Sand racing in Mazagan

Sand racing in Mazagan has taken place on the private beach and dunes or in the sandy forest behind the beach within the grounds of the Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort. Mazagan (officially known as El Jadida)[a] is a major port city on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, located 96 kilometres (60 mi) south of the city of Casablanca.[2] Events of various disciplines such as cross country, supercross, enduro and beach racing have been held since 2013.

Morocco Cross Country Championship

Organised by DADA'S Bike[b] and the Royal Moroccan Motorcycling Federation (Fédération Royale Marocaine de Motocyclisme) (FRMM), the resort hosted the 2013 Morocco Cross Country Championship on 16-17 February. Around 60 Moroccan and international riders competed including Mickaël Pichon, twice Motocross World Champion.[4] The motorcycle champion was Polish rider Łukasz Kurowski and the quad champion Moroccan Hicham Choufani.[5]

Morocco Super Cross Championship

DADA'S Bike and the Royal Moroccan Motorcycling Federation organised a second event in 2013 at the resort, the 2013 Morocco Super Cross Championship, on 25-26 May. Competitors included 15 international riders.[6] Run over six heats on a track designed by former SX rider Pierre Sénac, the overall winner was Frenchman Fabien Izoird. It was the first supercross event held in Morocco.[7]

Championnat du Maroc Sable Cross

The Championnat du Maroc Sable Cross (Moroccan Sand Cross Championship) took place on the beach of the resort on 25 February 2018. It was organised by the Moroccan Sports Association of Motorcycling in Casablanca, under the aegis of the Royal Moroccan Federation of Motorcycling.[8]

Enduro du Mazagan

The first running of the enduro took place in the forest on 28-29 April 2018 on a 7 km (4.3 mi) course in the forest. Riders had to complete 10 laps of the course. The event featured a riding demonstration by Motocross World Champion Pierre Renet and was organised by the resort in partnership with MDMX.[9][c]

The second edition was run on 16-17 March 2019[11] and took place on the beach and dunes.[12] The 6 km (3.7 mi) course featured a 3 km (1.9 mi) straight along the beach.[13] Staged over two 35 minutes heats with a Le Mans start, it was won by French sandracer Camille Chapelière.[14]

Mazagan Beach Race

The Royal Moroccan Motorcycling Federation (FRMM) organised the Mazagan Beach Race, which it billed as a Sand Cross Grand Prix, on the beach on 16 October 2022 with the aim of promoting motorsport in the country. The race consisted of two 35 minutes heats.[15]

The 2026 running of the race took place on 31 January - 1 February and was the fourth round of the Moroccan Motorcross Championship.[16]

Morocco Sand Race

In March 2026 the FIM announced the calendar for the 2026/2027 FIM Sand Races World Championship. The first round, Morocco Sand Race, is a new event to be held in Mazagan on 26-27 September.[17]

Notes

  1. ^ The fortified city, built by the Portuguese at the beginning of the 16th century and named Mazagan was given up by the Portuguese in 1769 and incorporated into Morocco. The city was renamed al-Jadida in 1820, meaning 'The New'.[1]
  2. ^ DADA'S Bike is a Moroccan motorcycle club that organises motorcycle events and competitions, particularly in off-Road disciplines. Founded in 2009, it affiliated with the Royal Moroccan Motorcycling Federation and approved by the Moroccan Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.[3]
  3. ^ MDMX is a Moroccan motorsports event organiser based in Agadir.[10]

References

  1. ^ Proposition d'inscription de biens sur la Liste du patrimoine mondial: Cité portugaise Mazagan (El Jadida) (Nomination text for UNESCO World Heritage List) (in French). 2004.
  2. ^ "الجهات و تسمياتها و مراكزها و العمالات و الأقاليم المكونة لها" (PDF). Official Gazette المملكة المغربية - الجريدة الرسمية - النشرة العامة. 6340 (year 104): 1461–1533. 15 March 2015. ISSN 0851-1195. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 July 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  3. ^ "A propos de Dada's Bike - Club Moto, Cross et Stunt au Maroc" [About Dada's Bike]. www.dadas-bike.com (in French). Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  4. ^ "Moto Cross- Country : Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort sur les chapeaux de roues" [Motocross-Country: Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort in full swing]. Aujourd'hui le Maroc (in French). 6 February 2013. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  5. ^ Bahechar, Hakim (19 February 2013). "Motocyclisme au Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort" [Motorcycling at Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort]. Aujourd'hui le Maroc (in French). Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  6. ^ "Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort sur les chapeaux de roues, avec Morocco Super Cross Championship 2013" [Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort is in full swing, with the Morocco Super Cross Championship 2013]. Médias24 - Numéro un de l'information économique marocaine (in French). 22 May 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  7. ^ "Izoird roi du Maroc en super-cross - Blog Evènements Moto" [Izoird, king of Morocco in super-cross]. www.dadas-bike.com. 30 May 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  8. ^ "Le championnat du Maroc Sable Cross au Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort". Mazagan24 - Portail d'El Jadida (in French). 19 February 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2026. The Moroccan Sand Cross Championship at Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort
  9. ^ "En partenariat avec MDMX, Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort a accueilli les 28 et 29 avril un Enduro Amical de Motocross" [In partnership with MDMX, Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort hosted a friendly motocross enduro on April 28th and 29th.]. azemmourinfo24 (in French). 29 April 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  10. ^ "MDMX MAROC entreprise". Business Trust Africa (in French). Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  11. ^ "Courses sur sable : le calendrier 2018-2019" [Sand racing: the 2018-2019 calendar]. Pilote de Sable (in French). 9 March 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  12. ^ "Enduro du Mazagan 2019 - Sportautomoto.ma" [Mazagan Enduro 2019] (in French). 22 February 2019. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  13. ^ "Rober Parasole listo para el Enduro du Mazagan" [Rober Parasole ready for the Enduro du Mazagan]. FuelUniverse (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  14. ^ "Parasole tercero en el Enduro du Mazagan" [Parasole third in the Enduro du Mazagan]. FuelUniverse (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  15. ^ "La Motocross, en fête au Mazagan Beach Resort" [Motocross, celebrated at the Mazagan Beach Resort]. el jadida scoop (in French). 16 October 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  16. ^ "Sun, Sand, and Speed!". FIM Africa. 14 January 2026. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  17. ^ Brink, Arno van den (5 March 2026). "New Calendar Announced for the FIM Sand Races World Championship 2026–2027". MX Vice. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.