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classic 2010 / 17th editionfrom 13th to 20th March 2010see the photo gallery

VICTORY FOR THE FAVOURITES

On 13 March, while tourists basked on the beaches of Agadir, surfed at Essaouira or partied at Marrakech, competitors in the "MAROC CLASSIC - Road of the Heart" began their journey of 2,352 km. Luckily, the sun conveniently reappeared, after weeks of continuous downpour. An unexpected consequence of the unusually long rainy period was the transformation of the normally arid landscape of the Atlas into green pastures! The rain also left its mark on the roads, leaving them severely degraded. A bridge was washed away, forcing the organisers to develop a last-minute 'plan B', which extended the drive between Erfoud and Bin El Ouidane by some 150 kilometres, turning that stage into into something of a marathon.

The first stage between Casablanca and Essaouira was intended as a mere warm-up, but it caught out the Austro/German crew Wiederin/Hoefer and their lively Porsche 356, runners-up on the 2009 event, and dropped them to 19th. However, this was their only mistake. A steady but inexorable drive saw them leading by halfway and they were unchallenged all the way to the finish in Marrakech.

A Porsche victory was almost expected, given that the marque was (along with Jaguar) the most numerous. The win headed a triumphant double, with the Porsche 356 of Schroeder/Suchentruck (another Austro/German crew) finishing second. The English, by contrast, failed to score, although five of their cars (four robust XKs and a lightweight C Type replica) filled third to seventh places in the top ten, and just one car of another marque, the 3.5 Mercedes Coupe of Belgians Ghistelinck/David finished ninth.

In the "Prestige" category, which included the modern GTs, REPOUX/Pata/Lavigne justified their status as favourites, using the agility of their Lotus Elise to outperform its competitors and repeat their victory of last year. No surprise here, either, but this was to the unexpected benefit of beginners Dominique El Glaoui/Carole Sarraf Wassermann (well-known residents of St Tropez!) The rally's most glamorous crew finished third aboard their Porsche Boxster; Bravo the gazelles!

However, the finest achievement of this 17th edition was a collective one: the success of the auction and raffle held for the benefit of the Happy Hour Association. They raised some 65,000 Euros through the generosity of competitors and sponsors, thoroughly justifying the subtitle of the event: "Road of the Heart".

Once again, the MAROC CLASSIC allowed participants to enjoy driving their beautiful old machines; they were able to exploit the still youthful temperament, with no restrictions other than common sense. And once again, it all went well, thanks to the quality of the organisation and the truly outstanding support of the Royal Police, who established a seamless net to secure the route. Their effort represented a significant investment, but it certainly helped to promote the image of Morocco as a tourist paradise.

FINAL RESULTS « CLASSIC » TROPHEE TOTAL

1er Elmar WIEDERIN‐Alexander HOEFER ALL/AUT Porsche 356 118,00
2ème Dr Ernst F. SCHROEDER‐Harry SUCHENTRUNK ALL/AUT Porsche 356 133,50
3ème Rafaël CEREZO‐Rafaël CEREZO‐JOHNSON ESP Jaguar XK 140 136,80
4ème David HALL‐Jake HALL UK Jaguar XK 140 DHC 144,30
5ème Jean‐Claude THIRIET‐José ROSINSKI FRA Jaguar Type C 153,10
6ème Rolf BIXNER‐Martin KOEHLER AUT/ALL Jaguar XK 150 154,90
7ème Philippe GERVASONI‐Nicole MASS FRA Jaguar XK 150 159,80
8ème Michel ANJORAS‐Valérie ANJORAS FRA Porsche 911 SC 160,30
9ème Carlos GHISTELINCK‐Lievin DAVID BEL Mercedes Coupe 3.5 163,10
10ème Dafir ARRAKI‐Karim TAISSIR MAR Porsche 356 170,30
…….

FINAL RESULTS « PRESTIGE» CHALLENGE PEUGEOT

1er Vincent REPOUX‐Christian PATA LAVIGNE FRA Lotus Elise 100,80
2ème Howard J. BLANK‐Jean CHABERT USA/BEL Ferrari 328 GTS 238,20
3ème Mmes Dominique EL GLAOUI‐Carol SARRAF WASSERMAN FRA Porsche Boxster 267,70

FINAL RESULT BY POINT ROYAL AIR MAROC

1er Dr Ernst F. SCHROEDER‐Harry SUCHENTRUNK ALL/AUT Porsche 356 73
2ème David HALL‐Jake HALL UK Jaguar XK 140 DHC 55
3ème Rolf BIXNER‐Martin KOEHLER AUT/ALL Jaguar XK 150 51