Minxy
Race Dog
With all the excitement about the Morocco Rally, I thought I'd make a post about the Merzouga Rally 2015, which starts tomorrow! :ricky:
I was under the impression that our own Kobus Potgieter would be participating too, but I'm not 100% sure anymore? Can't seem to find a proper competitors listing. Would be nice if somebody could verify.
Here's some info:
5 race days + prologue, more than 1000 km in one of the most beautiful desert in the world.
The high dunes of the Erg Chebbi, that can reach 150 meters, will be once again the big challenge of the sixth edition of the Merzouga Rally. Sand, dunes but also twisted steep paths through the mountains of the Doudnib region in the south of Morocco will be the ingredients of a rally that is able to offer a great variety of terrains and a technical and accurate navigation. The head quarter of the rally is based at the Xaluca Hotel in Erfoud. A fixed paddock and garage facilities will allow the assistance teams and the competitors to work in the best conditions.
THE ROUTE
October 10-11: After the preliminary operations (administration and technical checks) and the possibility to test in safety in the training area close to hotel, on the 11th the competitors will start to warm up with the Prologue. Watch out for the superpole, an additional challenge for the first 10 top riders to choose the best starting positions of the following day.
October 12 - Stage 1: A new stage that will bring the competitors in the Errachidia area on paths and tracks characterized by sandy terrains.
October 13 – Stage 2: the competitors will challenge the majestic Merzouga dunes, crossing the Erg (mountain of dunes) several times.
October 14 – Stage 3: the first part of the Marathon Stage will bring the competitors to the bivouac in the middle of the desert after a new special stage of 150 km and more than 200 km of track.
October 15 – Stage 4: this is also a completely new stage for the riders of the Merzouga Rally. The stage 4th, that will take place in the Dayat Mayder region, will feature a off piste track on the tablelands (plateau) and technical sandy/rocky paths for a 600 km long day. At the end of the day, the competitors will finally meet the assistance team.
October 16: Stage 5: Be ready for the Grand Prix of the Dunes: a thrilling final stage with in line start Le Mans style!
EXPERT and PRO
To meet the needs of the professional riders but also the necessities of those riders who face the desert for the first time, the Merzouga Rally features the division of the route in 2 categories:
PRO: open to pro riders and those competitors ready for an ultimate challenge.
EXPERT: a technical and navigated route but less extreme stages as the Expert riders will cover the 75% of the complete route of the Pro riders.
Merzouga Rally:
• 5 stages
• more than 1000 Km of race
• 100 the maximum number of bikes/quads enrolled
• 40 the maximum number for the SSV
• New and innovative tracking system, easy to install also on the smaller bikes
Sources:
https://twitter.com/merzougarally
https://www.facebook.com/merzouga.rally?fref=ts
https://www.merzougarally.com/en/
Some pics from last year:
