Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles

Today is the second marathon leg, leading from Mhamid to Foum-Zguid over an estimated distance of 280 km as the crow flies and a race time of about 21 hours. This last leg is very challenging for the tired Gazelles. Following the edge of the Drâa, the first part of the route is very sandy: old river sand, more like silt: expanses of small dunes of soft sand, powdery as flour. 

As the sun climbs high in the sky, reference points become blurred, rendering navigation difficult. Then, once they get through this hellish strip, the Gazelles receive their reward: Erg Chegaga. Sand dunes as far as the eye can see. Two optional X checkpoints are placed inside the erg, and the top teams spend un unforgettable night in the dunes. The other Gazelles get to play in the sand as well, of course, but stay lower down, near the edge of the erg. Early in the morning on the second day they leave the dunes by the dried bed of Lake Iriki. The last checkpoints are placed around Jebel Amssaïlikh and, for the last day, they close at 18:00. Everyone comes together at the bivouac near Foum-Zguid to celebrate, whatever their standing at the end of the race.

DS MAGAZINE / TOYOTA / ASSOCIATION LES ENFANTS D'ARLEQUIN 138
Florence MIGRAINE BOURGNON and Corentine QUINIOU in a TOYOTA LAND CRUISER
After spending some time in second place in the general ranking behind Team 176 (Carole Montillet and Julie Verdaguer in a buggy), Florence Bourgnon and Corentine Quiniou have an easy win, becoming three-time champions of the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles. At the same time they win the Car Manufacturers and Media Relay, also for the third time, succeeding last year's winners Aude Barreau and Nathalie Pellerin, Team ELLE/NISSAN. 15 000 Euros will be given to the charity organization chosen by the two Gazelles, Les Enfants d'Arlequin. "They bring us good luck," says Corentine at the finish line, "Last year we raced for another organization and we didn't finish the race!" The oranization's mission is to provide legal and psychological help to abused children and their families.

ELLE MAGAZINE / TOYOTA / ASSOCIATION FORCEFEMMES.COM 139
Aude BARREAU AIRIEV and Nathalie PELLERIN in a TOYOTA HILUX
You need to be resourceful when you have mechanical problems in the desert, and these two Gazelles certainly are. This has not been an easy edition for this duo from a mechanical standpoint; with one problem after another, they have only had two-wheel drive since the middle of the race. Under these conditions it is hard to move up the rankings, as these Rallye veterans usually do in the dunes of Chegaga. But they don't let that stop them: they park their car at the foot of the dune, rent two camels, and climb to CP4X with the camel herder. Helmets on their heads, maps and compasses in their hands, it takes them 4 hours to reach the checkpoint! In their bags, they have everything they need to make their famous pistou pasta for all of the Gazelles. After spending the night with their Gazelle friends, they make the descent on camelback, reclaim their vehicle and resume the race.

EUROSPORT / NISSAN / ASSOCIATION IKDC 185
Clémence and Olivia JOYEUX in a NISSAN PATROL
The sisters are the first to reach the last checkpoint of the race at 15:20. They have reached their goal; they found every checkpoint of the Rallye, some 53 flags, with nothing but maps and a compass!
An excellent performance for Olivia, for whom this is the first Rallye. This is also a first for Clémence, but of a different kind: although this is her third participation, it is the first time that she has reached all of the checkpoints.
Note the team's true Gazelles spirit: they played "Saint Bernards of the desert", helping many teams out during the 8-day competition.

QUESTIONS DE FEMMES / TOYOTA / JEVEUXAIDER.COM 188
Cindy FABRE and Isabelle LAMANT in a TOYOTA LAND CRUISER
The Gazelles camped at the foot of the dunes of Chegaga, setting out at dawn to reach CP4X and 5X. They had some trouble finding CP6, and didn't have time to reach the last checkpoint of the race, CP9, which closed at 18:00. They headed straight for the bivouac, arriving around 19:30 when the party was in full swing.

FEMME ACTUELLE / TOYOTA / ASSOCIATION LES JARDINS DE LA MONTAGNE VERTE 191
Nathalie VINCENT and Anne-Gaëlle RICCIO in a TOYOTA HILUX
Still in the race despite a succession of problems, Nathalie and Anne Gaëlle reached 7 of the 9 checkpoints of this last marathon leg. They have been steadily improving every day, finishing with a solid performance today. This marathon leg was nothing new for our Gazelles, as they spent almost every night outside of the bivouac! "This time we were with other teams and organizers; we were pampered," jokes Nathalie, "I am proud to be here, to have finished with the car in one piece, even though it is a little battered... This has been a dream of mine for 10 years, ever since I discovered the Rallye in a report on M6 Kid. My only fear was that Anne Gaëlle and I would fight, so we set up a code: if one thought the other was going too far, she would say the word "sauerkraut"... We would burst out laughing and that defused the situation!"

TV MAGAZINE/ ISUZU / ASSOCIATION ELA 192
Valérie BEGUE Miss France and Alexandra ROSENFELD Miss France / Miss Europe in an ISUZU D-MAX
They decided not to climb the dunes in search of the "X" CPs, preferring to stay down below. They set up a mini bivouac with lots of other Gazelles and organizers. The next day they couldn't find CP4... They made their way to the bivouac, satisfied with their extraordinary experience at the Rallye.

CITADINE / ISUZU /ASSOCIATION AFAK 194
Silvina PINEIRO ARAMBURU and Stéphanie FENESTRAZ in an ISUZU D-MAX
Les Gazelles tackled the dunes a little late in the day and didn't reach CP4X until after dark. They set up their tents about 1 km from the checkpoint. The next day they waited for two hours with another team of Gazelles who were having mechanical problems.