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TRANS SAHARA RALLY OFFERS “AFRICA IN THE RAW” FOR AMATEUR ADVENTURERS
Added: (Thu Oct 08 2009)
An 18 day coast-to-coast trek will send travelers on a 6,000 kilometer journey starting at the Mediterranean Sea and heading straight through the heart of the Sahara all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. This trek is the Trans Sahara Rally, a minimal assistance motor rally for people who are not afraid of a little dirt.
The Trans Sahara Rally, which is set to kick off on March 14, 2010 from Tunis, Tunisia is absolutely unique in every way. Not since the Paris-Dakar rally of the '70s and '80s has this out-of-the-way route been used for a motorsport event of this scope. The rally is designed for participants to get in touch with the raw mysteries of Africa and to experience all the continent has to offer in a very intimate way.
Participants will travel through utterly remote regions of northern Africa, exploring places off the beaten track, like the expansive Sahara of Algeria, the breathtaking Savannas of Niger, and the remarkable national parks of Benin. The rally will conclude on the pristine beaches of Grand Popo at the Bight of Benin.
Teams from all over the world will drive their own vehicles along the route that event organizers have scouted. The rally is a “drive anything” event, in which participants can drive anything that can take a good beating – the route doesn’t always follow the smoothest road available.
The event is organized by Chennai Event Management Services, a group of seasoned experts in large scale motor rallies. CEMS organizes similar events across Europe, Asia and Africa, including the 4-event Rickshaw Challenge, the epic East European adventures of the Caucasian Challenge and the Budapest-Chernobyl Run and the crazy African project, Bus Number 7. CEMS will not act as a tour guide in the Trans Sahara Rally – there will be no lead car to follow, no support vehicles, mechanics, or translators to help people out of snags. Organizers have scouted the route of the rally in advance and will point teams in the right direction and cheer them on. The adventure, however, is in how each of the teams will rely on their own endurance, ingenuity, and luck to find their way to the finish line.
The Trans Sahara Rally is part expedition, and part competition. By signing up for the competition category, participants will be given tasks to complete along the way, worth a certain number of points that event organizers will keep track of. Don’t expect a speed race, however. Tasks range from geocaching challenges to test of skill and navigation.
The winning team of the Trans Sahara Rally will receive free entrance for two to the 2011 Mumbai Xpress Rickshaw Challenge, a nearly 2,000 kilometer, 2 week autorickshaw event that starts in Chennai and ends in Mumbai, India.
Participants in the Trans Sahara Rally may also sign up in the Touring category, forgoing the competition aspects of the event but still able to see Africa in all its glory. Like all CEMS events, the Trans Sahara Rally includes a charity element. This involves giving back to the local communities encountered along the route. CEMS has teamed up with local charity organizations to find out how and where help is most needed throughout the Sahara and the Sahel Belt. Specific charity information will follow.
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The Trans Sahara Rally is an extraordinary 18-day motor rally through the least-visited regions of North and Western Africa. For more information on registering as a participant or advertising as a sponsor, please contact info@transsahararally.com
www.transsahararally.com is a Chennai Event Management Services event combining the most exciting trends in motor sports and adventure tourism. To learn more about the Trans Sahara Rally and other CEMS events please visit www.cemsglobal.com.