In 2015, Sara Price and Erica Sacks made history as the first team to compete in the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles with a side-by-side. Driving an IMG Motorsports-prepared Kawasaki Teryx, the Teryx Girls crossed the Moroccan desert using maps, a compass and an odometer—without GPS or conventional course markings.
Their adventure included two nights stranded in the desert, difficult dune crossings and a two-hour CVT belt repair on the final day. After returning home, Price and Sacks sat down with UTV Guide to explain how they prepared, what went wrong and why they refused to quit.
This interview was originally published in 2015 and has been refreshed for clarity while preserving the competitors’ firsthand account.
What Is the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles?
Established in 1990, the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles du Maroc is a women-only off-road navigation rally held in Morocco. Rather than rewarding outright speed, the event challenges teams to reach designated checkpoints while traveling the fewest possible kilometers.
Competitors do not use GPS navigation. Each day, they receive geographic coordinates, headings and distances for the checkpoints and finish. Teams must plot their route with maps, a compass and a navigational plotter before deciding whether to travel around or directly across mountains, dunes and other obstacles.
The 2015 competition covered approximately 1,300 kilometers of the Moroccan desert across eight days. Teams started around 6 a.m. and could spend 10 to 13 hours navigating each day.
Sara Price and Erica Sacks were one of only 10 American teams selected for the event. More significantly for the UTV industry, they became the first team to enter the rally with a side-by-side.
The Teryx Girls’ Story
UTV GUIDE: How did the two of you meet, and what led to your partnership?
Sara Price: We were always those girls hanging out with the boys because we liked machines, were always working on stuff and were racing. Sooner or later, we were bound to run into each other, and that’s pretty much how it started. Instead of asking the boys for help, we would do everything ourselves together. That had to be about seven years ago.
Erica Sacks: We met through mutual friends in our community. We were both professional athletes at the time and shared a love for racing, so we quickly became friends. During the past few years, I helped Sara prepare her race car and spotted for her at short-course races.
Why They Entered the Moroccan Rally
UTV GUIDE: The Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles isn’t a typical off-road race. What led you to compete?
Sara: I came across it a few times and then started following the U.S. Gazelles on Instagram. I thought it was one of the coolest things to happen in women’s motorsports. The rally isn’t just about the results. It’s about the journey and embracing the Gazelle spirit by helping all the women around you be the best they can be.
I had wanted to do it for a few years, but I had no clue where to start. I was figuring out my next step in racing, and this was at the top of my bucket list. I asked Erica, and she was 100 percent on board. From that moment, the work began so we could be part of this incredible rally.
Erica: Sara asked me to do an all-women’s race in Morocco without GPS. I’ve never turned down an opportunity like that, and the rally was no exception. I had plenty of driving and navigation experience in long- and short-distance off-road races, but always with GPS. Without knowing much about the rally, I said yes and never looked back.
Learning to Navigate Without GPS
UTV GUIDE: What did you practice before the rally?
Sara: Navigation, most definitely. Neither of us had navigation training, and that’s what the whole rally was based on, so it was our main focus. As the driver, I also had to change my mindset. Instead of choosing the smoothest line, I had to choose the shortest while staying on the correct heading so the navigator could keep us on track.
Erica: Neither of us had used a compass and map—especially an outdated map—for navigation. We had to learn quickly and practice a lot. Plotting the point on a map was only one step. We also had to learn how to drive the straightest line, route around obstacles, match features on the map to the surrounding terrain and work on the 2014 Kawasaki Teryx if it needed repairs.
Every area was different, and we both needed to know how to do everything so we could work as a team.
Two Nights Stranded in the Desert
UTV GUIDE: When you went off-course and had to spend the night in the desert, how did it affect your attitude?
Sara: The first night, we had to laugh because it was the first day of the rally. We ran out of gas, didn’t have a tent and thought, “The worst has happened on the first day, so it can only get better from here.” We made the best of it.
Our Teryx became our temporary home, and we got some sleep in the seats. Help didn’t arrive for about six hours, so we were alone in the middle of nowhere. At one point, we were asleep when some local people began poking us to wake us up. It was scary at first, but they meant well. They stayed and tried to talk with us for three hours, even though we didn’t speak the same language.
Erica: We laughed off the first night. So many things had gone wrong leading up to the rally that it was just another story to add to the adventure.
The second night was harder. We were frustrated and ready to throw in the towel, but that didn’t last long. Our mentor, Emily Miller, convinced the organization to let her speak to us through the tracker. She reminded us that, other than the cliffs surrounding us, we were safe and tomorrow was a new day.
Later, rally officials arrived with a sleeping bag and tent. We got enough sleep to start over and prove that we belonged there.
Preparing the Kawasaki Teryx
UTV GUIDE: What did you do to prepare the Kawasaki Teryx?
Sara: The Kawasaki Teryx was really ready off the showroom floor. It’s a strong machine, and that’s what you need for this rally. We added ITP wheels and tires, a cage from IMG Motorsports, PCI Race Radios equipment and KC HiLiTES light bars that saved us from the darkness of the desert.
Erica: There wasn’t much we wanted to change. We knew the Teryx was a reliable platform, and reliability was what we needed. IMG Motorsports completed most of the work in the short time we had available.
They built a custom cage and roof and modified the stock seats so our PRP four-point harnesses would fit us comfortably. ITP supplied two sets of dual-beadlock wheels and Blackwater tires, and we upgraded the FOX shocks.
Other additions included two KC HiLiTES FLEX Array light bars, PCI Bluetooth communication equipment integrated with our Bell Racing helmets, graphics, spare parts, MAXTRAX recovery boards and plenty of tools.
Life Inside the Teryx
UTV GUIDE: What did you talk about during the long days?
Sara: Most of the time, we compared our thoughts about where we might be. We were always excited to see camels and donkeys, so you can imagine some of the conversations about them.
Erica: My nickname from my brother has always been “Random,” and that couldn’t be more accurate. Sara and I usually talk about food, but during the rally we stayed pretty close to the task. When we weren’t naming terrain features or saying what they resembled, we were trying to determine where we were and how to reach the next checkpoint.
Patience, Teamwork and the Gazelle Spirit
UTV GUIDE: What was the most valuable skill the rally taught you?
Sara: Always knowing where you are. Navigation is an amazing skill, and without the rally, I don’t think we would have had a reason to learn it. It also taught us patience. When you’re lost, the worst thing you can do is drive around because you’ll only become more lost.
Erica: Teamwork was the most valuable skill. You can have the best equipment, be the best navigator and get stuck the least, but if you don’t work well as a team and help other teams, you don’t have the Gazelle spirit. You will miss the entire point of the experience.
A Major Comeback in the Dunes
UTV GUIDE: How did rebounding from those first problems change your outlook?
Sara: We felt tested before the Teryx even shipped from California. Nothing went smoothly, and we’re proud of all the challenges we worked through.
After sleeping in the desert on the first night, we became stranded on a cliff the following night with no way down. It was dark, and navigating that terrain at night was nearly impossible. That was our lowest point. We were running on no sleep, and my sleeping bag had fallen out, so I used two emergency blankets to get some rest.
The next morning, rally organizers took us to a road at least 50 miles away. To remain in the rally, we had to return to the bivouac by noon. We arrived at 10 a.m., even though the other teams had started at 6 a.m.
We didn’t miss a beat. Erica started plotting while an organizer briefed us, and I refueled and ate. Then we left for our first dune day. We completed it in one of the shortest leg times, caught the other teams and returned to the bivouac early enough for a much-needed shower and rest.
Erica: The only word for the rally is respect. After our comeback, we received tremendous support from the other American teams, the international competitors and the organization. We also received messages from friends and family who were proud that we didn’t give up.
We felt as though we had failed everyone during those first two nights. Then we completed the hardest checkpoints on dune day and returned without any problems. It showed how quickly everything could change.
Could This Type of Navigation Rally Work in America?
UTV GUIDE: Would you like to see a similar event in the United States?
Sara: It would be cool, but competing in such an amazing country and experiencing its culture made the rally much more special. This type of competition is a true test of what you’re made of. It would be great to invite people into the desert one day to try it and learn navigation.
Erica: We discussed that on the flight home. Being in a foreign country adds an extra edge, but a similar event in the United States would be great. We talked about Glamis and Ocotillo Wells because that area has varied terrain. Somewhere with major geographic features and routes through different cities, similar to the original rally, would be even better.
The Two-Hour CVT Belt Repair
UTV GUIDE: How long did the difficult belt change take, and what happened?
Sara: It happened on our final day after nearly 1,000 miles. We probably should have changed the belt halfway through as preventive maintenance because we had done so much rock crawling.
When the belt failed, it had shredded so badly that we couldn’t completely clean the debris from the clutches. The bolt used to expand the secondary clutch then broke off inside it. We traded places trying to remove it and finally succeeded after about an hour, but we no longer had the correct bolt to expand the secondary.
We removed both clutches and tried fitting the belt while they were off the engine. We couldn’t get everything aligned. Out of frustration, I kicked it—and somehow it went together. We secured the clutch nuts, reassembled the Teryx and headed for the finish.
Erica: It took us about two hours, and we probably couldn’t duplicate what happened. We got two screwdrivers stuck while trying to remove the broken end of the bolt. We took turns working so neither of us would give up.
We came close to quitting several times. Sara’s frustrated kick finally aligned the splines and allowed the clutch to slide into place. We were ready to go again, and we finished.
How the Kawasaki Teryx Handled Morocco
UTV GUIDE: How did the IMG Motorsports-built Kawasaki Teryx handle the desert?
Sara: Like a champ. If there is a UTV that can shine in this extreme competition, this is it. Its foundation is strong, and the Teryx is nearly indestructible. That was exactly what we needed because a mechanical failure could cost us everything we put into the rally.
The Teryx was also roomy inside, which helped during the long nights in the desert and the days when we were in the vehicle for nearly 24 hours. We were proud of it and couldn’t have asked for more from our machine.
Erica: It handled great from the passenger side. As the navigator, you don’t pay much attention to the terrain because you’re concentrating on features and the odometer. Every big bump was a surprise, but it was nothing I couldn’t handle.
Advice for the Next Generation
UTV GUIDE: What advice would you give young women interested in off-roading?
Sara: Get out there and go for it. Off-roading is one of the most amazing things life has to offer, and it can take you to incredible places around the world. Life is an adventure, so don’t hesitate. It’s where you belong.
Erica: Don’t be afraid to try something new. Experiences can be fun, scary or both, and they can take you on a crazy adventure like ours. It’s about your attitude and what you make of it. Get out there and do something outside your comfort zone.
A Historic Kawasaki Teryx Adventure
Price and Sacks’ finish demonstrated that a properly prepared recreational side-by-side could take on one of the world’s most unusual navigation challenges. Their Teryx endured long days, rocks, dunes, two unplanned nights in the desert and a major trailside belt repair before reaching the finish.
Read more about the platform in our 2014 Kawasaki Teryx overview, and follow the Teryx Girls into their next challenge in The Teryx Girls Prepare for the 2016 King of the Hammers.
Photos by Nicole Deron and U.S.A. Gazelles.
