A busy first day

After 4 years we are finally back on Moroccan soil for the 12th edition of the MDC. The first day of  scrutineering took place in a relaxed atmosphere as much for the organisation as for the competitors. The main difficulty for the newbies was undoubtedly to install the electronic equipment and to make the last adjustments... For the regular crowd, it was all about the pleasure to meet the members of the organisation and the other competitors again. For the Casteu and BTR Racing teams the race started already during the administrative checks, to see who would finish first! It was a busy day for the organization but the atmosphere was relaxed. Richard (Marlink) puts things into perspective and is optimistic: "Everything is going well, nothing to report!” Alain, who supervises the technical checks, is also smiling: "We are well organised, the timetables are respected and we hope to get 195 vehicles done today. 5 vehicles show up every 20 minutes and there are 8 of us to check everything. No one wastes time and so far all the vehicles have been validated.”

Serenity throughout the bivouac

For those who will only be going through scrutineering tomorrow, it was an opportunity to check with the mechanics on all the little things that need to be done before the rally starts. The newcomers to the MDC were also able to exchange thoughts with the more experienced teams and benefit from their knowledge, especially among the co-drivers.

All this happened under the eyes of an enthusiastic organizer: "It's great to be back! We missed Morocco a lot in the last few years because of the COVID-19 crisis", Gert explains. "This year's event is fully booked with 1,300 people from all over the world. We have 550 vehicles registered, of which more than 300 are racing. I hope we all have a great week, everyone is excited and I am too. I hope everyone has a great time and let the best one win!”