This weekend the 6th edition of the Panda Raid began and one of its teams visited our facilities in El Puerto de Santa María, Cádiz, where we provided logistical and mechanical support. The Panda is an amateur raid that takes place between Spain and Morocco.
The start is in Madrid, from where the caravan heads to Algeciras to cross the Strait of Gibraltar. Once in Africa, the route runs through the varied landscapes of Morocco. Divided into seven stages, the race visits the cedar forests of Azrou, the Erg Chebbi desert, in Merzouga, and heads south to Marrakech, after crossing the Atlas mountain range.
Their final destination is the beautiful beaches of Essaouira, where participants who have managed to reach the finish line will celebrate their achievement with a swim in the waters of the Atlantic.
Solo Seat / Fiat Panda
The most peculiar thing about this event is that participants can only do it at the wheel of a classic vehicle, a Seat Panda in its different versions (Fiat, Seat, Panda, Marbella, 4x4...) and that the main challenge is not against the clock, but rather the experience itself. It also has a charitable aspect, as school supplies, which the participants themselves carry in their Pandas, are donated to schools in southern Morocco.
The Seat Panda of the team “The Panders”, formed by Juanma García and Juanma Cañas arrived at the Caracolvan facilities in El Puerto de Santa María on Friday afternoon. After noticing a slight overheating in the engine after the long trip from Madrid, it was decided to check the entire cooling system.
The water pump, thermostat and radiator were replaced. For one day, there was no rented VW T3 Camper van in the Caracolvan “box”, but a Seat Panda Raid. Thanks to the agility of the driver and mechanics, the Panda was already driving on Valdelagrana Beach without any temperature problems by Saturday afternoon.
They headed for Algeciras, where they successfully completed the technical checks and on Sunday they embarked for Tangier. Throughout this week they will cover more than 3000 km of regularity, orientation and above all adventure.
If you want to know more visit www.pandaraid.com
