This time, there is the AFRICA ECO RACE in the heart of Mauritania, more precisely in Aidzidine village located not far from Atar, where the bivouac is set. On their side, the competitors got to the heart of the matter with a mainly navigation and dune stage of 477 km. All without any liaison since the departure and arrival which take place directly at the bivouacs.
After a pleasant day of rest in the sun, on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean in Dakhla and the traditional dinner composed of steaks and roasted potatoes, a short night awaited the participants of the AFRICA ECO RACE ® since it was at 4:30 am that breakfast was served. An unusual schedule for a day punctuated with a 350 km link to the Mauritanian border and then a 176 km special between Arzmeila and Chami, a village on the road to Nouakchott. A big day for everyone, organization, assistance and competitors and ultimately new faces under the cameras of the AFRICA ECO RACE ® TV production team.
Friday evening, during the briefing at the Smara bivouac, Jean Louis SCHLESSER had announced the special to Wad Assag as being very fast. The boss of the AFRICA ECO RACE ® wasn’t wrong since it took 03:36:03 for the winner on four wheels, at 131 km / h on average, to complete the 473 km. A special course which is not very selective in the heart of monotonous landscapes, but a must to reach the city of Dakhla in the far south of Morocco where the rally caravan will be able to rest tomorrow Sunday.
It is an entirely new special stage on the AFRICA ECO RACE ® that awaited the competitors of this 4th stage full south towards Smara. As expected, navigation was the key to success in this selective sector of 385 km, both by car and motorbike. Apart from that and a specific track fatal to many tyres, there was no major difficulty and the last competitors should not get out of the special too late. A good thing after the long 3rd stage where some have already burned the joker that allows him to give up once on a special before being disqualified.
The third stage between Mahmid and Assa was expected extremely versatile in terms of landscapes and challenges. This special stage of nearly 500km, one of the longest of the 2020 Africa Eco Race, held its promise, especially near Erg Chegaga, first real dune cord of this 12th edition. Indeed, if the motorbikes, which left at sunrise, rode a solid enough sand, it was not the same for the autos, many of which will be arriving late today at the bivouac.
The first night on the bivouac in Tarda, halfway between Er-Rachidia and Goulimine was extremely cold as temperature went down to -3 degrees at sunrise. Needless to say that after a long day yesterday and a complicated night for the majority of the participants of the AFRICA ECO RACE, the faces were marked on the starting line directly installed at the bivouac.
After a peaceful Mediterranean cruise aboard the SMERALDA FERRY, the caravan of the AFRICA ECO RACE disembarked this morning, Tuesday January 7th in the port of Tangier.
It was approximately 5AM, Sunday 5th of January, when the first vehicles of the AFRICA ECO RACE 2020 arrived on the Ferry terminal in Savona, situated in northern Italy, 150km from Monaco. After having done the administrative and customs formalities, the 266 vehicles and 688 people of the caravan embarked in the SMERALDA cruise ship from the maritime company GRIMALDI, long term logistics partner of the AFRICA ECO RACE.
For the 4th year in a row, once again with ideal weather up to 20 degrees, the city of Menton hosted on Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th, the administrative and technical checks of the Africa Eco Race 2020.
SUNREEF YACHTS: a partner 100% committed
SUNREEF YACHTS, the world's leading manufacturer of custom-made luxury catamarans is the main partner of the 2020 AFRICA ECO RACE.
EDITION 2020: THE KEY NUMBERS
We had announced it last month, the 2020 edition is going to be full of surprises, should it be on the competitors or route side.
The recce team have just travelled back after finalizing the 2020 AFRICA ECO RACE route. We can now unveil some of the novelties of this edition… but not all…
For us as service-team, the AER feels like going on a road-trip with the whole family ! Together we follow the ancient African trails. Together with the complete organization of the AER we give it all to bring our teams to the legendary Lac Rose !
Being true fans of the AER we enjoy the whole concept as you find in no other race, as one of our SSV pilots reminded me, there is only one real race to Dakar !
Wil THEUWS - Team Manager QFF Racing
The AFRICA ECO RACE is a true human organisation, you really fell that you're a part of a global project with an open and very initimate feeling. So you sleep with very simple thoughts while you reach your goal: Dakar
Franco Acerbis - ACERBIS
This event created by Jean Louis SCHLESSER and René METGE is a precise cocktail where the pleasure of racing bonds with the beauty of the landscapes and the nice atmosphere between everyone on the bivouacs
Franck ALLARD - AMV assurances
The enthusiam and passion of the team as well as their constant research of bringing eco-responsable actions to their event, make the AFRICA ECO RACE one of the unmissable events of the Principality and we are proud to welcome them every year. We encourage everybody to buy a maximum of solar lamps provided by AMADE and AFRICA ECO RACE. More than a daily use, they will enable senegalese and mauritanian children to walk safely home after dark and will contribute to reducing the racing vehicules' carbon footprint.
Kate & Didier - STARS'N'BARS
We congratulate AFRICA ECO RACE for their support AMADE and enabling Mauritanian and Senegalese students to have access to solar lamps. A child with light at home, is a child able to do his homework when night comes.
Jérôme FROISSART - Directeur AMADE Mondiale
You dream of dunes and beautiful landscapes, follow us to the Lac Rose !
René METGE
AFRICA ECO RACE is also mutual help and friendship between the competitors
Jean Louis SCHLESSER
Africa is an happy continent with smiling people, with freedom for racing, thanks a lot to orga work to preserve classic African event based on values from first Dakars... Good luck AER!
Tomas Tomecek - Winner Truck AER 2022
It's a race with values , human values, eco-responsable values… A true and efficient aid for the Children of Africa and that is important !
SAS Prince Albert II
Competition and sharing define the spirit of the Africa Eco Race
