The Africa Eco Race caravan consists of a large number of vehicles. Naturally, there are the motorcycles, cars, and trucks competing in the race, but the support vehicles of the teams and the organization are also part of the caravan. Most of these vehicles travel on public roads during the stages.
In the days of the legendary Paris-Dakar rallies, things were different: all vehicles, including the support vehicles, had to traverse the rally tracks to reach the next bivouac. In that regard, much has changed. The support vehicles back then were just like the rally vehicles: raised high, equipped with four-wheel drive, and fitted with a sturdy roll cage. Today’s caravan still includes a few beautiful examples from that era.
Nowadays, however, more standard vehicles are used for support. Many motorcycle teams, for instance, rely on campers and vans in the bivouac. QFF and Rally Team Dust Warriors even bring complete semi-trailers converted into sleeping trucks or trailers. This would have been impossible to transport from one bivouac to another in the past.
In the two days leading up to the rest day, the caravan crossed the Western Sahara on its way to Dakhla. In recent years, work has been done to construct a highway in this area. This project, part of a royal initiative for the development of the Sahara, cost more than 9 billion dirhams (approximately 800 million euros) and took six years to complete.
The highway, spanning 1,055 kilometers, runs from Tiznit on the Atlantic coast to Dakhla, near the border with Mauritania. It is the first highway to cross the Sahara and aims to boost trade, tourism, and investment in the region. Additionally, it improves connections to the rest of the country and the African continent. The road was officially opened in the summer of 2024.
After the many winding and bumpy roads of the previous days, this highway is a blessing for the heavy support trucks. However, the downside of a perfectly laid, straight road is its mind-numbing character. Especially beyond the port town of Laâyoune, there is little to see or experience besides the long straight stretches of road. Fatigue can become a serious issue here. Thus, the road is both a blessing and a curse, as there’s always something to complain about, true to Dutch tradition. Fortunately, challenging off-road routes have been set out for the rally drivers to keep them sharp.
