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14 MARCH 2014: We became “official” today, once we were given our Gazelle vest and completed the series of steps at the technical verification. The admin day went smoothly and was well organized — and a special shout out to the organization here in France for going out of their way to give an American team such a warm welcome!
14 MARCH 2014: The Jeep was transformed from “civilian” to “Gazelle” as part of the technical verification day — getting a full complement of signage, and our number, 171, applied to the sides…
14 MARCH 2014: Today, Team 171 USnomads joins the rest of the Gazelles at Dreux, for a day dedicated to preparations, verifications, and administrtive procedures. Everything must conform to the regulations of the Rally, from the placement of the stickers on the Jeep, to our numbers on the helmet, to our equipment and emergency supplies. Everything is listed and must be verified.
Rally doctors review medical forms and take the opportunity to offer advice on how to deal with desert conditions. Rations are distributed and the teams will receive their official Gazelle vest — this year’s color is coral.
Finally there will be a control for smart phones, cameras, iPods, and watches that may have integrated GPS functions. The Gazelles are not allowed to have any of these devices during the race, and they will be handed in to officials at the start of the prologue. Teams are also prohibted from having any topographical maps other than the set of official topographical maps handed out during the administrative checks.
For more live coverage of Today’s event from the official Rally site: English | Français
With the rally departing from Paris in just 15 Days, here is a trailer to get us in the mood… [and apologizes for the ad at the start, it is embedded by the source of this video and we cannot remove it]
WHERE WE ARE
ABOUT THE DAY
DREUX: Technical and Administrative Checks
Today teams must present themselves and their vehicles at the Ouest Parisien Racing circuit in Dreux for a day dedicated to technical, administrative and mechanical verifications, and the official “stickering” of the vehicles. The objective for today: Get the Gazelle treams ready for D-day tomorrow — the presentation of teams to the public and the official departure from the foot of the Eiffel tower. The Rally departs tomorrow Saturday, March 15th at 15:00 from place Trocadero, Paris!
TEAM 171 PRESENTATION
USnomads, c’est l’histoire d’une amitié de plus de 20 ans, qui s’est construite à travers le temps, les cultures, les expériences de la vie et des voyages. Seule l’union de deux caractères forts et respectueux l’un de l’autre explique que nous soyons arrivées à nos fins dans chacun de nos défis.
Ceci est notre première participation au Rallye des gazelles et nous ne sommes pas des professionels, mais JoMarie a une certaine expérience de l’Afrique et des situations d’urgence. D’autre part, elle s’est totalement investie dans la préparation de cette course et Isabelle s’est récemment mise à la navigation.
Le Rallye des gazelles dans le désert marocain sera le théâtre d’une nouvelle épreuve pour nous : une Jeep, une boussole, une carte et tout le pouvoir de notre volonté d’y parvenir fera le reste.
Ce défi sportif s’inscrit dans un projet humain plus large, celui de traverser le désert du Sahara d’Ouest en Est dans l’espoir d’accompagner les équipes d’ONG dans leurs micro-projets d’aide aux peuplades nomades locales. JoMarie en produira un film documentaire qui donnera à mieux connaitre les hommes de cette partie du monde.
L’équipe 171 prendra fièrement son envol le 15 mars 2014 avec toutes les autres participantes ! Et que les meilleures gagnent !
Mais quelle valeur et quelle portée aurait cette leçon de vie, si nous n’étions pas soutenues par l’amour de nos proches, de nos amis et de tous ceux qui nous entourent. Merci !
SUPPORTING MOTHERS
Team USnomads is proud to support the work of MothersToMothers, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that recognizes the ability of mothers to change their destiny. MothersToMothers, founded by Pamela Parlapiano, partners with local women to create community supported day care and learning centers that change lives. Their model project in Amacho Wato Kebele, Ethiopia, has shown how with just a little help, the mothers in the community can improve the lives of a whole village. Please join us in supporting their efforts to take this successful model to more villages: Donate to MothersToMothers here. (Note that all donations go 100% directly to MothersToMothers).
CURRENT WEATHER
Detailed weather: Errachida
MORE NOTES FROM THE ROAD:
8 to 13 Mar 2014 – Paris: Preparations
1 to 7 Mar 2014 – Paris: Preparations
22 to 28 Feb 2014 – Training
15 to 21 Feb 2014 – Training
8 to 14 Feb 2014 – Training
Archive
FEATURE
Driving a Jeep off-road across the Sahara presents a different set of challenges than the recreational offroading we are familiar with, so we went to Barlow Jeep School in Sedona, AZ, to learn the ins and outs of desert driving from an expert… [read]
MORE INFO:
About Team 171 US Nomads
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FEATURE
A scouting trip in the company of experienced Dakar racers offers a preview of the challenges we will face during the Gazelle Rally and beyond. “The Gateway to the Sahara,” Ouarzazate is a calm and modern Moroccan town on the edge of the desert.… [read]
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