On April 21-29, the Tunisia Desert Challenge rally took place on the Tunisian sands of the Sahara. During these days, the competitors covered many kilometers in difficult terrain, struggling not only with dunes, but also heat and sand storms. The Polish team, Proxcars TME Rally Team, with Magda Zając behind the wheel and pilot Jacek Czachor, finished the rally seventh in the class of cars with all-wheel drive (C1), despite the cancellation of two stages by the organizer due to the prevailing weather conditions. Magda Zając was one of the fastest women during the Tunisia Desert Challenge.
Day 1 / prologue
The first stage of the Tunisia Desert Challenge was a short, just 45 km, prologue, which led through olive groves and encircled Boughrara Bay. There were 50 motorcycles, 59 SSVs, 54 cars and 15 trucks at the start. For most of the competitors, the prologue was not a major challenge, but it allowed to feel the atmosphere of the rally and prepare for the upcoming struggles.
| Team | Class | Classification |
| Magdalena Zając / Jacek Czachor | Cars and buggys | 16 |
| Grzegorz Brochocki / Grzegorz Komar | Cars and buggys | 24 |
| Patrycja Brochocka / Karolina Zysnarska | SSV | 17 |
| Jarosław Kalinowski / Michał Pielużek | SSV | 19 |
| Mikołaj Krysik | Bikes and quads | 13 |
| Aleksander Piórczyński | Bikes and quads | 19 |
* Prologue / Stage 1 / Results (including possible penalties)
Day 2
The second day is a 355 km route from Djerba to Kambout. The first part of the stage took place on fast, gravel ground - only then the competitors had to struggle with the mountainous terrain. It was a very tiring stage, both physically and mentally. The route required the competitors to constantly focus on driving, without a moment to breathe. The finish line was in an area inaccessible on a daily basis, at the training ground near El Borma.
| Team | Class | Classification |
| Magdalena Zając / Jacek Czachor | Cars and buggys | 15 |
| Grzegorz Brochocki / Grzegorz Komar | Cars and buggys | 48 |
| Patrycja Brochocka / Karolina Zysnarska | SSV | 37 |
| Jarosław Kalinowski / Michał Pielużek | SSV | 18 |
| Mikołaj Krysik | Bikes and quads | 26 |
| Aleksander Piórczyński | Bikes and quads | 34 |
* Stage 2 / Results (including possible penalties)
Day 3
Practically half of the rally was not completed in the third stage. All because of difficult weather conditions, mainly extreme temperatures, but also difficult dunes. On that day, the competitors had to cover 353 km of the loop around Kambout, starting with driving on the dunes - they caused a lot of trouble for the drivers. The Proxcars TME Rally Team decided to withdraw from the second part of the stage, due to safety and the inability to complete the stage during the day. Other Poles also had problems: Patrycja Brochocka and Karolina Zysnarska did not meet the time limit, although they reached the finish line; Komar / Brochocki duo spent the night on the route, and Kalinowski and Pielużek were unable to continue that day. Only Mikołaj Krysik and Aleksander Piórczyński completed the section within the time limit. Unfortunately, that day French motorcyclist Matthieu de Saint-Exupéry died on the road.
| Team | Class | Classification |
| Magdalena Zając / Jacek Czachor | Cars and buggys | 26 |
| Grzegorz Brochocki / Grzegorz Komar | Cars and buggys | 38 |
| Patrycja Brochocka / Karolina Zysnarska | SSV | 29 |
| Jarosław Kalinowski / Michał Pielużek | SSV | 58 |
| Mikołaj Krysik | Bikes and quads | 12 |
| Aleksander Piórczyński | Bikes and quads | 18 |
* Stage 3 / Results (including possible penalties)
Day 4
Due to the events of the previous day, the next stage has been shortened. The length of the route was reduced to 210 kilometers, but it retained its planned, fast profile.
In the stage classification, the Proxcars TME Rally Team riders were in eleventh place, and in the general classification they were in fifteenth position, despite a twenty-hour penalty for not finishing the previous stage. It wasn't the best day for the SSV crews. Jarosław Kalinowski and Michał Pielużek did not go to the section that day, and Patrycja Brochocka and Karolina Zysnarska did not finish the section due to a failure.
| Team | Class | Classification |
| Magdalena Zając / Jacek Czachor | Cars and buggys | 12 |
| Grzegorz Brochocki / Grzegorz Komar | Cars and buggys | 24 |
| Patrycja Brochocka / Karolina Zysnarska | SSV | 54 |
| Jarosław Kalinowski / Michał Pielużek | SSV | - |
| Mikołaj Krysik | Bikes and quads | 11 |
| Aleksander Piórczyński | Bikes and quads | 12 |
* Stage 4 / Results (including possible penalties)
Day 5
The next day, the drivers made a 330 km loop around the Kasr Ghilan oasis. The competitors encountered very fast sections straight from the WRC. Magda Zając, who felt very well on gravel, later described this stage as her favorite and the most fun to drive. The route led along fast gravel roads, sandy roads, small sections of dunes.
| Team | Klasa | Miejsce |
| Magdalena Zając / Jacek Czachor | Cars and buggys | 12 |
| Grzegorz Brochocki / Grzegorz Komar | Cars and buggys | 24 |
| Patrycja Brochocka / Karolina Zysnarska | SSV | 38 |
| Jarosław Kalinowski / Michał Pielużek | SSV | 34 |
| Mikołaj Krysik | Bikes and quads | 12 |
| Aleksander Piórczyński | Bikes and quads | 35 |
* Stage 5 / Results (including possible penalties)
Day 6 & 7
Two special stages, scheduled to take place on Wednesday, April 27, and Thursday, April 28, have been canceled. It was related to the weather conditions, and above all the sandstorm that occurred in the Sahara desert.
Day 8
There was, however, a final stage at the end of the rally, which was shortened to around 250 kilometers. There was no reduced fare for the participants that day, they had to stay very concentrated until the last meters, because the route that day was very demanding. Many participants damaged vehicles in rough mountain sections. Navigating that day was also quite a challenge, with many players receiving heavy penalties for missing Waypoints.
| Team | Class | Classification |
| Magdalena Zając / Jacek Czachor | Cars and buggys | 18 |
| Grzegorz Brochocki / Grzegorz Komar | Cars and buggys | 33 |
| Patrycja Brochocka / Karolina Zysnarska | SSV | 51 |
| Jarosław Kalinowski / Michał Pielużek | SSV | 50 |
| Mikołaj Krysik | Bikes and quads | 22 |
| Aleksander Piórczyński | Bikes and quads | 20 |
* Stage 8 / Results (including possible penalties)
Finally they came fifteenth in the car category, and in the C1 class (i.e. cars with all-wheel drive) on a very good seventh. Among Poles, only the quad riders, Krysik and Piórczyński, had a shorter time to cover TDC sections than they did. Additionally, Magda was the fastest woman among car and buggy drivers.
Pascal Larroque, and the third - Cedric Rivet and Mathieu Jaumard.
| Team | Class | Classification |
| Magdalena Zając / Jacek Czachor | Cars and buggys (C1) | 15 (7) |
| Grzegorz Brochocki / Grzegorz Komar | Cars and buggys (C1.4) | 27 (1) |
| Patrycja Brochocka / Karolina Zysnarska | SSV | 45 |
| Jarosław Kalinowski / Michał Pielużek | SSV | 53 |
| Mikołaj Krysik | Bikes and quads (QUAD) | 8 (1) |
| Aleksander Piórczyński | Bikes and quads (QUAD) | 15 (2) |
* Final classification
Patrycja Brochocka and Karolina Zysnarska finished the rally in the 45th position, and Jarosław Kalinowski and Michał Pielużek in the 54th. Mikołaj Krysik took a great first place among quads - Aleksander Piórczyński was just behind him. Grzegorz Brochocki and Grzegorz Komar won the classification in class C1.4.
The next stop of the Proxcars TME Rally Team will be the Andalucia Rally at the beginning of June.
