Colleagues and friends
TEAM 166
Competing for Transavia
For the fourth year Transavia, Air France-KLM’s low-cost airline, is a partner and sponsor of the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles du Maroc. Along with Stéphanie and Isabelle, two other teams are representing Transavia in this 28th edition. “The first time a Transavia team competed, we told ourselves we would do it. We had the chance to apply for the call for volunteers in 2016. It was obvious we should come back, and it’s even better with Transavia.”
An experience to be shared with young and old
Four years ago, the two mothers became pregnant almost at the same time, which is when they became friends and accomplices! It is hard for the Gazelles to be far from their children. The opposite can also be true. Last year, Isabelle’s children vetoed her competing, so this year she found a new strategy. “I brought the 4×4 into the school yard and came to explain the concept of the Rallye and of Cœur de Gazelles. During the event, the teacher discussed it with the students every morning. My daughter became a star, and now it’s easier for her to accept my going.” The team will have quite a welcome committee in Essaouira. “We want to share it with them.”
A crazy adventure that pushes your limits
A sense of belonging, of letting go, of freedom and the chance to do something for themselves: that is what they are looking for. “I literally fell in love with the desert and with this crazy adventure that pushes your limits,” added Stéphanie. “You never get tired of these landscapes, there’s nothing like it. Not many people have seen the sun rise in the dunes.”
Stéphanie chose to navigate because “it’s logical and meticulous. And yet, I’m not at all like that at home.” Isabelle is having more and fun driving. “We do pretty crazy things. The first time I drove over a dune, I couldn’t believe it, I didn’t think I would be able to get over that type of terrain.” The Gazelles have learned a great deal over the years. “The first time, I had a happy-go-lucky attitude to reading the terrain. Now Stéphanie keeps track of our headings but we’ve both had the training.” The hardest thing remains the dunes. “They still scare me.” That’s only natural: it’s not every day that we drive in the dunes!
