The adventure of a lifetime. A dream as burning as it is crazy. Biba, the pretty Parisian brunette, and Charlotte, the pretty blonde from Lille, decided at the beginning of the year, at the turn of a conversation. Stingy? Stingy! And to register for the next Rallye des Gazelles, which will be held from 12 to 27 April 2024 in the Moroccan desert. An event with many particularities. Like counting only female crews (190 at the start). Or to rank the competitors, not on their speed to reach the finish of a stage, but according to the distance traveled. The best duo being the one with the fewest kilometers.
Not easy on rarely marked tracks, in the middle of dunes that are all alike. And with only a compass and a compass to guide you, GPS (just like mobile phones) are prohibited in racing. "It is for these reasons that the adventure is unique. We will find ourselves alone in the desert, cut off from everything, disconnected from the world." To rack your brains to take as short as possible after a simple two-day course to familiarize yourself with the use of these two instruments from another era. Another mandatory training, a mechanical workshop to know how to change a wheel or (re) do the levels, the rest being provided by the team of mechanics.
«I have never spent a night outside, not even in a campsite...»
A rally that has one last particularity. He wants to be an environmentalist. Prohibition to leave something lying on the pristine sand. "Not even the popo," grimaces the Parisian. Who will have to force his nature between the natural needs in the wilderness, the impossibility of washing his hair on a daily basis and the "fear of critters", including (or especially?) insects. "I've never spent a night outside, not even in a campsite. I thought we could set up our bed on the roof of the car, but it is forbidden by the rules. Fortunately, there are raised tents..." Metal feet so as not to touch the ground even more essential during the two marathon stages with nights out of the bivouac ...
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We've never done a rally either. So we're both going to have to manage and not turn the car over on a dune." They will take turns driving. Fatigue helping, the slightest annoyance is a potential quarrel. "We're going to fight a little bit I think," admit the two friends with a laugh. Before resuming their seriousness to display an ambition at the height of their determination: to hang the podium from their first participation. A sporting goal and a certainty. "When you get out of there, you're not the same...
»The dream has a price: 30,000 euros
The dream is marked. It remains to be put into practice. To do this, you have to find a car - rent it or, better, get it on loan from a manufacturer ... - and raise an estimated budget of 30,000 euros. So the two ladies - forbidden to give their age, "it does not ask a woman ..." - approach companies, activate their networks to try to raise subsidies. The more complicated part they assure, hoping that this account of their quest will seduce a few more bosses always welcome.
In exchange, these benefactors will obviously get visibility on the car and equipment of the two future queens of the desert. Who do not forget to be generous. Charlotte and Biba take the Aïda association on their adventure. Donors will be able to add a little to the pot to offer space to this charity that brings together volunteers aged 15 to 25 wishing to break the isolation of young people of the same age hospitalized to treat cancer. And everything they have collected above the budget will also be donated to Aida.
And it is promised, if they find the partners and the funds to realize their dream, they will share it on the Figaro website every night. Just to prove that this challenge is not a mirage.
Contact: lesreinesdudesert@gmail.com