The only African rally raid to start from the European continent got under way in the Principality last Saturday, with the teams heading for the Senegalese capital.
After a two-year hiatus, the Africa Eco Race is back! On the programme
for this rally-raid: an official start in Monaco, before heading to France,
Morocco, and Mauritania, and finishing on the banks of Lake Retba in Senegal.
The 500 participants in this sporting and human adventure were all
smiles as they took their seats behind their handlebars or steering wheels, at the
prestigious Port Hercule in the heart of the Principality. The warm and festive
atmosphere was fully in keeping with the rally raid spirit, and the values that
make this event so unique.
While the event is a genuine sporting challenge, the
Africa Eco Race is also about the commitment and values shown by the drivers
and the cities taking part. Since its creation, 30% of the participants on
average have offered endorsements or donations enabling the organisers to
support local charities, schools, hospitals and other causes.
The event is also about environmental sustainability,
with the day-to-day organisation of the Africa Eco Race using alternative
energies, and funding provided to sustainable projects, including tree-planting
in Mauritania or the creation of a solar power plant.
It’s a similar story with the vehicles, which aim for
environmental sustainability and some competitors using the rally raid to
develop promising new projects for the future. For example, Arnaud Jacquart is
riding an all-electric motorcycle that is recharged using solar energy, Team Latvia’s
car is fully electric, and Team Kamaz Master are using a hybrid truck to
demonstrate the potential for using natural gas as a fuel.
Solidarity, environmental sustainability, and safety…
Continuing the timeless love affair between Monaco and motorsports, the Africa
Eco Race has been collaborating with the Principality since 2016 without a
hitch!
To find out the winners of the 2022 race, join us at
the vast bivouac on the banks of Lake Retba on Sunday 30 October!
Incidentally, the organiser
of Africa Eco Race is none other than Jean-Louis Schlesser, a versatile driver
whose successes include a French Formula 3 Championship title shared with Alain
Prost, five rally raid world cups, and two victories in the Paris-Dakar! The Frenchman,
who was also a test driver for the Williams Formula 1 team, was inducted into
the FIA Hall of Fame in 2019.
©Africa Eco Race