The deputy mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, officially started the 25th edition of the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles.
On Saturday around 3 p.m., Christian Estrosi launched the 2015 edition of the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles. After several months of waiting, the 132 crews of this 100% female rally were finally able to start this one-of-a-kind race. The participants must complete the course by reaching checkpoints with the least amount of kilometers, not in the least amount of time, and without GPS.
The competitors left the azure city to head towards Sète before joining Nador in the northeast of Morocco.
It was the first time that the city of Nice hosted the start of the race. And on this occasion, a considerable crowd gathered along the Promenade des Anglais throughout the day. The departure village was bustling. Families, friends, or mere passersby, everyone wanted to cheer on the stars of the day. The public was able to interact with the Gazelles and discover the vehicles they would use to travel through Morocco for two weeks.
The giant Zumba and flashmob led by Quebec choreographer Jean-Marc Généreux also gave the crews a chance to relax one last time before the much-anticipated moment.
Notably, this year, a team from Nice is participating in the adventure. It is composed of Hélène Baboulène-Becour, an engineer at the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis, and Chris Mayne, singer of the group Native. Aboard their Toyota HDJ 100, they are competing to support Monaco Collectif Humanitaire, in association with Nice-Matin.
