What a start!
Day 1 started with a relatively short track [186,6 km] to get used to the harsh conditions of the Sahara climate. Until CP 1, the track was flat and easy; becoming a bit more difficult up to CP 2 but that was only the beginning. The stretch between CP2 and CP3 was very hard due to soft sand and extremely high steep dunes.
The first rally drivers arrived already around noon, they found it a beautiful warm up. The experienced rally drivers were fine, however, we had quite a few incidents…
Zohra [313, Belgium] flipped over with her buggy, but she and her co-pilot Belinda [Belgium] were not injured and after a little shock they decided that they wanted to continue racing.
The Liva team of Bart Bronckaert and his brother Philippe [111 & 112, Belgium] were exhausted and decided to give up together with half of the Libyan bikers.
Ahmad Hassanain [232, Libya], a less experienced driver had breathing problems after falling with his quad. It was not easy to find him because his GPS was broken and we didn't have his exact coordinates to find him, but he was found before dark and is feeling better now.
The crisis room was busy, but we managed to help all people and give them medical assistance thanks to the medical team of Dr. Luc Beaucourt [Belgium].
We are happy to report that everyone is safe now, and again we say: alhamdulillah!
? The winner of the bikes on the first track was the Italian Carlo Lumia [101, Italy] … [quote]
'It was a very varied track, that combined speed with technicality. Due to the heat, the sand was very soft which made it difficult for many', said Hubert Deltrieu [201, France], the first one of the quads. 'Yesterday was the perfect training for the coming race!'
The first car to arrive was our winner from last year, Nasser Hwas [301, Libya].
It's been a challenging day, and for some of them it isn't over yet, because some cars will spend the night under the stars, 20 km from the camp. They have the sweep truck with them, and enough food and water – another experience to remember…
But for most of the group, tomorrow is just another day and they can't wait to 'get really started'!
[picture 1 – Start 1. Photo Wim Dekoning]
[picture 2 – Start 2. Photo Wim Dekoning]
[picture 3 – Team 301, Nasser Gmizi (pilot) and Nasser Hwas (co-pilot). Photo Wim Dekoning]
[picture 4 – Approaching CP2. Photo Isolde Poncelet]
