Author: adminEJ

The year 2008 saw the cancellation of the Lisbon-Dakar rally, a fact which caught the whole team by surprise.

Elisabete then decided to enter the Aicha des Gazelles rally, in Morocco, a navigation competition exclusively for women.

She teams with Sofia Carvalhosa and they easily finish second in the general classification.

In April, with Marco Cochinho and Álvaro Velhinho, Elisabete wins in the less than ten liters trucks category and is second in the general classification in the Tunisian rally, which for the first time included some streaks in Libya.

Several mechanic problems force her to leave the AMV Shamrock rally, which takes place in Morocco in October.

The team comes back and gives full attention to preparing the Princess (the name by which the team referred to the MAN M2000 truck).

Their aim was to achieve the best possible preparation for the Dakar-Argentina-Chile rally, which would be held in South America for the first time.

The team sets forth for this rally at its best level ever.

The year 2006 has the special feature of the biggest rally in the world start in Lisbon.

In this rally Elisabete sets a good pace but has to give up after the day of rest because the front axle of her Kerax cracked.

Having stayed two days and two nights by the vehicle, this one is finally left in the middle of the Mauritanian desert and only in June is it recovered.

Elisabete closes her contract with Renault Trucks, and the truck she had driven became part of the exhibit of special vehicles in the museum Renault Trucks has in Leon.

She enters into a partnership with MAN Portugal and spends the year dealing with all the subjects necessary to obtain a new truck, which is delivered to her at the beginning of October.

While waiting, she takes part for the first time in an African competition (ORPI Marroc rally) driving a car but unfortunately suffers a mechanical failure when there were only 37km to get to the finishing line.

The remaining season is spent in tests and mechanical work, in view of preparing the Lisbon-Dakar 2007.

In 2005 she takes part in the Dakar with Olivier Jacmart and Rui Porêlo, obtaining the 24^th place in the general classification.

Elisabete is first among the Renault Kerax.

During the year the team works on the development of the truck to adapt it better for competition.

Particular attention is given to developing the suspensions, counting with the support of ELO and APV.

She enters the ORPI Marroc rally, in which she wins the first streak and finishes the rally in the second position.

This year Elisabete takes part for the first time in the ASMV Shamrock Rally in order to prepare for the 2006 Dakar and wins in the truck category.

It is at the January 2007 Lisbon-Dakar that Elisabete really makes her début with her new MAN M2000 truck, with which she establishes a strong relationship.

To drive through the difficult sand trails at the Comporta area in the presence of a cheering Portuguese crowd was an unforgettable privilege in her career.

At a rally characterized by a permanent increase in the pace, she finishes in 21^st place in general classification and 7^th among trucks with less than 10 liters.

After this rally Elisabete makes some mechanical changes in her truck and she bets on improving the suspensions, with shock absorbers of exclusively Portuguese production.

The Tunisian and the Morocco rallies are two occasions to evolve and prepare for the Dakar, and in them her driving becomes ever more solid and efficient.

She reaches 2^nd place in the general classification at the Tunision rally and is 1^st in Morocco.

However, the change in color is a main feature in 2007.

After nine years of joint work, Trifene 200 is replaced by the Oleoban brand, and shades of blue are Elisabete Jacinto’s new brand image.