If you've never heard of a rally raid that starts and finishes on French soil, that's because there aren't any. Of course, the most famous rally raid of all time, formerly known as the Paris-Dakar, had its ceremonial start in Paris, but the real racing took place beyond the French borders. Now, the rally raid riders in France finally have a home event to look forward to.
An off-road rally. will take place from September 11th to 13th in the French Basque Country near Saint-Palais. The three-day event is open to enduro, trail, and rally motorcycles and is entirely road-book guided. There'll also be a non-competitive category for those who want to dip their toe in the water of rally raids.
Long-time promoter of the French Enduro Championship, Jeal-Luc Miroir, is partnering with the MotoClub des 2 Gaves to launch the event. The competition is a full-fat rally raid and, as such, will include liaison sections and timed special stages. All of the raid will run without road markings, meaning riders will need to rely on the road book provided by the competition organizers. Much like most modern rally raids, the road book is now digital, so the riders will be equipped with tablets.
