Elisabete Jacinto completed today the prologue of the 10th edition of the Morocco Desert Challenge, which was composed of a selective sector of 77 kilometers completed along the Plage Blanche in Morocco. The Bio-Ritmo® team, despite having started in a positive way this great African competition, suffered a setback when crossing a muddy oued that ended up tossing the Portuguese to the 25th position among the trucks.
Elisabete Jacinto, José Marques and Marco Cochinho saw their MAN TGS get stuck in the mud and had to wait a long time for help, which delayed them a lot. Despite the setback Elisabete Jacinto is not discouraged: “I was doing an excellent stage. We were 
the third truck to leave to the prologue and we were able to maintain a good rhythm and always on the right track. At a certain point, when we were crossing a muddy oued, the truck jumped up, and as the wheels settled on the ground, they got completely buried on the mud. We tried to get out of there, but the mud was so dense that it wasn’t possible to leave without help. So we decided to call the balai truck. However, a competitor with a MAN KAT 6×6 similar to ours pulled us and managed to get us out. After that we ran in a good pace. Despite the setback we don’t fade. Tomorrow we have to do a careful progression, because we are going to leave after many slower competitors, but we believe we will be able to achieve good results”, said Elisabete Jacinto.
The second stage of the Morocco Desert Challenge will lead competitors to Touzounine. This special, composed by 470 timed kilometers, will pass in the bed of the river Draa and will be very varied in terms of routes. On this second day the pilots will have to face sandy oueds, mountains, with many stone rails, and dry lakes.
The driver Elisabete Jacinto and the team Bio-Ritmo® held today in Agadir, Morocco, the administrative and technical checks of the Morocco Desert Challenge rally. On this day dedicated to the analysis of the documentation of the teams and the technical compliance of the vehicles, the Portuguese also received their race number. In this edition, they will leave for the competition with the number 503 being, therefore, the third truck on the prologue.
“This is a day when there is some bustle. We have schedules to accomplish and we cannot be distracted. We hardly have time to take a deep breath when all this administrative part is finished, as we have to follow to the briefing where are given a series of indications that must be taken into account. We like to look at the trucks of our opponents and guess their abilities … to greet everyone but we haven’t got the time to do everything … it is amazing to see the number of people who have gathered this year and all these vehicles ready to race!” said Elisabete Jacinto.
A few days before the start of the 10th Morocco Desert Challenge, Elisabete Jacinto and the Bio-Ritmo® team are setting the final details to start their third participation in this competition. The Portuguese have been in the last few days in the region of Erfoud, an area of Morocco well known for the great conditions for the practice of off-road, where they could test the performance of the MAN TGS.
