Gazelles: And It’s a Wrap!

Last Leg! Early Thursday morning competitors left the start line one last time for the final Leg of the rally. While the distances were shorter, the landscape was more variable, alternating between wide plains and steep valleys. In the distance the “Grand M’daouer” cliffs created one of the most beautiful backdrops in the world.

 

It’s windy out there

 

LEG 6 (Thursday March 27)

FOUM-ZGUID / FOUM-ZGUID – Ideal distance 120 km – Estimated time 9:00

Looped Leg

 

Where the real work gets done

 

This Should Have Been Easier!

The final Leg of the event was supposed to be one of the easier days for the Gazelles. Mother nature felt otherwise, though. Serious sandstorms blasted the bivouac all night long, making it difficult to sleep, and then continued through the morning. A lack of visibility made it difficult to see and even veteran teams made unusual mistakes. Team #188, Syndiely Wade (Senegal) and Florence Pham(Vietnam), who won the event in 2013, got so turned around that they missed the first CP and spent much of the morning backtracking to find it.

 

Checkpoint please

 

Battle for the Lead

At the start of Leg 6 only a 7.98 penalty separated team # 161, Jeannette James (GBR) and Anne Marie Borg (FRA), who had led the rally since day one, and team #118 Catherine Houlès (FRA) and Melanie Suchet (FRA). Even closer were teams ranked 2-5, all of whom were within 1.38 kilometers—one of the closest margins in history. This meant that while James and Borg had a comfortable lead, they were by no means safe even on the last day. Wade and Pham proved that even the top teams can get off track.

 

James and Borg, team #187 Carole Montillet and Chris Mayne,and Houlès / Suchet (the top three at the start of the Leg) all came through the final 8th CP around 7 p.m. just as it was closing, showing they were being incredible conscientious of each kilometer.

 

Sandstorms make navigation tough

 

At 7:30 p.m., James/Borg were the first of the three to arrive at the finish. “I’m in such a state of not knowing of whether or not we won,” said James. “I don’t even know what to say. We’ve been up in front all week and today we made some mistakes, so I don’t know where we are. I thought we would do a normal day but between CP2 and 3 we started to have some engine problems and it put stress on us and we lost some of our concentration.”

 

One last hurrah

 

Competing in her sixth Gazelle, James noted, “I’ve always had a relaxed attitude at the Gazelle, but this year, I’m sponsored by Volkswagen, so I knew I needed to take it more seriously. I was a lot more concentrated.”

 

Final results won’t be announced until Saturday, March 29th in the coastal town of Essaouira.

 

Yeah USA!

 

American Teams

Team #182: Rhonda Cahill and Rachelle Croft

Team #183: Emme Hall and Sabrina Howells

Team #171: JoMarie Fecci and Isabelle Nikolic

Team #107: Jo Hannah and Susanah Hoehn

 

I can see clearly now

 

Team #183: Emme Hall and Sabrina Howells—Go Girls!

One of the first teams overall to return to the bivouac on Thursday afternoon, the top ranked American team of Hall and Howells made all eight CPs despite poor visibility and were back around 3:15 p.m. The team, which started the day ranked 30, opted to take some of the bigger dirt roads, due to the poor visibility, which cost them in kilometers, but saved them in time and frustration. “It was so hard, you just couldn’t see anything,” said Emme, the team’s driver.

 

Emme and Sabrina – second time’s a charm

 

Competing in their second Gazelle, the women had a significantly different experience in 2014 than they did in 2013. While they had a little bit of a slow start and missed three CPs the first two Legs, they really started clicking the third day and didn’t miss another CP, which moved them up significantly in the rankings.

 

“It’s really hard to compare your first year to your second,” said Hall. “Experience makes so such a difference. Last year, I was more stressed, I think I took two showers the entire rally. We were more comfortable this year. It’s funny, when being out of your comfort zone starts to become comfortable. I’m wondering what’s going to get me out of my comfort zone next?

 

Team #182: Rhonda Cahill and Rachelle Croft—Coolest Stay at Home Moms Ever

The Montana moms dug deep and got all eight CPs on the last day, despite some tough visibility. “We are the coolest stay at home moms ever,” joked Croft, at the finish.

 

We aren’t your average soccer moms

 

According to Croft, their goal for Leg 6 wasn’t to take the straightest line, but to make all the CPs.  After suffering car problems all week, the team was relieved to complete the Leg with their wheels in tack. “I pushed myself harder this year,” said Croft, who competed in 2012 with Julie Meddows. “The race was harder but I wasn’t as scared. Next year, we are thinking we are going to do it in a minivan with mom pants.”

 

For Cahill, who was competing in her first Gazelle, she said, “I can’t believe I did it. What we went through to keep going with our car, I’m so relieved it’s over, but we’ll be back. We just don’t know when.” She also joked that, “I think I’m allergic to maps now.”

 

Team #171: JoMarie Fecci and Isabelle Nikolic

After making a mistake and plotting the second CP as if it were the first, Fecci and Nikolic got back on track and went on to make three CPs during Leg six. They returned to the bivouac before CP4 stating, “We didn’t want to risk ending up in Algeria.”

 

Jo Marie and Niki

 

The team, which is using the Gazelle to prep for an overland trip to document the cultures of North Africa in 2015, claimed the event was a success for them. “I think this was a great experience,” said Fecci. “We might not have to do this for real, but we’d be able to find our way around with a map and compass now. The desert has been de-mystified a bit and feels more approachable now.”

 

Team #107: Jo Hannah and Susanah Hoehn—The Adventure Has Just Begun

After suffering a mechanical issue that could not be repaired on course during the first day of the marathon leg on Tuesday, the Hoehn sisters were forced to spend two nights near the base of the Chegaga dunes while they waited for a flatbed truck to recover their car. They didn’t actually return to the bivouac until 9:30 a.m on Thursday morning, after the final Leg had begun. While disappointed that they weren’t able to take part in the final day, they were compensated with one of the best adventure stories of the event.

 

Team USA

 

On Wednesday, as they passed the day chasing the shadows around the truck, so they wouldn’t be exposed to the harsh Sahara sun, Jo Hannah said, “The whole time we were waiting, we were like ‘how is a flatbed truck going to get to us here.’ We had no idea when they were coming and we kept thinking we heard cars.”

 

But, alas, it did arrive. And what a sight it was—a flatbed truck making its way through the dunes of the Sahara.

 

“We just saw this colorful truck that looked like it should be transporting chickens coming at us, cresting the dunes, and I was like Susanah, ‘you’ve got to come see this.’” Then the driver gets out and he looks like he just stepped out of the movie Castaway, and he starts tweeting.”

 

And that, if you can believe it, was when the adventure began.

 

More on the Hoehn’s Sahara adventure to come in a later update. Their car is currently be transported to the town of Zagora and the sisters will make their way to Essaouira tomorrow with the rest of the teams for the final celebrations.

 

Rankings: The official rankings will be announced on Saturday in Essaouira. Please look for them on the Gazelle website:www.rallyeaichadesgazelles.com.

Tags: featured

Category: Gazelles, Rally Racing