And now, time for the technical verifications!
PALAIS NIKAÏA, NICE
Nice | Checks
In the vast hall, the workshops are set up, and the vehicles enter one after another and line up side by side.
The first vehicle to enter the hall is Team 197 (Christelle LEVASSEUR / Aurélie DJEBORI). A first team of volunteers immediately gets to work placing partner stickers on the vehicle, while the official Rallye plates are quickly installed with an electric screwdriver by a second team. At the same time, a third team checks their mandatory safety gear: goggles for protection from the sand, helmets that meet the required standards, Jerrycan for water, fire extinguisher.
They can then collect their safety and tracking equipment (Iritrack, Sarsat beacon and Unik device) for installation by the team of technicians.
The Iritrack provides precision satellite positioning to track each team’s location on the ground, monitor that everything is OK and deploy assistance vehicles if needed. SARSAT is a global radio beacon alert and location system. As for the Unik, its job is to measure and record the distance driven, since the goal of this rally is not to go as fast as possible, but to get from point A to point B by the most direct (shortest) route, using only maps and compasses, without GPS. Total off-road navigation, in the old-fashioned way!
Aurélie is delighted to be surrounded by no fewer than 7 men!
The last step is to pick up their ration packs: 11 different menus, which they chose beforehand according to their taste and diet.
Throughout the day, no less than 155 teams – and vehicles – visit each workshop: a long and busy day for Gazelles and organizers alike before tomorrow’s official start at the port of Nice. But the technical, administrative and medical verifications are not over yet! SSV/Quad teams, Moroccan teams and teams renting their vehicle in Morocco will go through the same procedure on Monday afternoon in Erfoud!
