Author: adminEJ

As usual, the season opened with entering the Africa Eco Race Rally, which the team prepared with commitment and enthusiasm, expecting to be able to roll with a more powerful engine, now enhanced to 830hp. However, at the second round of the rally, the team was forced to stop because the MAN TGS gave signs of fire. A serious engine failure was noticed, and that implied to quit.

In April the team entered the Morocco Desert Challenge, where, besides winning the first and sixth rounds in the Truck Class, it finished in third place, which is remarkable, bearing in mind there were seventeen teams taking part.

In October the Oilibya du Maroc Rally, which is part of the World Cup, took place for the tenth time, and the team entered it. To commemorate the anniversary, the organization decided to honor some drivers with a trophy recognizing their assiduity and the sports results obtained during the 10 years. Elisabete Jacinto was one of the drivers receiving the homage. At the first round, the team finished in second place in the Truck Class, and in fourth in the Open Classification. However, at the third round, the Truck tumbled on the Erg Chegaga dunes. The organization decided not to allow the sweeping truck to go to the place, what forced the team to remain three days and two nights in the desert, waiting for the rescue team employed by the Bio-Ritmo® team. Elisabete returned home very well impressed with the support given by Morocco, which sent a rescue team to evacuate one of the team members, who suffered a strong kidney pain during the second night. It was to be expected that such kind of support would have been given by the organization, but that was not the case.

As it has become a habit, the season began with the biggest rally, the Africa Eco Race, for which the team set out with great enthusiasm. However, the suspension shock absorbers did not correspond to the expected quality, and the team was forced to moderate the pace, so as to preserve the mechanics of the truck. Due to health problems, one member of the team had to be evacuated, and that upset everything enormously. Although it had to proceed with a reduced number of members, the team kept its characteristic determination, and it ended in third place in the Truck class.

In April it entered the Libyan Rally for the first time: it was the seventh edition of that Rally, but it took place in Morocco. The team is first in the third round general classification and leads the next round for some time. However, when crossing Erg Chegaga, the truck tumbles over one of the dunes. The damages were such that the team chose not to go on.

The second part of the year was devoted to changing the image of the team, since the Oleoban brand, present from 2009 onwards, gave its place to the Bio-Ritmo brand, which corresponds to a food supply from Medinfar lab designed to diminish physical and mental fatigue, as well as to boost energy levels in situations of extreme weariness.

To prepare for the next season, the TGS engine undergoes a boost in power, setting off for the next Africa Race with 830hp.

In March, Elisabete was once again present at Aïcha des Gazelles Rally, as a member of the Belgian VW team, with France Clèves as navigator. They finished fifth in the Expert class, which is the most difficult in that rally.