The Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles du Maroc is a

rally Rally or rallye may refer to: Gatherings * Demonstration (political), a political rally, a political demonstration of support or protest, march, or parade * Pep rally, an event held at a United States school or college sporting event Sports ...

which is held in the deserted parts of southern

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

. The distinctive feature of the rally is that participation is restricted to women only. In 2009, the 20th edition of the rally took place between March 18 and March 26 with the participation of 119 teams of women in the three categories: Quad/Motorbike, 4WD/Truck and Crossover. The rally started in

Meknes Meknes ( ar, مكناس, maknās, ; ber, ⴰⵎⴽⵏⴰⵙ, amknas; french: Meknès) is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco, located in northern central Morocco and the sixth largest city by population in the kingdom. Founded in the 11th c ...

with the finish-line in

Essaouira Essaouira ( ; ar, الصويرة, aṣ-Ṣawīra; shi, ⵜⴰⵚⵚⵓⵔⵜ, Taṣṣort, formerly ''Amegdul''), known until the 1960s as Mogador, is a port city in the western Moroccan region of Marakesh-Safi, on the Atlantic coast. It ha ...

on the Atlantic coast in southern Morocco.

Mode

The Rally consists of one prologue and six legs, all entirely off-road, two of which are marathon legs lasting two days. A total of 2,500 kilometers through dried-out river beds, shock absorber-busting stony plains and the sandy dunes of the western Sahara desert have to be covered by the teams with only a

compass A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with ...

and a 1:100,000 scale map to plot their route between checkpoints.

GPS The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a Radionavigation-satellite service, satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of t ...

, and any kind of

binoculars Binoculars or field glasses are two refracting telescopes mounted side-by-side and aligned to point in the same direction, allowing the viewer to use both eyes (binocular vision) when viewing distant objects. Most binoculars are sized to be held ...

and cell phones are forbidden items. The winner is not the fastest team but the one which has traveled the fewest kilometers on the onboard odometer between checkpoints within a given time frame (distance driven minus straight-line distance). Penalty kilometers are allocated for missed checkpoints and requests for technical assistance. For safety reasons, the teams are constantly monitored by a satellite tracking system.

History

Dominique Serra, head of the operating agency Maïenga, organized the first women’s rally in 1990. Initially planned as an image campaign and to dispel prejudices, today the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles is one of the most important motor sport events in

. The 2009 rally took place under the patronage of his Majesty, the Moroccan King

Mohammed VI Muhammad VI may refer to: * Muhammad Imaaduddeen VI (1868–1932), sultan of the Maldives from 1893 to 1902 * Mehmed VI (1861–1926), sultan of Ottoman Empire, from 1918 to 1922 * Mohammed VI of Morocco Mohammed VI ( ar, محمد الساد ...

on the occasion of his tenth year of reign. For this reason the coat of arms of the

Moroccan Royal Guard The Moroccan Royal Guard ( ar, الحرس الملكي المغربي, french: Garde royale marocaine, es, Guardia Real Marroquí) is officially part of the Royal Moroccan Army. However it is under the direct operational control of the Royal Mili ...

was exceptionally attributed to the event this year. King Mohammed VI had – much to the opposition of the

fundamentalists Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that is characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguishing ...

and Islamist conservatives – reformed and liberalized family law in favour of women by creating a new family code, the

Mudawana The ''Mudawana Ousra'' (or ''Moudawana Ousra'', ar, المدوّنة, lit=code), short for ''mudawwanat al-aḥwāl al-ousaria-shakhṣiyyah'' (, ), is the personal status code, also known as the family code, in Moroccan law. It concerns issu ...

, during his 10 years of rulership.

Environmental responsibility

MAÏENGA and the Rallye Aicha des Gazelles are now officially certified ISO 14001:2004. The Rallye Aïcha des gazelles is the only rally to obtain ISO 14001:2004 Environmental Management Certification in 2010. This international standard guarantees that MAÏENGA has introduced an Environmental Management System (EMS) for integrating environmental policy into its actions and its global management strategy. MAÏENGA’s Environmental Management System was audited by VERITAS, accredited independent certification body, which also audited the Rallye itself, on location in Morocco, to verify the event’s conformity to the EMS. ISO 14001 certification is based on the identification of environmental impacts, possible solutions for improvement, and the introduction of suitable processes.

Coeur de Gazelles (Heart of Gazelles)

There is no prize money up for grabs for the participants. "The rally isn't just any other race – it's a commitment and dedication", says Dominique Serra. The money generated helps to finance teams of doctors providing medical care for the population in the remote regions of Morocco. Annually and with the infrastructure of the Rally, a medical caravan, including a mobile clinic with 8 doctors, cares for the rural population. This year 4,582 people received free medical care. In addition, aid for children's education has been set up as well as aid for an

orphanage An orphanage is a Residential education, residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the Childcare, care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parent ...

for children under six years of age.

Winners

2009

* Categorie 4WD: Team 138 ( Corentine Quiniou and Florence Migraine-Bourgnon),

Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...

Land Cruiser * Categorie Crossover/SUV : Team 307 (Anne-Marie Ortola and Jeanette James,

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...

Viano) * Categorie Quad: Team 24 (Isabelle Castel and Elizabeth Kraft, Polaris Sportsman 500)

2010

* Categorie 4WD: Team 125, Christine Laloue and Claudine Amat on

Land Rover Discovery Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of the planet Earth that is not submerged by the ocean or other bodies of water. It makes up 29% of Earth's surface and includes the continents and various isla ...

* Categorie Crossover: Team 315, Isabelle Charles and Dounia Bennani on

Dacia Duster The Dacia Duster is a family of automobiles produced and marketed jointly by the French manufacturer Renault and its Romanian subsidiary Dacia since 2010. It is currently in its second generation, launched in the autumn of 2017. It is marketed a ...

2011

* Categorie 4WD: Team 124, Carole Montillet and Syndiely Wade on

Nissan , trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...

Springbok * Categorie Crossover/SUV : Team 319, Anneke Voss and Andrea Spielvogel on

Mercedes-Benz Vito The Mercedes-Benz Vito is a mid-sized light commercial vehicle (LCV) produced by Mercedes-Benz, available as a panel van, chassis cab, or multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), carrying cargo or up to eight passengers. In the Mercedes-Benz van lineup, it ...

* Categorie Quad: Betty Kraft and Caroline Couet-Lannes on Polaris Sportsman 850 xps

2012

* Categorie Quad bikes / Motorbikes: Team 20, Dorothée Langlois and France Cleves on Polaris Ranger RZR 800 S * Categorie 4x4 / Camions : Team 187, Carole Montillet and Julie Verdaguer on Buggy Jugand * Categorie CROSSOVER: Team 310, Sylvie Husson and Sophie Goset on

2013

* Categorie Quad bikes / Motorbikes: Team 22, Isabelle Charles and Betty Kraft on Polaris Scrambler 850 * Categorie 4x4 / Camions : Team 188, Syndiely Wade and Florence Pham on Isuzu New D-Max * Categorie CROSSOVER: Team 317, Paulina Hachoud and Anne-Sophie Cally on

2016

* Categorie Quad bikes / Motorbikes: Team 27 – Betty KRAFT and Sonia BAUDOIN-GUERARD (POLARIS France) * Categorie 4x4 / Truck : Team 179 – Régine ZBINDEN and Ela STEINER (JEEP) * Categorie CROSSOVER: Team 318 – Viola HERMANN and Vanessa WAGNER (MERCEDES BENZ VANS) * Categorie Expert Class: Team 407 – Sylvie FRECHES and Carole MONTILLET (SAINT HONORE)

References

External links

{{commons category, Rallye Aicha des Gazelles
Web Site of the Rallye

Videos of the rally (French)
Rally raid races