Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles

While the ocean may be far, the beach is vast... and the kilometre upon kilometre of wavelike dunes are breathtaking. The sand is pure and perfect, in colours that change with the light as the sun rises over the horizon. Not a sound to be heard but the wind disturbs this magic moment...

This is the scene that greeted the Gazelles this morning - on crawling out of their tents for some, on simply opening their eyes for those who slept out under the stars. They took the time to enjoy breakfast on the crest of a dune before setting out again for the CP chase!

With the sand snaking along the ground and the horizon obscured in all directions, the Gazelles are progressing through a strange atmosphere in which it is very easy to lose one's bearings. When we caught up with them at CP2, Team 124, leader in the 4x4 general ranking, tells us: "For the first time since the beginning of the Rallye, we aren't sure where we are going."

Further on, we encounter Team 167, one of the 5 teams sponsored by Rallye partner GAN Assurances this year. The team had to completely redo the interior of their truck, not for aesthetic reasons, but because the constant vibrations and shocks caused the screws of their storage system to come loose...

Anyone who forgot to set their alarm this morning need not have worried: at the stroke of 4, violent winds struck the bivouac, hurtling sand against the tents, scouring every square inch of exposed flesh. Ski maska and cheichs were the order of the morning.

The sandstorm continued for a large part of the day. Not easy to pack up tents and belongings under such conditions, and not easy to navigate. Once through the village of Mahmid and its palm groves, the terrain became rough, bordered by a network of canals bringing water to the palm groves. Impossible to drive directly across, the Gazelles have to find a passage. Determined to get ahead, Congolese Team 153 leads the dance onto the vast plateau, its horizons obscured by the swirling sand.