Logistics at the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles du Maroc: quite a history

Patrick Oudot, 71 years old, has been a loyal volunteer for 17 years. Nicknamed “Rantanplan”, André Boisserie is never far from his friend with whom he started at the “RAG”. Drivers of the 44-tonne “big  Dupessey truck”, together they transport bivouac material from Maïenga headquarters in Villeneuve-lès-Avignons to Morocco, and have been doing so for almost20 years. Their 44-tonne is loaded with tents, sleeping bags, air mattresses and all kinds of material and equipment for daily life at the bivouac. It’s a truck that is well known to the members of the organizing team, who always come there to collect their camping gear on their first night in Morocco. Professional drivers before they retired, they like to say that they drive as a team: “one changes gears and the other takes care of the clutch”. There is a real sense of complicity between them. “We’ve been saying for five years that we wouldn’t come back, and yet every year, here we are” laughs Patrick. At 77 years of age, André has made up his mind “You can’t make an old man like me drive anymore, you never know… I could have a heart attack”. Behind this rational decision lies an attachment, a lot of memories and joyful shared moments that will not be easy to leave behind.

Gilles Garnier and Pascal Sauvageot are in charge of the “small truck”. Colleagues and friends in “real life”, they spend more than 3 days side by side in the cabin to ensure safe delivery of important equipment: ration packs, partner products, Iritrak (device installed in the Gazelles’ vehicles to track their position and movements, Unik (odometer), video equipment, and more.