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JANUARY 7th 2020 : STAGE 1 TANGER MED / TARDA: 754,24 km
Liaison: Tanger Med / Kenitra: 241,28 km
SS: Kenitra / Zardal: 23,18 km
Liaison: Zardal / Tarda: 489,78 km
After crossing the Mediterranean for two days, the participants of this 12th edition of the AFRICA ECO RACE® will finally get to the heart of the matter. They will start this first stage with a 241 km liaison which will lead them to Kenitra where will be given the start of the first SS of the rally. It will be a short special sector in the Maamora cork oak forest. The route will be mainly sandy and windy with some holes and ruts. No major difficulty is to be noted except for the trucks which will have to watch certain passages under the trees. A selective sector which will mainly determine the starting order for the next day. After this warm-up, the participants will head for the Tarda bivouac, which is still almost 500 km away. It will be the longest liaison of the Rally.
JANUARY 8th 2020 - STAGE 2 TARDA / MHAMID: 333,13 km
Start Bivouac
SS: Tarda / Mhamid: 329,47 km
On several occasions on the AFRICA ECO RACE® 2020, the starts will be given from the bivouac. So it will not be too hot when the first motorcycles start at sunrise. Until the first erg that the competitors of the Africa Eco Race raced through for the first time in 2019, meaning a little more than 100 km, the special is unprecedented. A 100% Moroccan track with many wadis, sometimes very stony and gravelly track, sometimes rolling with some undulations. Therefore, pay attention to the tire pressure for the first few wheel treads in the sand. The 200 kilometers to Mhamid will be identical to last year with rather fast tracks, some more delicate areas and most of all, navigation in the middle of wide open spaces. A few small dune crossing will be the last difficulty of the day, about ten kilometers from the finish.
9th JANUARY 2020 : STAGE 3 MHAMID / ASSA : 516,31 km
Transfer : 4,58 km
SS : Mhamid / Assa : 497,44 km
Liaison : Assa / Oued Draa : 14,29 km
With 497 km of special stage, the third day of racing will be like this 12th edition of the AFRICA ECO RACE®, focused on endurance and navigation. After sixty kilometers, the participants will cross Erg Chegaga for 28 kilometers. Even if this chain of dunes is now well known, since used by several rallies in Morocco, it will be tricky. The rest of the route, with the exception of a small new part, will be identical to previous years with, in particular an ultimate very rolling track which will allow journalists present at the finish to see vehicles tumbling down from very far away at full speed.
JANUARY 10th 2020 : STAGE 4 ASSA / SMARA: 404,53 km
Start Bivouac
SS: Assa/Sidi Laroussi: 385,39 km
Sidi Laroussi / Smara: 19,14 km
For this penultimate Moroccan day of the AFRICA ECO RACE®, it is a beautiful special stage, very pleasant and entirely new that the participants will tackle. Interesting gravel tracks, fairly fast on average with just a few rocky parts, the pilots will be able to give it their all. The navigation must not be overlooked with several delicate points, especially on a large and very fast chott where it will be necessary to stay on course. The end of this leg will also be rather complicated in navigation but also technically with a very difficult wadi crossing since it will be necessary to slalom between the holes and the trees.
JANUARY 11th 2020 : STAGE 5 SMARA / DAKHLA: 686,10 km
Transfer: 1,17 km
SS: Smara / Wad Assag: 473,17 km
Liaison: Wad Assag / Dakhla: 211,76 km
The descent towards the great Moroccan south will be done at high speed on good tracks chosen in the heart of rather monotonous desert landscapes. On the other hand, once again, you will have to be extremely vigilant in terms of navigation with many parallel tracks and a lack of landform. Enough to conclude this first week of racing in style before tackling the now traditional well-deserved rest day, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in Dakhla, for the entire caravan of the AFRICA ECO RACE®.
SUNDAY JANUARY 12th 2020 DAKHLA: REST DAY
For the sixth consecutive year, the rest day bivouac will be installed in Dakhla, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. Pleasant temperatures and a golden sun should be there for this well-deserved break. This day will allow the crews to repair their mechanics, to regenerate physically and to prepare for the next stages in Mauritania.
JANUARY 13th 2020: STAGE 6 DAKHLA / CHAMI: 559,93 km
Liaison: Dakhla / Arzmeila: 383,36 km
SS: Arzmeila / Chami: 176,57 km
Bivouac Arrival
After a very early departure from Dakhla to reach the border between Morocco and Mauritania early morning, in order to satisfy simplified customs formalities specially negotiated for the rally, the competitors will discover a special stage raced only once since the start of AFRICA ECO RACE®. The route, very sandy, will evolve along the Banc d'Arguin. Even if it will not involve any particular technical difficulties, navigation will be a tough exercise which should prove to be very useful for the Mauritanian stages to come. The arrival of this small leg will take place directly at the bivouac in the middle of the afternoon. Enough time for the audience to properly overhaul the vehicles before the next day's marathon stage.
TUESDAY JANUARY 14th 2020: STAGE 7 CHAMI / AIDZIDINE: 477,95 km
Start Bivouac
SS: Chami / Aidzidine: 477,95 km
Arrival Bivouac
This special stage will start from the Chami bivouac to arrive directly at the Aidzidine bivouac, a village located between Akjoujt and Atar, at the foot of the mountains. The peculiarity of this selective sector is that it is almost entirely off-track and therefore includes pure navigation without any existing route. This stage will be varied with at first crossing of dunes and camel grasses. After the motorcycle refueling, that is to say at the halfway point, the route is composed of 80% sand and little stones, and joins the single track alongside the Mauritanian railway with a large rapid section. Then the serious things will really start with dune crossings which will be complicated depending on the direction of the wind. The last part of this long stage will be relatively rolling but still strong in navigation.
JANUARY 15th 2020: STAGE 8 AIDZIDINE / TIDJIKJA: 450,83 km
Transfer: 3,05 km
SS: Aidzidine / Tidjikja: 429,01 km
Liaison: Tidjikja / Bivouac: 18,77 km
This selective sector will include two motorcycle refueling, the first of after 70 km. The reason is that the middle of the stage is difficult of access for KERO trucks. The start of this very nice leg is completely new with sand tracks until the Tifoujar pass, then with a very stony plateau, not too fast, until the village of Maaden. Then comes the descent into the white valley with at the end, a relatively difficult passage of dunes. The track will then evolve through various wadis towards the pass of Elnouk. From there on, it will be a portion never used by the Rally before, partly off-track across magnificent landscapes. A beautiful dune crossing located just off the service road may interest journalists after CP3. Until the end, it will be relatively rolling but navigation will be very difficult due to the absence of tracks since no one ever evolves in this sector.
JANUARY16th 2020: STAGE 9 TIDJIKJA / TIDJIKJA: 469,11 km
Liaison: Tidjikja / Nimlane: 27,16 km
SS: Nimlane / Nimlane: 415,07 km
Liaison: Nimlane / Tidjikja: 26,88 km
This will be the only loop stage of this 12th edition. Probably the most beautiful special stage of the Rally with a route never taken by the AFRICA ECO RACE. The participants will be really spoiled by what they will see during this unique day with even a little surprise revealed only at the bivouac the day before. After a first half-sand / half-pebble portion, the route will become entirely sandy in a huge corridor alternating between dunes and large sublime spaces. Even if the route will avoid the large dunes, the crossings will not be easy, especially at the end of the route with a long sandy climb between large narrow rocks which could cause a lot of problems in the event of a crash because it is almost a unique track. The last 35 kilometers will be on the same part as that taken in the morning, in reverse.
JANUARY 17th 2020: STAGE 10 TIDJIKJA / IDINI: 600,59 km
Liaison: Tidjikja / El Kouaz: 77,34 km
SS: El Kouaz / Idini: 499,46 km
Liaison: Idini / Bivouac: 23,79 km
After the 77 km liaison, including a 50 km track, the AFRICA ECO RACE competitors will tackle the longest special of this 2020 edition. The landscapes will once again be breathtaking, and two thirds of the day's route will be new. 90% of sand will be present since the route will evolve between dunes, some of which will have to be crossed. Navigation will be essential, and it will be necessary to be vigilant and follow the course of the road-book to not to end up on wrong tracks and loose precious time. Fortunately, the second half of the special, after the Moto and SSV refueling, will be fast with little navigation but you will have to be careful in the big turns between the small dunes. There will still be a small liaison on the road to hope before a well-deserved rest.
JANUARY18th 2020: STAGE 11 IDINI / ST LOUIS: 473,65 km
Transfer: 1,95 km
SS: Idini / Teverit: 187,16 km
Liaison: Teverit / Saint Louis: 284,54 km
As every year, the last Mauritanian special will be rather short but competitors will have to stay focused until the end. The partly new 187 km route will be relatively quick with some dune crossings but no major difficulties. At the end, a sense of freedom since the Rally will be almost finished. The last long road connection with the passage of the dike and the Senegalese border to reach the bivouac installed on the old Saint Louis aerodrome will be the last big exercise of this 12th edition of the AFRICA ECO RACE. But at the end, friends and families will be there to spend one last beautiful African evening.
JANUARY 19th 2020: STAGE 12 ST LOUIS / DAKAR: 299,75 km
Liaison: St Louis / Niokhob: 229,67 km
SS: Niokhob / Lac Rose: 21,93 km
Transfer: Lac Rose / Dakar: 48,15 km
After a night under the starry Senegal sky, the sun will not yet be up when the competitors of the AFRICA ECO RACE® 2020 will set off on the final liaison to Niokhob, a fishing village on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, located close to Dakar. The traditional lined up start will be given on the beach. A unique moment and the last opportunity to unleash the horses to try to be the first for fun in this legendary Lac Rose leg. The last 22 kilometers to be timed will feel like a reward for some whilst for others, it will be more freeing. The last effort of the adventure will be to participate in the award ceremony organized with the Senegalese Federation of Auto and Motorcycle Sport. Driving up on the podium installed on the banks of Lac Rose will be the opportunity for all the heroes of this magnificent African adventure to be applauded by the officials, enthusiasts, family, partners or friends present at the arrival of this 12th edition of the AFRICA ECO RACE®.
