The road is still long for Delphine Senez and Aline Waffelaert. In mid-April 2025, they will participate in the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles. Six months before departure, they are juggling between finding funding and preparatory internships.
The big departure is approaching slowly but surely for these two long-time friends. At the beginning of April, Delphine Senez and Aline Waffelaert will head south to participate in the 2025 edition of the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles. For ten days, those who call themselves the Gazelles of the Plain will travel the Moroccan desert in search of beacons, armed with a map and a compass.
An exceptional adventure for these two inhabitants of the Picardy plateau. “We wanted to have an experience that was out of the ordinary. We are both going to celebrate our birthdays in the desert and for Aline, it will be her 50th birthday, smiles Delphine Senez. We also wanted to get out of our daily routine as business manager and mother.” “What we are going to experience in the Moroccan desert is for us. Of course, afterwards, we will be able to make it happen with our families, but at the moment we wanted to experience something for ourselves because this rally advocates surpassing oneself, mutual aid and female solidarity. This is generally why we get involved”adds Aline Waffelaert.
€34,000 in investments for the gazelles of the plain
For a year, Delphine Senez and Aline Waffelaert have been looking for sponsors to support them financially in their Moroccan adventure. “Registration for the rally costs €15,000, which corresponds to the costs of organization, bivouac on site and fuel. Besides that, we must add insurance, equipment, rental of the geolocation beacon, rental of the 4×4 and navigation and driving courses.”
That is a total budget of €34,000 that the two gazelles wish to achieve thanks to the investment of their sponsors but also thanks to one-off actions, such as the sale of organic citrus fruits and avocados which has just ended. “It allows those around us and our friends to participate and support us. We had already made a first sale in February, which worked well.”
The gazelles are preparing to fully live the rally experience
Today, the Gazelles de la plaine are 70% of their objective but as the start approaches, everything accelerates because as for many participants, the two Picardy are completely novices, both in mechanics and in orientation. . “We do everything in parallel, between the search for sponsors, the sale of citrus fruits, the video meetings with the organization.”
On December 14 and 15, Delphine Senez and Aline Waffelaert will go to Avignon for a navigation course then at the beginning of February, head to Morocco for a piloting course in real conditions. “A lot of girls do it in France but we wanted to get a taste of the rally so as not to endure the race but to experience it to the fullest.” An internship that will go hand in hand with mental preparation, “like real athletes”.
Emeline Bertel
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