Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles

The party finished with a flourish yesterday for the 119 teams of the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles du Maroc.
Beautiful setting - white tent, tasteful lighting, superbly set tables – and beautiful women, turned out in their best attire for the occasion. It was hard to recognize our Gazelles under all of that finery: long dresses, high heels, jewels... Gazelles who, until yesterday, were usually to be found in a helmet and a layer of dust.  

Several performing artists set the festive mood. On stage, Natasha Saint Pier, André Manoukian, Lynda Thalie...

This afternoon, the Gazelles had the privilege of attending a screening of the film of their adventure. A super production, 58 minutes long, full of passion, emotion, a concentration of highlights and madcap moments. Throughout the entire Rallye, the teams were never out of the sights of our six cameramen. The best and the worst, captured for posterity.
In the darkness of the room could be heard laughter, bated breath, gasps. Cheers and applause broke out at the sight of a vehicle being freed from a sandy situation. Live interviews in the heat of the moment, sweat, tears... the Gazelles have never been so beautiful and so alive!

At 10:30 this morning, the Gazelles drove as Rallye participants for one last time. Several hundred metres across the sand - of the Essaouira beach, not in the desert – escorted by Moroccan cavalry with traditional arms and costumes. Once the Fantasia had passed, one by one the teams filed past the crowd of loved ones, sponsors and curious passers by. An unusual convoy on the beach of this Moroccan seaside resort. Seated on the hoods of their cars, hair flowing in the wind, the Gazelles gave one last show: the best show of all, for those who were unable to hold back their tears... tears that dried quickly in the sun and the wind. No time for jokes, the group headed for the big top for the official prize giving ceremony.

The image is magical, the ambiance inside the vehicles is electric. This morning the Gazelles will write the last lines of their Moroccan story. A finish line that they will cross together on the beach in Essaouira in just a few moments, before the prize giving ceremony...