Ahead of the start of the Morocco Desert Challenge on Saturday, Feryn Dakar Sport tested three of its four vehicles on Thursday afternoon. Koen Wauters (Toyota Hilux), Pascal Feryn (Toyota Hilux) and Cedric Feryn (Mercedes) made their first meters on Moroccan soil. Nicola Feryn (Toyota Landcruiser) tests his car Friday afternoon.
Tuesday morning, the boat bringing the vehicles and a large delegation from Feryn Dakar Sport to Morocco docked in Nador. From there it was off to Agadir where the team arrived in the middle of the night. Wednesday afternoon then began the construction of the first bivouac and the cars were prepared for Thursday afternoon's shakedown. “The organization had mapped out a varied course of about 15 km,” said Pascal Feryn. “The most important thing about such a test drive is to check if everything is ok with the car and to get the feeling with the car again. For me it had been since our test session in June last year that I had driven the car again. From the first meters it felt familiar and good. A big thank you to our team that has been working very hard the last few months towards this moment. When we arrived in Agadir on Thursday, everything was ready. In 2014 I won the Lybia Rally, the forerunner of this Morocco Desert Challenge. Eleven years later, I'm here again at the start and I'm still quite impressed with the way Gert Duson has built his race.”
Koen Wauters competed in the 2024 Rally of Morocco, the final race of the World Rally Championship. He too couldn't wait Thursday afternoon to get behind the wheel of his Toyota again. “It's always a blissful feeling to get into the car and then to hear that engine sound. We played a bit with the setup, made the car a bit harder as well so we were satisfied with our work at the end of the day. It was not the most challenging track but that in itself is not the most important thing. Such a test is first and foremost to check everything again. If that's ok you can start working. In October last year in the Rally of Morocco an unexpected problem popped up that we were able to solve. Now everything went smoothly.”
Cédric Feryn drove his first meters my truck. “It was the first time I could drive the truck on some rougher terrain. It took some getting used to but that's normal. Such a track was ideal as a test drive. I got a lot of tips from Bjorn and they helped me on my way. For me this race will be one long learning process. I'm looking forward to it.” Brother Nicola Feryn will ride his first meters on Friday afternoon.
Saturday morning the first stage awaits the participants. During an 85 km prologue, the participants will initially ride for ten kilometers along the waterline with a dune here and there before heading towards large gently sloping open plains with beautiful sandy paths. It will be a short stage with some tough navigation.
Successful shakedown for Feryn Dakar Sport
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