why these two friends decided to challenge the Moroccan desert

It is a sporting and humanitarian challenge taken up by two friends from Puy-de-Dôme Lucas and Armand. They will participate in the 9th edition of the Bab-el-Raid Rally starting February 1st. A long preparation for a fortnight of adventure.

The 9th edition of the Bab-el-Raid Rally will take place from February 1 to 12, 2025. At the start, two friends and colleagues from Puy-de-Dôme, Armand and Lucas. Armand Lopes, 52, is not his first attempt: “It’s a humanitarian rally and it’s the 6th time I’ve done it. It’s the logical continuation of a lot of events and trips that I’ve been doing for years. I like cars and regularity challenges but above all it is an intergenerational rally. The youngest is 16 years old and participates with his father, the oldest at 84 years old. It’s for all levels and all social conditions, there is this very human aspect which is very nice.”

Armand, a lover of thrills and encounters, is quickly seduced by the Bab-el-Raid concept: “We bivouac in the desert, we can talk with people from different socio-professional categories, from different experiences, so it’s very enriching. I’m getting very addicted! On top of that, you also have the whole humanitarian side that is attached to this rally. Funds are collected throughout the year and the money is used to purchase date palm trees to create the largest solidarity palm grove in Africa. When you arrive there, you see this transformation that is taking place over the years, to allow local populations to stay there and not feed the slums of large Moroccan cities.”

For him, it is above all an extremely enriching moment of exchange. “We also take hygiene equipment, school materials, we share a Berber pizza with the locals. We made friends, I met people I see every year. We ask for news of the families. Bab el Raid is not limited only to a classic rally”. This year, Armand leaves with Lucas, 31 years old. They met at the Syndicat du bois de l’aumône in Riom: “He’s someone I met through my work. Then, we went to do humanitarian work in Ukraine, which went very well. It’s useful, it’s human. I like to go to Morocco to challenge the elements in special conditions. It’s very hot sometimes, there are difficulties. You have to find your way. I also love traveling, but travel is only as good as the people you meet.”

Since then, Armand has prepares from one year to the next, from a material, administrative and financial point of view. “There is already a vehicle to have, insurance… Excluding the car, you need to have a budget of at least €6,000. When registering for the rally, you have mechanical assistance, doctors, all the agency staff who supervise us and half-board hotels. We have to find sponsors to resolve the technical problems… Afterwards, we are in race mode, in challenge mode.” The challenge lasts more than a dozen days, almost 2 weeks. “From Fouras-les-Bains, the departure town, we cross the whole of Spain via Seville. Arriving in Tangier, we go up to Meknes, we spend a lot of time in the desert until Ouarzazate and we finish in Marrakech on the 12th. Afterwards, there is the closing party, the gala and we return. It takes 2 to 3 days. It goes by very quickly! We have intense days in the desert with a lot of mileage, a lot of orientation, we also sometimes sleep in night bivouacs.” An adventure full of events awaits our two participants.