“It puts our feet back on the ground”: two brothers embark on the organization of the Dakar rally

A little tour and then set off again. The Fauchié brothers are far from having said the last word: here are the two Lotois once again on the starting line of the Dakar rally, on January 2. Not as a runner, no. But as assistants like for ten years now. Jérôme and Christophe Fauchié are back for a new edition in the organization of the famous race which is being held again this year in Saudi Arabia. We take the same ones and start again, with our desire intact. “The Dakar rocked our childhood and continues to accompany our lives. We are already counting the days,” announces Jérôme Fauchié, who is packing his large 35 kg suitcase. Like last year, he will return to his position as assistant in the neutralization zone, that is to say he will take care of the runners during their recovery time. “My mission is to check the state of health of the participants, who stop for around twenty minutes in this specific area. Accompanied by a doctor, I check that they are well hydrated and fed, I also review the operation of their equipment, particularly GPS,” explains the Lotois.

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Christophe Fauchié, for his part, remains to the aid of motorcyclists without assistance, the “motorcycle trunks”, those who transport their equipment, because they have not been able to afford assistance. The one who works the rest of the time in a parts company supervises navigation equipment, security and transports the trunks of broke pilots, filled with a sleeping bag, a tent and spare parts.

From 5°C to 50°C in the dunes

In the dunes of Saudi Arabia, Jérôme Fauchié is far from his post at the joint sanitation union in the country of Gourdon. “What still motivates us to participate is the unique experience of the rally where the feelings are heightened tenfold where we are used to living in isolation for three weeks, in Spartan conditions, returning to the wild, almost deprived of social networks and we like it, in fact, it puts our feet back on the ground,” says Jérôme Fauchié.

He became addicted to “those special moments in nature where even man sometimes has no place.” The brothers are preparing to face extreme temperatures and 800 km of dunes. Suffice to say, a test for them too. “This is one of the driest deserts in the world. There is not a road, not an animal, nothing. There is nothing and the temperature goes from 5°C in the morning to 50 °C in the afternoon,” explains Jérôme Fauchié. To cope, their suitcases are filled with all the appropriate equipment: plastic ponchos against the rain, thermolactyl underwear against the cold. Everything except T-shirts: prohibited by the organization because the technicians risk exposing themselves to burns in the sun. Despite the conditions, the Fauchié are still far from giving up on the rally. Every year, they ask for more!