Two Mojácar locals, Miguel Abellán and Lucas Hussing, have gained victory in the 21st edition of the Maroc Challenge, in the Adventure TT3 category, held between the 22nd and 30th of March in Morocco.
The Abellán-Hussing team, “Mojácar Raid”, was proclaimed undisputed champion on reaching Lake Yasmina, arrival of Spring 2024, together with the charismatic Erg Chebbi and having carried out all the tests flawlessly and without accumulating any penalty.
One hundred and seventy teams took part in an edition characterised by the novelty of the fact that some of the routes had never been used for this race. According to the organisation, the designed itinerary was very demanding and technical, going through some completely new areas.
The toughness increased even more with adverse weather that complicated the route for the drivers due to the lack of visibility, sand and wind, seriously making driving difficult for the drivers and even the navigation systems.
For Mojácar Raid it was the first official race they have taken part in, although their passion has for some time led Abellán and Hussing to practice and develop their expertise. They also needed to find the right competition “with a little more challenge” and “more racing” for their baptism as rally drivers, according to Miguel Abellán.
Very commendable work, even more so taking into account that it was carried out with only the basic equipment required by international regulations on this type of sporting event, with their vehicle, a Toyota Land Cruiser 100, although with great enthusiasm and much eagerness.
The Maroc Challenge is a Dakar-style trial, in fact it is usually planned following many of its routes and is organised as it was in the early days of this famous rally, only with an affordable budget for drivers and teams that do not have the fantastic infrastructure and hype of the Dakar, even though it remains a relevant event within the world of the raids.
For Miguel Abellán it was a really good experience. Although he confesses that he was “psyched to win,” it is still the first time that he has competed and that he has achieved a victory that “took a while to absorb.” It was only on the way back, with the congratulations of professional rally drivers, as well as of “people with a lot of experience and a lot of knowledge of this world”, that they started to be conscious of their great work.
Work of endurance, six days through the desert, accomplishing everything that was demanded of them, including “not racing anymore, which was sometimes difficult” and being rigorous with schedules and protocols.
The next event could be in this same Maroc Challenge race, in its winter edition, which they could attend as the winners. There are also other new aims such as the “1000 Dunes” raid; this time it would be on a motorbike, which is without doubt a great sporting challenge that is also held in Morocco, between the 19th and 26th of October and that also takes place throughout this country’s desert. Likewise, the “Real Way To Dakar” could be another objective that is done on motorbikes and in cars.
For the moment, the name of Mojácar, along with those of Abellán and Hussing, have been engraved, in gold letters, at the top of this competition. It remains to wait for new opportunities, some sponsors, always necessary and to those who would be open, as well as wishing them a lot of luck for their next rally.
