MAURITANIA: MOTOR RALLY: Participants in the Africa Eco Race reach Mauritania a rally race that covers over 5000 kilometers

Record ID: 212684

  • Title: MAURITANIA: MOTOR RALLY: Participants in the Africa Eco Race reach Mauritania a rally race that covers over 5000 kilometers
  • Date: 8th January 2011
  • Summary: SLATE INFORMATION
  • Embargoed: 23rd January 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Mauritania, Mauritania
  • Country: Mauritania
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA4Y7G2NXED0TVUAUB9KW3A6KNP
  • Story Text: The third edition of 2011 African Eco Race, one of the toughest rally races in the world reached Mauritania, in a rally that began on December 29th in France.
    Rally teams, as well as four bikers from all over the world participated in the race, covering over 5000 kilometers from France, through Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal.
    The hardest part of this rally is considered to be the section where drivers and navigators must race against the clock in the harsh desert environment , especially in Mauritania.
    Bernard Malferiol is a co -pilot on one of the rally teams and explains some of the difficulties his team encountered in the desert.
    "We've had a mechanical incident, we have broken the front right shaft. We've had hard time to replace it, some elements were not definitely in place and we lost at least three to four hours, so today was a bad day," Malferiol said.
    The African Eco Race rally began in 2009, and organisers behind the event say they wanted to create an off-road sporting event, but with a priority on human values.
    Jean-Louis Scheller, is a driver and winner of the Paris-Dakar race, and is also tipped to win this year's Africa Eco Race rally.
    "We were very few for the first edition of the race, then we were a bit more for the second and this year we have a very beautiful bivouac and a lot of people. We don't have bikes but when it comes to cars and trucks, we have plenty. And I hope than in the years to come, this race will be something people can refer to," he said.
    The fatal shooting of four French tourists near the southern town Aleg on December 24, 2008 in Mauritania by al Qaeda's North Africa branch prompted the cancellation the famous Paris-Dakar rally.
    The cancellation of the rally, due to security threat in Mauritania, has resulted in the race taking place in South America from 2009 to now, the first time the race took place outside of Europe and Africa.
    The cancellation of the rally was keenly felt in the poor country straddling black and Africa, where it generates millions of dollars income.
    Rene Metge, manager for Africa Eco Race says the fact that the tournament takes place in Mauritania may be a way to bring back attention and confidence to Mauritania and to show that the country is no longer a security threat.
    "The countries that we traveled to, who were not part of the Dakar rally route, have asked us to put an event, following the comments that were made after the Dakar rally was canceled, which didn't put Mauritania in a good light, do they asked us to do something about it," said Rene Metge. Africa race manager For Bruno N'diaye, a biker, this race is also an opportunity for him to see where his family comes from. Born in France and a biker enthusiast, N'diaye wanted to discover his roots and entered the race for the first time.
    "It's not easy on a motorbike, because you are on your own, it's difficult. But I have to keep going because i have the will to go see my roots, because my grand father was Senegalese, so Idid everything to go there," N'diaye.
    The Africa Eco Race rallyon January 09 on the shores of Lac Rose, on the outskirts of Dakar.
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