Transafricaine rally apéro draws a crowd

Le tout Gstaad was out in force for the apéro put on by the Gstaad Automobile Club and Gstaad-Saanenland Tourismus Saturday afternoon (October 28). The event saw the presentation of 1994 Land Rover Discovery Series 1 that will be driven by Stan de Sadeleer and Hansueli Brand from Paris to Dakar in the Transafricaine Classic Rally beginning this coming Wednesday November 1. Chalet owners and local residents alike mingled on the Promenade sipping wine and nibbling Hobelkäse as they marveled at the bright orange SUV that will be home to de Sadeleer and Brand as they voyage 9,200 km through France, Spain and the Sahara desert to Dakar Senegal

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Above, Stan de Sadeleer (left) and Hansueli Brand at the presentation of their Transafricaine Rally car in the Promenade. Below, de Sadeleer and Brands' 1994 Land Rover Discovery Series 1 which they will be driving from Paris to Dakar between November 1 to 19.

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Click here for more pictures.

Beginning Wednesday November 1, you can follow the race online right here at GstaadLife.com. The site will be updated daily with exclusive photos, video, and live race data. Plus de Sadeleer and Brand will be in contact with us throughout the race by satellite phone and we'll bring you their daily commentary right here. Bookmark www.gstaadlife.com in your Favorites!

Viele Besucher beim Transafricaine Apéro

Ganz Gstaad war heute in der Promenade und schaute beim Apéro vorbei, dass vom Gstaad Automobile Club und Gstaad-Saanenland Tourismus organisiert wurde. Zu sehen gab es den 1994 Land Rover Discovery 1, den Stan de Sadeleer und Hansueli Brand ab nächsten Mittwoch in der Rallye Paris Dakar fahren werden. Man bestaunte das orange Geländefahrzeug, welches während Brands und de Sadeleers 9’200 km langen Reise durch Frankreich, Spanien und der Sahara bis nach Dakar fast wie ihr Zuhause sein wird.

Above: de Sadeleer and Brand are driving in the colors of the Gstaad Automobile Club.

Above: The Team GAC 1994 Land Rover Discovery Series 1 in front of Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus office in the Promenade.

Above: Team GAC are sponsored by ING Private Banking, Land Rover, Swatch, GstaadLife.com, Gstaad-Saanenland Tourismus, MCC, the Grand Hotel Bellevue Gstaad, Ledi Garage Feutersoey, Matzker KFZ Technik, and Sarina Carroserie. The car also prominently features a number of Saanen goats.

Above: Packed for every eventuality

Above: the cockpit that will be home to de Sadeleer and Brand for 20 days

Above: de Sadeleer contemplates another trek across the Sahara. He successfully completed the Dakar Rally in 2002.

Above: de Sadeleer (right) with Amedeo Serra (left) and Ernst A Scherz (second from right).

Above: Brand (right foreground) chatting with Ernst A Scherz.

Above: de Sadeleer (right) comparing expedition notes with Marcel Bach, who this past spring reached the summit of Mount Everest (see GstaadLife print edition July 7 2006 pages 4 and 5).

Above: Brand (right) and Marcel Bach toast a new adventure. Background (in the yellow sweater) Peter Baumberger of the Swatch group.

Above right: Hansueli Brand's wife, Beate, with William Harding.

Above: Pushchair roadblock outside the Olden; plenty of kids were on hand to admire the shiny orange wagon...

Above: Michel Wichmann with his wife Ilse and their son Moritz.

Above: Frank Müller with his son Flurin admiring the interior of the car.

Above: Gabriel Ferguson ensures the handbrake is in working order.

Above: de Sadeleer (left) and Brand (right) with the team that prepared the car from Ledi Land Rover in Feutersoey.

Above: drinks and cheese were served from the back of a 1948 Land Rover Series 1.

Above: Even the cows got in on the celebrations. Brand (with hand on the hood) offers a local farmer a glass of wine as his herd parades down the Promenade.

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Comments

[Hansueli Brand]

Besten Dank an alle die sich die Zeit genommen haben,um uns die besten Wünsche zu überbringen und auf uns anzustossen.
Besten Dank an die Medien und die Sponsoren, für die Mithilfe.
Danke, meiner Familie für die Liebe und Unterstützung, meinem Partner und Freund Bernhard und das Ledi Team.
Mein Ziel ist nicht nur Dakar,mein grosses Ziel ist mein Zuhause das Saanenland.
thanks Xavier regards Hansueli

[Peter Denise Laura und Nicolas]

Lieber Hansueli,
Träume sind der Schlüssel zum Glück.
Seine Träume wahr zu machen, ist der Schlüssel zum Erfolg.
Auf dass Du Deine Träume lebst!
Alles Gute zu Deinem Abenteuer und dass Ihr Gesund und
Glücklich wieder heimkommt.
Wir sind stolz auf Dich!

[Hugo de Sadeleer]

Bonne Chance Papa

[Thomas Angela Katharina Felix]

Lieber Hansueli,
auch von uns alles Gute viel Erfolg und komm gesund zurück.
Bis bald

[ERNST A . SCHERZ]

ALLORS, LES DEUX VAILLANTS GUERRIERS DE GSTAAD, PUISSIEZ- VOUS TRIOMPHER DES DUNES TRAITERESSES, DES TRIBUS SAUVAGES, DES PIERRES POINTUES, DES DEFAILLANCES TECHNIQUES, ET DE LA SOIF DU DESERT...
NOUS SOMMES AVEC VOUS A LA REP. DOMINICAINE, ERNST , YANA, RETO , WERNI

[Bettina und Christoph]

Lieber Hansueli
Wenn Hansueli in die Ferne zog, um etwas zu erleben. Fast des Guten etwas zu viel was Du und Dein Partner durchgemacht haben. Haltet die Ohren steif und weiterhin viel Erfolg. Keep out of troubles and return safely.
Alles Liebe
Bettina und Christoph

[Rick and "Mayor" LaFaye Dellinger]

Best of luck Stan. Keep the hammer down and "get 'r done!" Not like Battle Creek in '82, but just as wonderful. Go right at 'em!

[Christoph und Bettina]

Carissimi dopo la grande festa di ieri sera con "the grazy Italians" vi auguriamo una buona giornata frozza Team Gstaad!

[Christoph und Bettina]

Carissimi dopo la grande festa di ieri sera con "the grazy Italians" vi auguriamo una buona giornata forza Team Gstaad!