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 The
6th Rallye ORPI Maroc will be the second African round of the FIM World
Championship and FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies, as a sequel
to the Rallye Optic 2000 Tunisie (1-11th April 2005).
Organised since 2000 by NPO, the Rallye ORPI Maroc is an event that has
never stopped growing.
Last year the rally's caravan comprised 233 vehicules for a set
unequaled in a World Cup event.
With a brand new course set in sumptuous scenery along the extreme
southern Atlantic coast of Morocco, the 2004 edition thrilled all the
competitors and casted aside any idea that the Moroccan pistes are
anything else than pure fun!
Cyril NEVEU and Jean Christophe PELLETIER have chosen the same general
location for 2005. New this year: no GPS point on 5 navigational
stages. In essence, the best way to return to the values that have made
the Cross Country Rally legend.
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TOTAL : 2,123 kms -
LIAISON : 698 kms - SPECIAL : 1,425 kms
Wednesday 25th May -
AGADIR / OUED CHEBIKA
409 kms
Liaison Agadir/Tifnit 43 kms
1st Special Tifnit/Aglou
Plage 62 kms
Liaison Aglou Plage/Sidi
Ifni 68 kms
2nd Special Sidi Ifni/Tan
Tan 180 kms
Liaison Tan Tan/Oued
Chebika 56 kms
The first of the two specials in this stage is the shortest in the
Rally. It provides an ideal warm-up since it consists of sandy track
running along the Atlantic coast.
After a 68-km liaison, the second special starts from the village of
Sidi Ifni, famous for its prickly pears.
The first part of the route again follows the coast on technical
tracks. The vehicles are confronted with a series of climbs and
descents on the banks of the many oueds they cross, all in a
Colorado-Provence style setting.
Subsequently, the competitors must go round an impassable ridge of
dunes before crossing a oued that will take them to Fort Aoreora.
They then take a track along a cliff lined with fisherman’s huts,
before continuing on tracks that frequently change direction and are
sometimes sandy, sometimes stony.
Fording the Oued Dra is the final trial before the last, very fast 12
kilometres leading to the finish on the outskirts of Tan Tan.
After a liaison on tarmac, the competitors will arrive at the
magnificent Oued Chebika bivouac, pitched by the Ocean.
Thursday 26th May - OUED
CHEBIKA / LAAYOUNE
426 kms
Transfer Bivouac/Start 4 kms
Special Oued
Chebika/Lemseyed 351 kms
Liaison Lemseyed/Tarouma
71 kms
To begin this special stage, the competitors travel 60 kms along the
Oued Chebika on a highly enjoyable, technical, but never damaging
track, which demands a great deal of navigation.
Then they follow a former Paris-Dakar track marked with cairns for 100
kms.
On this very rapid section, drivers and riders can unleash all the
power of their engines. Then the track turns technical again, until the
village of Sidi Hamed Laroussi.
From there until km 272, it runs through the Oued Sequiet El Hamra.
Initially, it is sandy with good going, then it becomes more varied,
with climbs and descents on the banks of the oued.
The last section of the route is relatively fast until the finish line.
Finally, there is a liaison to the bivouac at Tarouma, an old fishing
village not far from Laayoune.
Friday 27th May - LAAYOUNE
/ OUED CHEBIKA
431 kms
Transfer Tarouma/El Marsa 21 kms
1st Special El Marsa/El
Marsa 99 kms
Liaison El Marsa/Foum El
Oued 22 kms
2nd Special Foum El
Oued/Akhfenir 224 kms
Liaison Akhfenir/Oued
Chebika 65 kms
Plotted in the shape of a loop, the first special of this stage begins
with 50 kms totally off-track.
A small erg of about twenty kilometres that caused quite a lot of
problems for some of last year’s competitors features again. So watch
out for tyre pressures!
On leaving the dunes, a big track marked by large cairns will enable
the fastest vehicles to show what they are capable of, before
continuing off-track for the last 20 kilometres, following the conveyor
belt of a phosphate plant.
The first part of the second special, 60 kms long, is off-track over
the beach, taking the competitors to the fishing village of Amgriou. On
the way, the vehicles pass by the beached wrecks of ships.
After this section comes a radical change of course, with the route
heading due east to the tarmac and assistance point. After that, the
track runs along the impressive Sebkha Tah depression, 55 metres below
sea level, before reaching a track of varying speed that leads to a
small pass with drifts of sand, which may prove difficult to cross…
The competitors then head down into another depression before climbing
up to a plateau and beginning another off-track section. They still
have to find another pass to cross before beginning their winding
descent towards the finish line of this 3rd stage.
Saturday 28th May - OUED
CHEBIKA / AGADIR
567 kms
Liaison Oued Chebika/Tan Tan 58 kms
Special Tan Tan/Tarmguist
291 kms
Liaison Tarmguist/Agadir
218 kms
The start of this 4th special offers very good going on a fairly
technical track leading to a pass in the heart of the mountains.
After this pass, a track marked with cairns takes the competitors to
M’sied and the assistance point.
For 100 kms, cairns continue to guide the vehicles along a track that
passes through vegetation, crossing a large number of chotts, all
featuring basins and undulations that will require quite a lot of
changes of pace.
At kilometre 206, the competitors leave the main track once and for all
and take to a narrower route which is more technical, especially where
it crosses a pass after running through a magnificent canyon. Leaving
the mountain, the competitors reach the finish of the special stage to
the south of Goulimine, via a last section that provides fairly good
going.
They then complete the longest liaison of the Rally, taking them to the
comfort of Agadir’s hotels.
Sunday 29th May - AGADIR /
AGADIR
290 kms
Liaison Agadir/Start 27 kms
Special Agadir/Tifnit 218
kms
Liaison Tifnit/Agadir 45
kms
This final special in the form of a loop around Agadir offers
marvellous scenery and is the most varied of the event.
After a 27-km liaison between the hotels and the starting line, the
first 70 kilometres on sandy tracks with good going will be a pure
delight for drivers.
There will be plenty for navigators to do too, with many changes in
course. The competitors then cross mountainous foothills to arrive at
the old, deserted village of Sous Ait Ahmed.
After continuing on technical tracks to reach the assistance point,
they cross the road that runs from Tiznit to Agadir, before beginning
the least amusing part of the Rally, with the track running through
many villages.
Keep an eye on your speed, since there will be radar checks and it
would be a shame to incur penalties on the last day. Self-control is
needed…
The remaining 25 kms to be covered before the finish line by the sea
will be a final test of the skills of riders, drivers and navigators,
who will be delighted to complete this Moroccan week to the applause of
the many VIPs and officials present.
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