Victorious stars at Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles 2016

2500 kilometres through Morocco: about two weeks ago four teams from Mercedes-Benz Vans started at the women’s Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles in Erfoud. Now the teams crossed the finishing line in their all-wheel-drive vans. In the port city of Essaouira they celebrated their leading positions in the “Crossover” category – as can be watched here:

The winners in the “Crossover” category are: Viola Hermann and Vanessa Wagner. The 45-year-old goldsmith from Stuttgart and the 38-year-old master plumber/heating installer from Hattersheim outperformed the competing teams. It was not speed that counted, but completing the rally with as few kilometres as possible on the clock – only using a map and compass for navigation. The victory ceremony was held on 2 April. There was no prize money; the proceeds from the rally were donated to charity.
The other placings in the “Crossover” category are as follows:
*Position 3 for Bianca Manz (31-year-old, engineer, from Esslingen) and Alexandra Jansen (29-year-old, engineer, from Cologne).
*Position 4 for Dr Eva Holzhäuser (31-year-old, graduated radio-oncologist, from Bad Kreuznach) and Nicole Marquardt (32-year-old, sales expert, from Böblingen).
*Position 6 for Madeleine Oster (27-year-old, master carpenter/roofer, from Bernkastel-Kues) and Catrin Peest (50-year-old, master joiner, from Heidelberg).

Mercedes-Benz vans with plenty of traction in the Moroccan desert
The teams from Mercedes-Benz Vans were at the wheel of standard-production vans that had undergone only minor modifications: Hermann/Wagner and Holzhäuser/Marquardt in a Vito 119 BlueTEC 4×4, Manz/Jansen and Oster/Peest in a Sprinter 316 BlueTEC 4×4. The vans – all featuring 4×4 all-wheel drive – fared superbly in the extreme conditions on the mostly loose surfaces along the route and demonstrated excellent traction.

Eighth participation, fifth victory for Mercedes-Benz Vans
This year Mercedes-Benz Vans competed for the eighth time in the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles, celebrating its fifth victory in the “Crossover” category. In 2009, Mercedes-Benz Vans recorded its first triumph with a Viano 4MATIC. The second victory, in 2011, was with a Vito 4×4. In 2014 and 2015, the triumphant drivers crossed the finishing line in a Sprinter 4×4.