Transafricans welcomed back to Gstaad in style
The Clubhouse of the Grand Hotel Bellevue (aka the Gstaad Yacht Club) was the venue for the welcome back apéro last Friday December 15 2006 for the team from the Gstaad Automobile Club that recently completed the first Transafricaine Classic rally from Paris to Dakar. The atmosphere was congratulatory as a well-heeled crowd of invitees and GstaadLife.com readers gathered just after 17h00 for a 1-hour film of highlights from the rally that took place between November 3 and 19. There was visible amazement on the faces of the viewers as they came to appreciate the hardship endured by Hansueli Brand and Stanislas de Sadeleer, ranging from rocks, dust and sand, to mud, floods and the Mauritanian army. After the film, Brand and de Sadeleer gave heartfelt speeches of thanks to those gathered, expressing gratefulness to their families and co-workers for allowing them this indulgence, and visibly humbled by the interest that their little adventure had generated in the community. At the end of the speeches they were presented with commemorative plaques featuring the daily coverage from this website, and the crowd lingered for another couple of hours to the backdrop of personal photos from the drivers. After the holidays we'll get around to posting all the video and photos so that those of you who weren't able to enjoy the evening can still enjoy the action. Thanks from the entire GstaadLife.com team to all our readers for your interest in following the rally throughout November.
Above: Following speeches from Hansueli Brand (left) and Stanislas de Sadeleer (center) at the Apéro Transafricaine, Xavier Ferguson of Consenda (right) presents the Gstaad Automobile Club team with commemorative plaques featuring German language texts of the daily rally coverage from GstaadLife.com. Consenda was the company that set up the technology behind the GstaadLife.com website which brought the drama from Africa to readers in Saanenland and around the world. Click photo to enlarge. Click below for more photos.
Above: de Sadeleer (right) with Ernst A Scherz (left), owner of the Gstaad Palace, and George Nicholson (center), Commodore of the Gstaad Yacht Club.
Above: Hansueli Brand (right) with Jérémy Lancksweert (24), the youngest driver to complete the Transafricaine Paris-Dakar rally. Lancksweert and his partner, Vincent Janssens, finished 10th overall (also in a Land Rover), and the Lancksweerts (who are regulars in Gstaad) were on hand to celebrate their son's achievement.
Full rally coverage [DE = auch auf Deutsch] :
- Discipline leads to superb finish in Senegal for Gstaad Transafricans [DE]
- Transafricans close in on Dakar [DE]
- Village parties in Mali as Transafricans navigate desert brushlands [DE]
- Team Gstaad rises to Nega Pass challenge [DE]
- Relief for Team Gstaad as rallying resumes [DE]
- Green light for Transafrican Rally! [DE]
- Transafricans out of Mauritania but rally now in doubt [DE]
- Team Gstaad detained by Mauritanian army [DE]
- Military tensions force cancellation of Transafricaine Rally stage [DE]
- Transafricans damage Land Rover in rough terrain [DE]
- Dust, dust and more dust for Gstaad Transafricans [DE]
- A wild day in the Saharan dunes for Team Gstaad [DE]
- Tranafricans come in 5th in first African stage [DE]
- Team GAC makes landfall in Africa [DE]
- Smooth sailing into Spain [DE]
- Transafricans arrive safely in Narbonne [DE]
- Trouble for Transafricans after 100 meters [DE]
- Ominous words from Team GAC [DE]
- Transafricans begin voyage to Dakar [DE]
- Transafricans stop by Geneva [DE]
- Bon voyage aux Transafricains! [DE]
- Transafricaine rally apéro draws a crowd [DE]
- The real way to see the Sahara
Peace on Erth
Good Will to all
a Season filled with
Joy and Love.
Merry Cristmas and a
Happy New Year.
Hansueli Brand
Posted by: Ledi Garage Feutersoey, Hansueli Brand | Saturday, 23 December 2006 at 08:20