2001 Paris-Dakar rally takes on Nador-Errachidia stretch

Competitors of the 2001 Paris-Dakar rally left Nador in north-eastern Morocco heading for their next concentration point in Errachidia on a 602 km-long stretch including a 139 km special.

Before departure, rally boss Hubert Auriol said "serious things start in Nador an the first leg of Four in the kingdom with a special test of 139 km in rocky cedar forest tracks before taking on the mighty Atlas mountains.

For Agadir-born French champ Jean-Louis Schlesser who craves a third consecutive trophy, competing anew in Morocco is a dream come true and a renewed breath-taking experiment.

The famed rally has been crossing the kingdom every year since 1994.