The Andorran company GEFEI IRIDIOS TRAVEL, organiser of the DESERT RAID, has quickly reacted after the terrorist attack that occured in Tunisia last June. The immediate consequence has been the change of scenery for the event from Tunisia to Morocco or more specifically from the Grand Erg Oriental (Great Eastern Sand Sea) to the Ergs of the great south of Morocco: Chebbi – Ouzina – Chegaga, following the Forbidden Track of the Dakar.
It is worth pointing out that the dates will remain the same, from 10th to 19th October, and most importantly that the adventurous spirit of the previous six editions will once more be the main characteristic of the Desert Raid.
Albert Margarit, the person in charge of organising the event, explained as follows the reasons that forced the change: The safety of the participants and organisers is our highest priority and we didn’t doubt for a second in following the recommendations of the French Minister of Foreign Affairs and the declarations of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Philip Hammond, who on 9th July stated that the risk of another attack in Tunisia was very high. They recommended that we change the scenery of the 2015 edition and we have prepared an attractive option so we can honour the spirit of 100% adventure of the event.
Therefore, the spirit of the Desert Raid will remain untouched in the stages through the three Ergs. The itinerary was designed for the enthusiast of adventure, strategy and driving on sand. It will be an event adequate for any 4WD with a reduction gearbox, but without needing great investments or technical preparations. The categories will still be Adventure and Extreme, the latter for the teams who want to test their abilities on more demanding and harder paths. To overcome the routes in this category, it is imperative to have dexterity and, above all, experience driving on sand.
The changes, basically forced, will be on the itinerary followed by the participants through the different Ergs. According to Margarit, the stages are different but very appealing for the teams; here is what he had to say before starting his journey to Morocco: This special edition of the Desert Raid will include a fun nocturnal navigation through sand rivers, tracks and dunes. And there will also be a Navigation stage with Visual References. In these special stages, the participants will be able to show their navigation skills using the technical resources available to the first racers in African events.
As it can be seen, this will be an atypical edition of the Desert Raid. Despite all the obstacles along the way, the thrills are guaranteed on an itinerary planned, as always, by an experienced and professional organisation, which will take full advantage of such a particular orography as they have in Morocco.
 Press service.
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