2014 marks the 25th year of the "Rallye Aïcha Des Gazelles;" a off-road navigation rally in the Moroccan desert with an exclusively female field of competitors. Autoblog's Jonathon Ramsey got to tag along and write up the adventure from the passenger seat.
"Over nine days and six stages, each driver-navigator team has to find 60 checkpoints marked by red flags planted somewhere in more than 10,000 square miles of Moroccan landscape – hidden by trees, dunes, valleys, sandstorms – with no electronic or visual aids; organizers confiscate anything with cell service, GPS or wi-fi, and anything that enhances vision, like binoculars."
"The point is to find each checkpoint via the shortest distance, not the quickest time. Once you think you know where the flag is, the aim is to get there by driving a straight line through anything."
Here's a quick clip to show you what the event is all about and get you fired up. See below for parts 1 & 2 of Ramsey's story.
Via AutoBlog:
2014 Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles: Part 1 [w/video]
2014 Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles: Part 2 [w/video]
Image: Screengrab from the Rallye Aïcha Des Gazelles trailer