The route of the Merzouga Rally 2015 The high dunes of the Erg

La maestosità delle Grandi dune dell’Erg Chebbi, dall’alto dei loro 150 metri, disseminate nel profondo sud del
Marocco saranno ancora una volta il vero banco di prova per la sesta edizione del Merzouga Rally.
Sabbia, dune, ma anche sentieri che si snoderanno sulle montagne della regione di Doudnib per un Rally
capace di offrire una navigazione accurata sui terreni più vari.
Il quartier generale resta, anche per l’edizione
2015,l’Hotel Xaluca di Erfoud che permette ai concorrenti e alle assistenze box e paddock fissi.
Il PERCORSO Dal 10 al 16 ottobre 2015, dopo le operazioni preliminari e un primo assaggio dei terreni
sahariani nella training area, i piloti inizieranno a scaldarsi con il prologo. I primi dieci si sfideranno in una
emozionante superpole per aggiudicarsi le migliori posizioni di partenza.
Dal 12 Ottobre si comincerà a fare sul serio con la TAPPA NR 1: una speciale inedita nei pressi di Errachidia su
fondo prevalentemente sabbioso.
La TAPPA 2 vedrà i concorrenti sfidarsi nelle maestose dune di Merzouga con diversi attraversamenti di Erg, le
montagne di sabbia. La TAPPA 3 – prima parte della tappa Marathon - condurrà i piloti al Bivacco dopo una
speciale inedita di 150 km e oltre 200 km di pista.
Nuova anche la TAPPA 4, che si snoda nella regione di Dayat Mayder con un percorso tra fuoripista nei plateau
e passaggi tecnici sabbia/roccia alla fine della quale finalmente, i concorrenti, potranno fare assistenza,
finalmente perché sotto le loro ruote saranno passati oltre 600 km..
TAPPA 5 Un altro classico del Merzouga Rally con il Grand Prix des dunes con partenza in linea.
Per venire incontro alle esigenze dei piloti più esperti, ma anche a chi desidera avvicinarsi al deserto per la
prima volta il Merzouga Rally prevede la divisione del percorso in due macro classi:
–PRO aperta ai
professionisti e a tutti i piloti desiderosi di sfidare se stessi in un vero challenge;
–EXPERT sempre tecnica e
navigata ma meno “estrema”, che vedrà i piloti percorrere il 75% dell’itinerario, usufruendo delle varianti sul
percorso principale
Il Merzouga Rally in pillole:
–
–
–
–
–
5 tappe;
oltre 1000 Km di gara;
100 è il massimo numero di iscritti per la categoria moto/quad;
40 è il massimo numero di iscritti per la categoria SSV;
Nuovo e innovativo sistema di tracking facile da montare anche sulle moto più piccole
www.merzougarally.com
_________
The route of the Merzouga Rally 2015
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 steep paths will twist through the mountains of the Doudnib region in the south of
Morocco will be the ingredients of a rally able to offer a great variety of terrains and a technical and accurate
navigation. The head quarter of the rally, remains also for the 2015 edition the Xaluca Hotel in Erfoud, to allow
assistance teams and competitors a fixed paddock where they can work with all the comfort.
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: it’s a new stage that will bring the competirors 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
www.merzougarally.com
The Rally will present 3 new stages with a cross test in the middle of nowhere and the crossing of the
Erg from north to south with only 4 GPS points
The works for the 6th edition of the Merzouga Rally are proceeding smoothly as scheduled.
One week ago, the closing of the closing of the entries with a special fee marked a new record of
riders and drivers enrolled in the Rally.
Regarding the route, the scouting finished today, after one week of hard work in the south of Morocco.
A green and blooming desert welcomed the opening crew that was very satisfied of the final route of
the Merzouga Rally.
“The expectations are higher this year, as the number of riders and their level is increased. I was
aiming at designing a technical race, that could offer new places with lots of fun to ride stages” said
Edo Mossi, the Promoter and Track Director who was looking for new and challenging stages to offer
a varied rally,
THE ROUTE
For many years Edo Mossi has organized bike tours in this region and this helped him a lot to find new
passages that are not known to the tourism and the competitions.
There are many riders that come back racing the Merzouga Rally every year so it’s important to find
new tracks and this year the route features three complete new stages.
Boudnib, Fezzou, Dayat Maider and M’Cissi, these are the names of the regions the Merzouga
Rally will pass through from the 10 to the 16 of October. Some days are divided in more stages to
support the Expert rides, who will cover a shortened route and to challenge the Pro riders.
For the fun of the competitors, the Merzouga Rally will feature also a cross test in the middle of
nowhere and a stage that will see the riders crossing the Erg (mountain of sand) from north to south
with only 4 GPS points.
Now that the route is finalized, the next step is the drawing of the road books that will start in June.
Le parcours du Merzouga Rally est prêt.
Le rallye va présenter 3 nouvelles spéciales avec une épreuve de cross au milieu de nulle part
et la traversée de l’Erg nord sud avec seulement 4 points GPS.
Les préparatifs de la 6° édition du Merzouga Rally se déroulent calmement comme prévu.
Il y a une semaine, la clôture des inscriptions à tarif préférentiel a marqué un nouveau record
du nombre des coureurs et des pilotes engagés sur le Rallye.
Concernant le parcours, les reconnaissances ce sont terminées aujourd’hui après une semaine de dur labeur
dans le sud du Maroc.
C’est un désert vert et fleuri qui a accueilli l’équipe de reconnaissance et celle ci est très satisfaite du parcours
final du Merzouga Rallye.
« Les attentes sont plus élevées cette année, comme le nombre de coureurs et leur niveau a augmenté, j’ai
visé à concevoir une course technique, qui pourrait offrir de nouveaux endroits avec beaucoup de spéciales
géniales à parcourir » nous dis Edo Mossi, le promoteur et directeur de course qui était à la recherche de
spéciales nouvelles et stimulantes afin d’offrir un rallye varié.
Le Parcours
Pendant de nombreuses années Edo Mossi a organisé des excursions à vélo dans cette région et cela l’a
beaucoup aidé à trouver de nouveaux passages qui ne sont pas connus par les touristes
et les autres compétitions.
Il ya beaucoup de concurrents qui reviennent sur Merzouga Rally chaque année et il est donc important
de trouver de nouvelles pistes régulièrement et cette année, le parcours 2015 en comporte trois complètement
nouvelles.
Boudnib, Fezzou, Dayat Maider et M’Cissi, sont les noms des régions qui seront traversées par
le Merzouga rallye du 10 au 16 Octobre. Certains jours sont divisés en plusieurs spéciales pour la facilité
de la catégorie expert, qui parcours un itinéraire raccourci ainsi que pour pimenter la compétition
des coureurs Pro.
Pour le plaisir des concurrents, le Merzouga Rally comportera cette année une épreuve de cross au
milieu de nulle part ainsi qu’une spéciale qui fera traverser l’Erg (grande dune de sable) du nord au sud
avec seulement 4 points GPS.
Maintenant que le parcours est finalisé, la prochaine étape est la réalisation des roadbooks,
du travail pour le mois de juin.