More than a new race, a new sport is born!
1st TransAfricaine Classic, 1st 4WD regularity rally, under the aegis of FFSA, 'made by Patrick Zaniroli' in November
Dear Friends,It is with great pleasure that I am introduce you my exciting new project on which I’ve long had my heart set (3 years)!
More than just the introduction to a new African challenge, this is truly the creation of an all new discipline linking Rally-Raid and Regularity
The TRANSAFRICAINE CLASSIC is not a rival or competitor to the other races, but rather an alternative appropriately adapted for amateurs, for all those who carry a certain nostalgia for a long-gone era, or who are looking for a challenge that meets both the expectations of their greatest dreams and the limits of their actual budgets.
I will keep you up to date and informed on the specifics of this unique opportunity over the course of the coming months. In the meantime, please feel free to contact me directly for additional information or to discuss the event in further detail.
Patrick Zaniroli
EDITORIAL: And if yesterday became tomorrow ...
Do you recall…how long was it in fact? Ah, yes, thirty years. Led by Jean Claude Bertrand, an adventurer who was as crazy as he was wonderful, a small group left Abidjan heading for Nice: the shoulder-to-shoulder pack and the lone biker, Thierry Sabine, who got lost near a dark mountain and became a true legend by creating the amazing Paris-Dakar off-road rally and then died during his quest.The early mornings at the Trocadéro and the Concorde, leather mingling with sequins on New Year’s Eve, vast crowds of spectators making way for the competitors all along the N20 highway, dozens of pages covering the event in Paris-Match magazine, VSD, and Le Point, people watching the rally for hours on TV, witnessing the distress of the now famous “idlers” … Those were the good ‘ole days! Yes, indeed, because those races across Africa fed the French people’s dreams, from the corporate CEO to the local hairdresser, and long before assembly-line car manufacturing or GPS navigation systems, each mile crossed in the open desert was a major achievement.
But that’s evolution. And although today, the race continues to thrill even the most experienced drivers, the general public no longer shares the passion: the dream has faded. The phenomenal speeds, the colossal sums of money, the outrageous logistical tools, this great expanse of Africa through which the racers virtually fly without even really seeing anything, the powerful emotions have disappeared.
But perhaps not forever!
Imagine a race that combines adventure and pleasure, one that takes you on a slalom course swerving and bumping along through sand dunes and camel pastures, over rough ‘n ride bridges on a rustic 4x4. Instead of racing all out against the clock, participants maintain an average speed, guided only by their common sense and road-book…. No airports but rather simple, family-style bivouacs set up in the shade at the foot of a baobab…. Blistering heat, and sweat, of course, certainly some fear but above all: incomparable pleasure…. That’s what we call the TransAfricaine Classic and it’s coming up in just about one year!
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