Eugène and Olympe, when brother and sister embark together, from Gard, for the 4L Trophy in Morocco

Eugène et Olympe Marès écriront des chroniques sur leur aventure. Midi Libre – MiKAEL ANISSET

Eugène et Olympe Marès feront vivre à Midi Libre leur expérience, en février prochain.

Christmas holidays ? Olympe and Eugène Marès, two young people from Gard aged 21 and 22, spent part of their time with their hands dirty, in the literal sense of the word. In the bonnet of their vehicle, tinkering with their thirty-year-old 4L. Or balancing the budget with sponsors, between Christmas and New Year's Day. Because in just over a month, the great adventure awaits them. They will take part in the 2025 edition of the 4L Trophy. This great race, which needs no introduction, has brought together thousands of young people under the age of 28 since 1997 for a two-week raid across Morocco, their luggage loaded with supplies for the children.

200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000

Eugène and Olympe are brother and sister, both engineers. He studies at the EPF in Montpellier (formerly the École Polytechnique Féminine). She is at Centrale in Marseille. “Before my last year of school, I had decided to take a gap year, says Eugène, to carry out the projects that were close to my heart. Among them, there was the 4L trophy. Many friends had told me about their experience. It was on my mind.” The choice of partner is obvious: it will be his sister Olympe. The two get along perfectly, having lived their high school internship together. “And we have a bit of the same way of working”, notes Eugène. “The humanitarian dimension was also important“, adds Olympe.

Knowing how to use a compass

The fact remains that to be up to such a challenge, you have to tick certain boxes. First, find a car. “We found a 4L Savane that was just 30 years old,” explains Olympe. It has 180,000 kilometers and has never done the 4L Trophy.”

Then, you have to know how to tinker with an engine. Not too complicated for future engineers: “We are rather resourceful, but we are novices in mechanics. The 4L is easy to understand by diving into it, remarks Eugène. There, upstream, it was necessary to prepare the underside of the vehicle well, to adapt it to the desert, make seals, change the seats, modify the ignition…”

The sales rep part is also important: finding sponsors, the cost of participation requiring several thousand euros. Finally, you have to equip yourself with bivouac equipment… without forgetting a good compass for the journeys. Because for the 4L trophy, no GPS! “We are guided by the roadbook and the compass. It should be fine, I was a scout! And I have already done raids…” , Olympe laughs.

The pre-departure will be given in Biarritz on February 19, for a free connection to Algeciras in Spain, a passage of the Strait of Gibraltar by boat and, finally, six stages in the Great South of Morocco. The arrival is scheduled for February 28 in Marrakech. Until then, good preparations!

A crew of columnists for Midi Libre!

Because Eugène and Olympe Marès are not content to live an exceptional adventure for their own experience, they wanted to share it. In partnership with Midi Libre, the duo will publish regular columns from the 4L Savane from February 19 to March 3. To be enjoyed very soon…

I subscribe to read the rest