A “magical” finish on Essaouira beach
ESSAOUIRA
Essaouira | Awards
Essaouira beach turned into a red carpet this Saturday morning. The stars of the day were the Gazelles, who paraded along the beach with their vehicles. A moment full of emotions!
Usually hazy, Essaouira beach is bathed in sunshine this morning for the official finish of the Gazelles who parade along the water's edge. A festive moment but also very moving, as the teams parade under the eyes of their families and friends but also partners who made the trip for the occasion. And for this symbolic finish, the show was on the beach, of course, but also in the air since Morocco's Marche Verte aerobatic team performed a flyby over the parade of teams under the amazed eyes of the public. André Azoulay, adviser to King Mohamed VI, actress Valérie Bonneton and Danièle Évenou were present to congratulate the teams.
Every team receives its moment of gloryand drives under the finish arch to the applause of the public, who came out in large numbers for the occasion. There are also many former Gazelles, such as Hajar and Malika, winners of Crossover Class in the 31st edition. Séverine and Nelly of Team 169 (Séverine AMOURDEDIEU / Nelly ALARCOS GIMENEZ - FIRST STOP & CÔTE ROUTE), even have the chance to reunite with their friends Muriel and Nathalie, whom they met during the Bab al-Raidwho surprised them by being there for their arrival in Essaouira. Dounia and Jawhara of Team 257 (Jawhara BENNANI / Dounia BENNANI - PEUGEOT MOROCCO), the big winners in the 4×4 category, arrive honking their horn, the Moroccan flag draped across their shoulders and on the car. " Long live the Zoe“, cry Nathalie and Caroline of Team 502 (Caroline VELTZ / Nathalie GAUDILLOT)as they drive by.
"A dream come true"
« This parade is raising so many new emotions. It's magical! We had a hard time so we're happy now. We didn't give up despite moments of doubt " says Julie of Team 602 (Julie BIDAULT / Manon BOYE), winners in the E-Innovation category at the wheel of their electric buggy. " That's it, we're starting to realize. We are super proud of ourselves. The rally was demanding and difficult. We met some great people. It was an important break from our daily lives ", underlines Sabrina of Team 305 (Sabrina ROGER MALRIEU / Céline ARBUS - BRIOL JOINERY), winner in Crossover Class with her teammate Céline.
For Dounia and Jawhara of Team 257 (Jawhara BENNANI / Dounia BENNANI - PEUGEOT MOROCCO), the winners of the 4×4 Class, it's “ a dream come true twice over". " We did it as mother and daughter, and in addition we ended with a victory ", Jawhara rejoices. " We were united. It was hard but thanks to our partner and the car we managed ", adds Dounia. This year, Betty of Team 39 (Betty KRAFT / Sonia BAUDOIN-GUéRARD - POLARIS FRANCE)is celebrating her 16th victory in 17 rallies. However, this first place in SSV/Quad Class is always just as sweet. "It's an accomplishment after eight days of hard work trying to do the fewest kilometers, pampering our vehicles ", says the veteran quad biker. " It was eight days of very intense work but also a lot of laughs", she adds. " That's why we come back ", adds her teammate Sonia.
"We weren't going for a podium but we quickly got caught up in the game. Until the end, we didn't give up. Our fear was mechanical breakdown ", says Nathalie of Team 502 (Caroline VELTZ / Nathalie GAUDILLOT), delighted to have been able to experience and win the adventure in E-Gazelles Auto Class at the wheel of her Zoé: " it's amazing, it goes everywhere! It's a great little car ".
