Another Great Piece by Truck Trend
Nice summary by Truck Trend highlighting the incredible showing by Team Lerner Reina in what was only their 2nd year as a rally team.
Truck Trend - U.S. Team Lerner Reina Places Eighth Overall in 2012 Rallye Aicha des Gazelles Morocco
Team Lerner Reina on ESPN and Truck Trend
Following their tremendous 8th place finish at this year's Rallye Aicha des Gazelles Team Lerner Reina is receiving some much deserved media attention stateside. Check out the links below to read what ESPN and Truck Trend had to say about the top U.S. rally team!
Photos from the last day of the 2012 Rallye Aicha des Gazelles
Image Gallery
http://www.aev-conversions.com/news/team-lerner-reina#sigProGalleria1e94109c4d
Team Lerner Reina Win 1st Place in the Logica Challenge for Eco-Driving
After nine days of intense competition through the Sahara Desert, Olympic Gold Medalist and vetern off-road racer Carole Montillet and navigator Julie Verdaguer won the 2012 Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles. However, U.S. Team # 107 Amy Lerner and Tricia Reina, won the coveted Logica Challenge for eco-driving.
Established in 2009 by Logica, a global business and technology service company based out of the U.K., the Logica Challenge coincides with the Gazelle Rally's continued environmental responsibility. The Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles takes every step in its commitment to environmental efforts, as the competition is not based on speed but rather the shortest distance traveled for competitors. Not only is the rally the only motorsport event globally with ISO 14001 Certification having adopted strict environmental mandates and commitment, the event also includes various initiatives which take place during the event. The Gazelle has proven a rally raid can successfully practice eco–friendly techniques.
For the third consecutive year, Logica has spearheaded a challenge for Gazelle Rally participants - reduce CO2 emssions and practice a commitment to eco-driving. Logica accomplishes this task through emissions monitoring by placing a box connected to the On Board Diagnoistics (OBDII) in each vehicle, capturing real time information on how drivers perform eco driving. The box was developed by Logica and measures real time carbon dioxide emissions.
Every day, after teams arrived at the bivouac, each vehicle's EMO was checked. Points were calculated, earned, and adjusted based on set, acceptable averages and driver technique. This places the responsbility on drivers, highlighting the importance of a driver's influence on emissions as opposed to the vehicle alone. In the Crossover Class, Logica scoring was actually factored into the competition results.
For the entire eight-day competition including the prologue stage, prerformance was measured and penalties were given based on the following criteria which violate eco-driving practices:
-Engine idling
-Hard braking
-Hard acceleration
-High speed - above 80km/hour
Amy Lerner, driver for Team #107 stated, "If I can perform strongly during the dunes and this intense competition, that means a driver can practice eco-driving on the road as well." Amy and her sister, Tricia Reina, participated in the Gazelle Rally last year and came in 4th place in the Logica Challenge. This year, the sister duo made up their minds to win. "Within the challenge last year, we landed in 4th place. This year we're 1st in the 4x4 class. It wasn't our primary focus to win the Logica Challenge in 2011, but Tricia and I were hypersensitive about it this year, and it paid off." It certainly did.
Leg 6 Marathon Recap
The final marathon leg of the Rallye Aicha des Gazelles was marked by a torrential downpour in the Sahara creating muddy conditions, sandstorms and difficult driving situations. Competitors were faced with difficult decisions in a field where the top ten were exceptionally close in the ranking. 2011 Gazelle winner, and Olympic Gold Medalist, Carole Montillet and navigator Julie Verdaguer clinched the win with a stunning 122.39 points, a course record.
The final marathon leg caused a significant change in the top ten standings. U.S. Team Lerner Reina #107 chose a route around the dunes to reach the first X CP, adding kilometers to their score but saving their vehicles from possible resulting mechanical issues and navigation errors in extremely difficult terrain. The choice cost #203 of Jacinto and Carvalhosa second place as the third place team #170 of James and Pham (also VW) chose a much more direct line. However, the decision proved the right one for Team Lerner Reina who moved from 10th to an impressive 8th place in the highly competitive 4x4 category. The team of sisters entered their first Gazelle Rally in 2011 with minimal off-road and navigation experience. Their stunning top ten finish was the result of solid training, the capable AEV equipped Jeep Rubicon and making smart decisions every step of the way - both driving and navigating. They are the second US team to place in the top ten after the US reached the podium in 2011.
The last and final leg, which took place Wednesday and Thursday between the towns of M'Hamid and Foum Zguid, covered an optimal 255 kms over dunes, dry lake beds, and roads. The first check point on Wednesday was difficult for most teams, as acceleration over the wet dunes with poor visibility lead to extreme challenges. A crash occurred between Teams 163 and 172 as they advanced to Checkpoint (CP) 5X, unable to see even a few feet in front of their hoods.
Coeur des Gazelles (Heart of the Gazelle) Makes Positive Impact on Morocco
The Heart of Gazelles is a non-profit organization founded in 2001 dedicated to bettering the lives of the people of Morocco through access to clean water, education, orphanage support, job creation for women, and extensive medical services. The Moroccan government and Moroccan Ministry of Health support the organization and its admirable mission, and work with the non-profit to find the most remote areas in need.
The concept is simple - every year during the length of the Gazelle Rally, the Heart of Gazelles runs alongside the event providing much needed services and support to remote areas of the country. Amongst those services is an extensive medical caravan distributing medical equipment, providing medical consultations (over 20,000 to date), corrective glasses, labor assistance, and women’s health care support.
In addition to the medical caravan, the organization also provides orphanage support, and has dedicated monetary funds to assist local youth on the streets.
The Heart of Gazelles strong support of job creation for women has directly assisted with the building of a workshop where local women are able to earn a living and support themselves. To find out more about the Heart of Gazelles and the work they do, log on to: www.rallyeaichadesgazelles.com
Leg 5 Recap
Leg 5 of the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles brought the top competitors closer together in the standings, leaving little room for error between the three as the finish draws near.
Team Lerner Reina #107 finished strong once again, but fell two positions in the overall to tenth after placing 16th in Leg 5. With only two more days left of competition, they are staying cool despite the pressure as the only U.S. team in the top ten. Amy Lerner, driver, stated "We were a little off yesterday, and today both of us made an effort to make this one count. The only expectation we set for ourselves was to improve, and we've taken a lot of time this past year to learn and practice our skills."
Wednesday's Marathon leg will take the teams for two days through a 255 kilometer course, with nine CPs and two advanced "X" CPs in the high dunes of M'hamid, known as Erg Chegaga. The first day of the leg is known as one of the most difficult of the rally due to navigation challenges in the open, featureless landscape and tedious driving conditions. Old dune remains create sand traps, cratered silt and dried mud, making a straight line nearly impossilble.
Image Gallery
http://www.aev-conversions.com/news/team-lerner-reina#sigProGalleria0e12b1d9cd
Leg 4 - Competition Heating Up in the Top 10
Driving with a cracked seal, U.S. Team Amy Lerner and Tricia Reina #107 maintains an impressive top position at ninth place in an international field of 150 teams, making all of their CPs. The course today was fairly intermediate but came with a few challenges. "The area we were in today was completely new to us. The weather was very hazy, and it was difficult to see, but we took our time and felt good about the choices we made," noted Lerner. Visibility is important to accurately read the detailed map features.
The top teams will be in serious competition mode the next few days to close the gaps as the event weeds out contenders. The rally is known for wearing down teams as they have now competed sunrise to sunset for multiple days.
Team Lerner Reina Holding 7th Overall After Leg 3 Marathon
The first of two Marathon Legs in the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles has just come to a close, and Team #107 from the U.S., Amy Lerner and Tricia Reina, are holding solid in seventh position overall. The sister duo, new to off-road after completing the 2011 Gazelle, is impressing organizers and competitors with a strong performance since the initial Prologue stage on Wednesday. Piloting the AEV modified Jeep Rubicon, Lerner successfully nailed the difficult checkpoints in the famed Erg Chebbi Dunes, the largest dunes in Morocco.
Lerner feels the AEV modifications on their Jeep Rubicon impacted their results this year, helping them leap into the top ten. "Suspension was key, as well as the electronic sway bar disconnect and heat reduction hood - I didn't have to worry about it overheating out there despite the rough conditions. The Jeep's added lift made it tackle the camel grass well, and the handling and comfort level has been phenomenal. When you're out there for 14 hours a day, that's highly important."
Image Gallery
http://www.aev-conversions.com/news/team-lerner-reina#sigProGalleriad02f29ddad
