Competing in Moroccan rally

[l3m]

Killing some time here at JFK airport enroute to Marrakech. My bro-in-law and I are participating in the 2013 Rallye du Maroc Historique. A 6-day, 2500km rally through the Moroccan countryside. There are 85 teams participating, more than 25% are 911's. Been brushing up on my navigating skills for the past month. Our car is prepped and ready to go.

[herman maire]

Wow.. Car looks very impressive .

What is the cost to compete in this . Was there any problems shipping the car from the U.S.
I probably would have hooked up a A/C system considering your destination .

[l3m]

The car was prepped and shipped from the UK. I have no idea how much it cost to ship. It was a total package deal - entry fee, shipping, hotel, gas, parts, repair crew.

[Kenny Boxster]

It's always one of my dreams to be in a rally that spans many days of miles. You are really lucky to be able to compete in this event. Congratulations, and all the best!

[jaykay]

Awesome ...let her rip and stay cool

J

[Overdrive]

Don't come back if you don't win.

Good luck, stay safe and have fun.

[Eric G]

Pictures please! You are living a dream for many of us and this will let us live vicariously through you guys! Good luck!!!!

[bebeto986]

Good luck my friend !!! we need sone pics and I'll be in puerto Rico next week they invite me to a 1/2 mile race next Sunday ,, adrenaline rush next week , I need sone of that, and this is his 2nd rally , 1rst one he went was in Africa in 2009 , l3m is a good friend of mine , good luck and if you don't win, stay there buddy !!

[l3m]

Here are some pics from the rally. We started 60th and finished 26th overall with no penalties and no breakdowns. I thought it was going to be a battle between the 911's and the Escorts but in the end, the winner was Peugeot. 2nd and 3rd place were 911's. What a great experience seeing all the European rally cars and driving through the Atlas mountains. Morocco is a beautiful country and their people are very nice, friendly and accommodating. This was less tiring than the 10-day 2009 rally we did in Kenya and Tanzania. Although most of the rally teams spoke French, a few that spoke English helped us along the way.



Our '72 Porsche 911








'70 Porsche 914/6




'75 Peugeot 504 V6 Coupe. Won 1st place overall.


'75 Porsche 911. Won 2nd place overall.


'77 Ford Escort RS Mk2. Finished 4th place overall.

[l3m]

'66 Porsche 911 S


'81 Renault 5 Turbo. This car won some European rallies in the early 80's.


'69 Citroen DS Coupe. This car won rallies in the late 50's and 60's.


'85 Citroen Visa 1000 Pistes


'81 Porsche 911 SC


'81 Porsche 911


'68 Ford Escort 1600 Twincam Mk1


'80 Mercedes 500 SLC Coupe.


'80 Mazda RX7


On Day 2, we had a broken seal on the rear passenger damper.

[l3m]

End of Day 5 - the three Tuthill 911's in our team being prepped for the start of Day 6


Waiting in line to start a special stage.


Start of Day 4 at the Parc Ferme in the town of Merzouga, at the edge of the Sahara desert.


A common sight - Me and my fellow co-drivers waiting for our designated check-in time at stage time control


The mountains we drove through were just spectacular.






High up in the Atlas mountains. We drove through 300 miles of twisty mountain roads. Boxster heaven.


At one of the rally regrouping stations, I took a picture of this camel and his owner.

[jaykay]

An over-used word but..

Epic!

[Jittsl]

Wow and I though the targa Newfoundland that my brother and i ran in 08 & 11 was an adventure

[l3m]

Here's the official rally video.

Rallye Du Maroc 2013

3 mins. into the video, the special stage up the mountain on Day 1 was fun and breathtaking. On Day 2, the 1st special stage passed by the painted (blue) rocks of Tafraoute. In 1985, a Belgian artist used 18 tons of paint to color the large boulders. It was weird to see that out in the middle of nowhere. On Day 4, we end up in Ifrane, a beautiful Swiss-like ski resort town up in the mountains. With pine trees and luscious green landscapes, it was a refreshing sight after driving four days through desert terrain.

Additional video: Rally aerial views

[murphy986]

Thank you l3m for posting link to video. I thoroughly enjoyed it! I'm just getting into AX and DE, and this REALLY opens up the possibilities as to what direction one can choose to go... Beyond bucket list. Cheers!