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...


DS MAGAZINE / TOYOTA / ASSOCIATION LES ENFANTS D'ARLEQUIN 138
Florence MIGRAINE BOURGNON and Corentine QUINIOU in a TOYOTA LAND CRUISER
The team is firmly established at the head of the race after the Buggy team, competing closely for first place, are forced to call for mechanical assistance, earning a 200 point penalty. The Gazelles stuck to their headings, saving several hundred metres as well as fuel. They reached all of the checkpoints without having to make the detour to refuel at the bivouac between CP8 and 9. They even siphoned 30 litres off using their "CamelBak" (water bottle) tubes, to help some other Gazelles in need...

ELLE MAGAZINE / TOYOTA / ASSOCIATION FORCEFEMMES.COM 139
Aude BARREAU AIRIEV and Nathalie PELLERIN in a TOYOTA HILUX
Aude and Nathalie are doing everything they can to finish the race and get their car to Essaouira. Right from the start, they have been experiencing a succession of mechanical problems. They took the start for this marathon leg, reached the first checkpoints but scared themselves on a difficult mountain pass, which they had to abandon... They spent the night at an inn and then made their way to the bivouac. Nathalie, journalist for TF1, used the time to produce a news clip for the TV station, which will be broadcast tomorrow at 13:00.


EUROSPORT / NISSAN / ASSOCIATION IKDC 185
Clémence and Olivia JOYEUX in a NISSAN PATROL
The "Joyeuses" are visibly shaken at the end of this marathon leg, which they found long and difficult. They keep going right to the end, despite getting stuck several times on the first day. Luckily they were able to count on other Gazelles to get them out: Catherine and Mélanie (101), Florence and Corentine (138) stayed to help, got stuck themselves, advancing by only 300 m in close to two hours! The 3 teams ended up spending the night together. On the second day, the girls got a flat tire and then discovered that their jack was too high to fit under the vehicle, but after a bit of digging they managed...

QUESTIONS DE FEMMES / TOYOTA / JEVEUXAIDER.COM 188
Cindy FABRE and Isabelle LAMANT in a TOYOTA LAND CRUISER
The marathon leg started well for these Gazelles but it ended a bit earlier than planned. After CP10, their vehicle stared to overheat. The radiator was leaking. Despite makeshift repairs, the heat cranked to boost the cooling process and driving slowly, the heartsick Gazelles are forced to go to the bivouac. The night before, they camped out with a Canadian team at CP6, which they validated as soon as it opened this morning. Then the driving went so smoothly that they drove right past CP7, even thought it was right by the trail. Cindy found this to be a bad sign... Was it a premonition?

FEMME ACTUELLE / TOYOTA / ASSOCIATION LES JARDINS DE LA MONTAGNE VERTE 191
Nathalie VINCENT and Anne-Gaëlle RICCIO in a TOYOTA HILUX
If there was a prize for the team that passed the most nights outside the bivouac, Nathalie and Anne Gaëlle would surely win! After three days and two nights out in the desert, they left directly for the marathon leg. After a late start, they ended up sleeping near the back of the pack, at checkpoint 3A. They headed for CP4 the next morning, reaching it just before it closed at 10:00. Nathalie had a sore back after a particularly hard impact, so they made for the bivouac by trail, where the other Gazelles gave them a triumphant reception.

TV MAGAZINE/ ISUZU / ASSOCIATION ELA 192
Valérie BEGUE Miss France and Alexandra ROSENFELD Miss France / Miss Europe in an ISUZU D-MAX
"Misses" to the end, even in the middle of the desert, the girls are quite a fashion statement: shoes by Coq Sportif, jeans by Chefdeville, T-shirts and blouses by Segura. They advance slowly and spend the night with one other team. Luckily for Alexandra, who would not have set foot outside of the car if they had been all alone. This morning they wander like never before, finding the checkpoints of all the other routes before their own. Suddenly they are almost out of diesel. They head straight for the bivouac for refuelling after CP7, then resume their course. They scared themselves by driving over 50 km on the reserve tank... They find CP10 and at 18:00 are searching for CP11, but their heading is a little off... The CPs close at 19:10... Disappointed, they give up for the night.

CITADINE / ISUZU /ASSOCIATION AFAK 194
Silvina PINEIRO ARAMBURU and Stéphanie FENESTRAZ in an ISUZU D-MAX
The Franco-Argentinian team, still in good shape, came close to spending last night with the Moroccan military before finally finding two other teams of Gazelles. They set up camp near CP5, after spending... 3 hours looking for it! They made it all the way to CP10, after refuelling at the bivouac, before a sand storm forced them to turn back before CP11. For these Gazelles, the most striking thing about this marathon leg was the contrast between the local people, calm, barefoot, and themselves, stressed, running everywhere with helmets on their heads, compass and keys around their necks!