In 13-19 March the second edition of Fenix Rally, the Tunisian competition in the heart of Sahara, took place. In seven days the competitors covered 2300 kilometers, including 1500 kilometers of special stages. There were flat tires, breakdowns, lost traps and even, or above all, a sandstorm. This year's edition of Fenix Rally will surely remain in the memories of our team which finished the rally on the eighth place in the Open Class.
On the first day the participants covered the road from Tunis to Duz. The first special sections on the route of this stage were not long but varied in terms of terrain. The Estonian duo of Urvo Mannama and Risto Lepika proved to be the best in the car category that day. The competition opened well for Proxcars TME Rally Team members, Magda Zając and Jacek Czachor. We were classified eleventh in the Open Class.
On the second day of the rally, the Proxcars team encountered technical problems, which caused our Toyota to reach the base on the platform of a recovery truck. During this stage, Mannama and Lepik were again the best.
The third leg was much better for Magda and Jacek, whose route was modified due to the approaching sandstorm. The Polish duo placed sixth in the Open Class, despite a small navigation error that cost them only forty seconds.
Next, the participants of Fenix Rally 2022 found themselves in "Star Wars" - More specifically, in the location used in the fourth part of the saga titled "A New Hope." During the competition on that day, the competitors struggled with the sandstorm, making the driving and mechanics' work difficult. Again, the stage was won by Estonians, but Proxcars TME Rally Team took eleventh place. As Jacek admitted at the finish line, they had to stop for a moment to cool down the engine, which cost them several minutes.
The route of the fifth leg as well as the place of the bivouac were changed - all because of the weather conditions. The competitors had to head to Duz and then to the start of the special leg, one of two that came to pass.
Despite a navigation error which cost us fifteen minutes, Magda and Jacek finished the stage in the top ten of the Open Class. This time, the best in the car category were the Dutch.
18th of March is the penultimate day of this year's Tunisian rally. It was then that probably the most difficult leg of the competition took place. The route was created based on the leg planned for this day, but also on one of the cancelled earlier by a sandstorm. Proxcars TME Rally Team finished the stage in eighth place, even despite a flat tire and being buried in sand. The fastest were Urvo Mannama and Risto Lepik.
The competition ended with the Kasr Ghilan loop, easier than the one from the previous day. Magda and Jacek finished the rally in good style, taking the fifth place in the last stage. The Polish duo was satisfied with the work they had done during the week.
In the Open Class, as in the car category, the winners were Urvo Mannama and Risto Lepik from Estonia.
In the general classification, the Proxcars TME Rally Team took the 8th place out of 28 cars in the open class. Other Poles who took part in the rally also showed a good side. Bartłomiej Tabin took 3rd place among motorcyclists, Andrzej Stryczyński was 15th, Maciej Stolarski/Bartosz Dzienis duo in SSV was qualified 3rd, Adam Kuś/Marcin Pasek 15th, and Patrycja Brochocka with Karolina Zysnarska 20th.
The Proxcars TME Rally Team will return to action, also in Tunisia, next month to take part in the Tunisia Desert Challenge.
