EAR

Europe Africa Rodeo

21/09/2021

Reading time: 3 minutes

In the early days, snowboarders were the wild, crazy guys on their boards. They were so different, didn't care about rules and conformity and sometimes wore their pants on their knees... Well, even back then you didn't have to join in with all the junk.

At some point, snowboarding grew into a popular sport and the Olympics were the high point for some and the downfall of the so-called snowboarding lifestyle for others.

Today you can see how snowboarding is slowly (re)developing into something similar to what it was in the 80s and 90s. Something that is fun.

But I don't want to make a discourse into the development of snowboarding here, that will surely come to another post some day.

On to the pothole

I used this lengthy introduction to show that there are others who are wild and crazy and care little for rules and conformity. So at heart they are like the original snowboarders. Or how would you describe people who drive into the desert with a 20 year old cart with a maximum of 50 hp? Imagine the Paris Dakar Rally and the whole thing with rattletraps that are overloaded and whose technology is actually only more or less roadworthy. Yes, that's exactly Potholes! Anyone who can find a vehicle that conforms to the rules and who wants to experience the adventure of a lifetime (or at least of the last 18 months) with lots of other cars and motorcycles can join us. So it goes in October 2021 to Morocco!

Europe Africa Rodeo (EAR)

We at board generation have been preparing for this adventure for over a year now. Yeah, maybe we're getting on in years and a little grey too, but at least we're totally into this weird stuff. On Insta at @4wd.rodeo you're welcome to follow us.

Since we really like it weird, we are with a very special vehicle: A Subaru Just J10 (Bj. 1986) with 54 hp. With this we are the exotics, but trump with switchable four-wheel drive!

Pascal Kesselmark | board generation This is what the car looked like when you bought it....

As you know, any planning is a bit difficult at the moment because of Corona. The guys from backroadclub.com have years of experience in organising such rallies and after the start in May had to be cancelled, now run the tour in October.

Technical data:

Off-road tour through Morocco (side roads, gravel roads, desert tracks etc.)
5000 KM
2 seas
18 days
Start on 10 October in Tangier
Entry fee: From about 900 euros you are there
Starting places for 2022 are available from October 1 for booking available

If you want to get an impression of the professionalism of the organizer, you can have a look here (https://www.backroadclub.com/blog.1214.html) read through the current blog posts on the EAR. Also on Youtube there is one or the other production.

But this is clearly a low-budget rally. Actually, the name rally is already wrong, because it is not about the time, but to have a lot of fun on pothole roads and tracks. Although you are basically on your own and only meet at a checkpoint in the morning, you are never really on your own. If another participant has a breakdown, they help, sometimes just with a cold beer, but you never leave anyone standing. And everyone is connected live via a WhatsApp group and on CB radio. From experience I can say that this ensures fun.

Fun for a good cause

The guys from the BackRoadClub have made it their goal to be at every Pleasure Trip to support projects that also urgently need this help.

It has become a nice tradition that the participants combine the rally with a good cause. Together we can achieve great things and make the world a good bit better. Every year, the organizer tries to cooperate with an aid organization.

This year's goal is a big one - we are building together with the association "Child-Care-Africa Development Assistance." a preschool in Morocco (near Agadir).

If you want to donate something (we are already grateful for 5 Euro), then you can do that here. Please donate for team #538.

Car screws and other construction sites

With a car that in our case cost 400 francs, you are of course never done with screws. Due to the abrupt end of the season last winter, phase 1 is already mastered, the rust holes are repaired and the car has again MFK.

In the second phase, the roof rack, the LED bar and the era-appropriate music system were added to the car. With this we drove a pothole through Austria in July. The pictures at the end of this article are from this trip. The car ran the 2000 km through the mountains without any problems and we were able to make offroad trips to Italy and Slovenia as well as Austria. So we knew that the technology is fit for the desert.

In the last phase - the whole period until the EAR - a roof tent was mounted, a rear carrier was built, the electronics were adjusted again and other necessary things were mounted.

Snowboarding in the desert

One of the highlights of the EAR will be a snowboard event in the desert. We hope for lively participation and just, it is also a bit weird. I can already see the faces of the loadmasters of the ferry Genoa-Tanger, when cars with snowboards on it want to go to Morocco. Maybe we will even see one or the other motorcyclist with a board. What exactly we will do in Morocco will be announced at a later date.