WireService.co

Continental has organised an intriguing adventure set deep in the desert of Morocco, called Conti 4X4 Trophy Morocco. Participants included a number of desert driving enthusiasts who are Continental customers from across the world. The event took place over six days, from 26 September until 1 October, 2012.

Also Jordanian participants from the Jordan Ladies Rally Team, Nancy Al-Majali and Nadia Shnoudeh, took part in this event after their last year participation in the Qatar International Rally in which they won the ladies Cup. They also participated in the fourth round of the world championship as well as the third round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship. Nancy Al-Majali said that she was really excited about her participation in this enthusiastic world experience and enjoyed discovering the beauty of driving on mountainous terrain, paved roads and deserts; it’s an adventure that will definitely enrich her driving experiences and expertise in the world of rallying. Al-Majali and her colleague Nadia Shenouda were delighted to meet with the desert driving enthusiasts and to show the driving professional capabilities of Arab Women.

Emmanuel Claes, Managing Director of Driving Experience Sarl and organizer of the Conti 4X4 Trophy Morocco explained that the event was neither a race nor a rally, but an immensely enjoyable desert adventure. “The driving experience certainly presented a real test to the participants as they faced multiple challenges, but with all the guarantees of safety and security,” he stated. The Conti 4X4 Trophy Morocco has been held every year since 2007, with more than 1,500 participants to date, including Continental customers and distributors from Ireland, Belgium, Spain, Greece, Germany, France, Switzerland and the UK.
Participants set-off from Ouarzazate in powerful Hummer four-wheel drive cars equipped with General tyres, one of Continental’s leading brands. Lamiaa Farrag, the Marketing Communication Manager of the Middle East and North Africa at Continental explained that Conti 4X4 Trophy Morocco is a unique event that allowed participants to familiarize themselves with the nature of the desert. “Desert villages and towns have a simple and unique way of life, and they have remained faithful to their heritage for hundreds of years. Besides this unique experience, this desert-driving trip allowed participants to assess their own driving skills and demonstrate their talent in different environments, diverse terrains and real challenges”. Farrag emphasized that the Conti 4×4 Trophy Morocco experience was unparalleled and said that “Continental was pleased to offer this unique opportunity to its customers and distributors from around the world”.

The General Tyre Grabber AT2 is recognised as a strong tyre to drive through difficult environments. Originally designed to face the most difficult off-road conditions, it is characterised by its endurance ability and ground stability. “The driver is given the power to choose whether to drive in the desert, on mountainous terrain or paved roads. The tread design is new and innovative and enhances stability in an unprecedented way. The tyre has a longer life expectancy, the ability to self-clean its surface and does not make noise,” explained the Regional Sales Manager of Middle East and North Africa, Martin Buday.
The 2012 event began at Ouarzazate, located 200 kilometers south west of Marrakech. Located deep in the desert, Ouarzazate was founded in 1920 and takes its name from the calmness that surrounds the heart of the desert. (In the local Amazigh dialect, it means without noise.) Each team began three minutes after the previous team, in Hummer cars equipped with the Tripy GPS device, a tracking system adopted in the Dakar Rally.
On the second day, participants followed National Route 9 in the direction of Marrakech, gradually climbing up the high Atlas range. Claes elaborated the route further: “When participants arrived at Agelmous, they took a right turn into the valley towards Telouet. The desert in this region surrounds the majestic Atlas Mountains, and participants experimented driving on varied terrain from mountains and valleys to flowing rivers, forests and fragile rocks composed over millions of years”.

Claes said that on the third day, participants continued their adventure on the track towards Fint. “On this track, they drove across an oasis which springs up in a hollow in the basalt rock, and through magnificent scenes of flowing rivers, small hills and high mountains.” Later, participants went down another track called Tizgui Oasis, located amid the mountains, onwards to Agdz for lunch and rested on the route linking Marrakech and Timbuktu. After driving on the rugged mountainous terrain for several kilometres, the journey reached Ben Zouli.

On the fourth day, the trip headed to M’Hamid through a rolling track called the Airport Track, and then participants arrived at the peaceful village of Ouled Brahim. After driving through the valley for 20 kilometres is Tamegroute, in the centre Draa wadi. After enjoying the amazing village, participants drove over the Draa wadi bridge and crossed the Tizi Beni Selmane Mountain.

The fifth day’s first track is known as Iriqui, and started off on soft sand dunes before reaching the dry lake of Iriqui. The second track of the day was the unforgettable Black Stones which marked the end of the off-road section of the trip. Saving the best of last, the tour headed back towards the city of Ouarzazate where – buoyed by photographs and unforgettable memories of a unique trip – participants can write personal endings to their desert stories.

Photo Caption:

- Nancy Al-Majali, Nadia Shnoudeh, Lamiaa Farrag, Martin Buday
- Rugged mountainous terrains on the adventure’s first day.

Continental Corporation

With sales of €30.5 billion in 2011, Continental is among the leading automotive suppliers worldwide. As a supplier of brake systems, systems and components for powertrains and chassis, instrumentation, infotainment solutions, vehicle electronics, tires and technical elastomers, Continental contributes to enhanced driving safety and global climate protection. Continental is also an expert partner in networked automobile communication. Continental currently has approximately 169,000 employees in 46 countries.

Tire Division
Effective August 1, 2011 the business of Passenger and Light Truck Tires, Truck Tires, Bus Tires and Industrial Tires, as well as the Two-Wheel Tire activities have been organised into one Tire Division. As one of the world’s leading tire manufacturers, with more than 41,000 employees, the division achieved cumulative sales of more than €8.8 billion in 2011. Today, the Tire division has 22 production and development locations worldwide. The broad product range and continuous investments in R&D make a major contribution to cost-effective and ecologically efficient mobility
Passenger and Light Truck Tires
Continental is one of Europe’s leading passenger and light truck tire manufacturers and is the world’s fourth largest passenger and light truck tire manufacturer in the original equipment and replacement business sectors. Product development for the Continental premium brand focuses on optimizing all safety-related features while at the same time minimizing rolling resistance.
www.continental-tyres.com

Commercial Vehicle Tires

The Commercial Vehicle Tire business unit had sales of more than €1.8 billion in 2011, making it one of the largest manufacturers of truck, bus and industrial tires worldwide.
www.continental-truck-tires.com

Sponsorship

Continental’s Tire Division is an Official Sponsor of the German DFB Cup, the UEFA EURO 2012^TM in Poland and the Ukraine, and the 2014 FIFA World Cup^TM in Brazil.
www.ContiSoccerWorld.com

Media Contact:
Alexander Bahlmann
Head of PR, Passenger/Light Truck Tires
Tire Division
Continental AG I Rubber Group
Continental Reifen Deutschland GmbH
Büttnerstrasse 25
30165 Hanover
Phone: +49 (0) 511 938 2615
Fax : +49 (0) 511 938 2455
E-mail: alexander.bahlmann@conti.de

Print PDF