Syd Stelvio – Sahara Challenge - Day 12 – Casablanca to Tangier – 379km

The last Casablanca Grand Prix took place in 1958 and was won by Stirling Moss. This morning, as the rally cars of the Sahara Challenge began their exodus from the famous city, it might have felt to some that the old race was being re-run, only every car in the metropolis had entered.

So far, we have largely escaped the anarchy of the morning rush hour in a Moroccan city, we even got out of Fes with few issues. This morning though, on our last day in the country Morocco delivered, and delivered in spades. The traffic was chaos, lane discipline was non-existent and traffic signals were to be taken as mere serving suggestions. For anyone who hasn’t experienced this sort of mob rule driving before, it was probably a bit of a culture shock, but there’s no choice other than to get your elbows out and get involved. The rules are simple, there aren’t any, simply find a line and stick with it, until you need to switch lanes to continue your progress. Intersections become sector markers, traffic islands overtaking opportunities and every car should be treated as an opponent. Oh, and expect the unexpected. Traffic Police blow whistles, but they may as well be cheerleaders for all the good it does, their hand signals are about as authoritative as an overwhelmed supply teacher and everyone simply does as they need to, to get where they are going. But, somehow, it just kind of works…

Casablanca completed and everything calmed down, as for one final time we headed out to see what Morocco had to offer. The answer was nearly 300 km’s of motorway, smooth, easy blacktop that didn’t bump and jar, and wasn’t broken. It was, after all the surfaces we have driven on, a bit of a treat. I’m conflicted about writing that, after all this is an adventure rally. Sometimes though, you just have to get somewhere and today we needed to get to Tangier and get the mid-afternoon ferry back to Spain, In the twilight of our Saharan escapade.

The hours on the motorway did give us pause to reflect though, to think of all that we have seen in the past nearly two weeks. The incredible and ever-changing countryside, the tremendous best in a lifetime road, of which we will all have our individual favourites. There were the days when everything flowed, all of the timing points were hit and you had a best ever result, as well as the days when things didn’t quite go to plan. For some of us, who were virgins to this sort of event there was time to contemplate on whether expectations were met, or whether it wasn’t as expected but this sort of rallying is now a newfound addiction. There are the people that we have met, on the road and in our group and the new friendships born that will carry long after the final time control has been passed. There are the difficult times as well, when it all seemed too hard, or the car broke down or the days when communication between driver and navigator was frostier than a Brexit negotiation. Or the times when interactions with the locals were not as cordial as we would want. All of these things though, are the parts of a rally, and eventually the stories of the hard times are the anecdote’s you recount the most.

There was still time to make a memory or two though, as whilst two thirds of the day was transit, the final run into Tangiers was marked with a pair of regularities, and largely off-road. The first was simple, the second, well, there was a tricky slot that caught a number of crews out, including second placed Tony Sutton and Andrew Lawson. That’s rallying though, it isn’t over ‘til it is over, and tomorrow there are three regularities in the Spanish Mountains that could yet do a bit of sorting out.

With that said, the times posted today cemented the top three in either category, and the time that Sutton and Lawson made up on Jorge Perez Companc and Jose Volta yesterday, was largely lost today with the Aussies recording 2:11s of penalty. The field was fairly static throughout, but there was a position gain for Morgan Hector and Florence Fontaine in the big Chevy Camaro, and the Citroen of Michael Lutolf and Patricia Henderson also gained a place. The most important news though, was that everyone made the boat, including the LaFrance and those cars that needed to be towed on. We are all safely back in Spain then, ready for the final day and I daresay the finish. But don’t wish away those final miles too readily, as the mountains and roads here are fantastic and must be savoured. So, enjoy, but most importantly look after the car and eek out those final 243 km to the finish. I’ll see you there for a well earned drink.

Syd