIETE GENERALE 161
Caroline PEREZ and Stéphanie GRANET-MONTEIRO in a TOYOTA KZJ 90
After a good start on the first day, the girls only end up reaching CP8, still a good performance for new Gazelles! Their navigation is improving and their driving is getting more confident. They camped with Jade and Syndiely.

BMCE Capital Bank 165
Franco-Senegalese team Syndiely WADE and Jade HANDI in a NISSAN NAVARRA
This team is having a difficult Rallye. After getting off to a bad start, they got a flat tire and are having a hard time navigating. The result: wasted time and lost checkpoints.

BODET EMO / C2C 166
Sarah BREBION and Krystèle BODET in a NISSAN TERRANO II
The team has a good first day and ends up at a super bivouac "of old Gazelles" around a campfire with fine wine, foie gras, the works... And Sarah finally gets to meet the person who gave her a helmet... "Well, I was looking for a helmet on the internet. Isabelle Charles called me and then sent me her helmet for free; I had never met her... We can discuss things with more experienced Gazelles and that's fantastic!" explains Sarah.

EXCO / AGF 167
Sophie France DE L'EPINE GASTINE and Isabelle DE L'EPINE in a LAND ROVER DEFENDER 110
Without getting lost or stuck even once, the sisters literally cruise through this marathon, taking all of the checkpoints. Apart from a few storage problems in their 4WD, they are "on top", as they say! 13th place before the marathon leg, they expect to climb in the ranking...

PAGOT SAVOIE / CREDIT MUTUEL 177
Nadège BEUGNOT and Claude GAY in an ISUZU D-MAX
After getting back at 23:30 the night before, the Gazelles are already exhausted at the start of the marathon leg. The day begins with a flat tire; they must discover the secret of the hydraulic jack... "With 2 days of navigation training and 1 day of driving (in snow), we're not really ready... ". But when it comes to looking for sponsors, they are at the top of the game. The Gazelles collected 2,400 Euros during a benefit dinner organized with the girls from team 156. They also went from pharmacy to pharmacy, collecting donations of baby care items that they are going to give to the Darna Orphanage in Essaouira. While they reached 4 checkpoints on the first day of the leg, today they didn't find a single CP. "We went to sleep at an inn, and we were unable to find our points of reference after that" declare the Gazelles... "After spending hours looking for CP5, we just drove to the bivouac."

BMCE Bank 193
Majda OUARAFANA and Sanaa CHAIDI in an ISUZU D-MAX
The Franco-Moroccan team got 5 checkpoints in spite of several misadventures. They nearly lost a tire and managed to change the wheel by themselves. They camped near Remilia with another team. Off to an early start, they spent hours looking for CP5, finally finding it just 10 minutes before it closed at 12:00. After analysing the map, they decided that CP6 was too far. They made their way to the new bivouac by trail.