My friend Lambert, has woken up early to take me to the airport. I arrive at Heathrow on a cold English morning, only 5 degree Celsius. Next stop will be Madrid and then a quick change of plane to Valencia. A 15 minute taxi ride later and I am at the circuit to collect our truck. Valencia circuit charges us over 170 euros to leave it in secure parking since the last race. But, it is still a cheap option for us and it is in a safe place. I have to leave the other driver, who will help me take the truck to Morocco, after his luggage gets lost by the airline.
 |
| parking permit |
When I arrive at the circuit,one of the German truckies is sat in his truck, with a very sad face. He arrived a few hours before me but he is going no where as his truck has a flat battery and nobody at the circuit can help. As the trucks have 24 volt electrics, you need to jump start it from another truck. A car will just not do. We connect the jump leads to my truck and a look of relief appears on his face. I joke that he must pay me 50 euros as a recovery fee.
Unfortunately for him, the next morning, he needs my help again. The truck needs yet another jumpstart. But once he starts driving, the alternator will have plenty of time to recharge the batteries.
As I write this, I am still waiting for my 2x50 euros recovery charge !!
 |
| Road to Algeciras |
Three of the WTCC trucks set off for the port of Algeciras, in southern Spain, which is a 9 hour journey. We have to leave at this time to ensure that we are clear of the Valencia area due to a truck ban on the roads, caused by the Easter holiday. After an hour of driving, my friend gets a call from the airline to say that his bag is now in Valencia. There is no way we can turn back, so arrangements are made to have it sent to Marrakesh. I do offer to give him a new pair of socks as compensation.
 |
| Parked up in Algeciras port |
|
 |
| We cant use this boat as we are still waiting to clear customs. |
We arrive in time to go to the office of our shipping agent who will help us clear Spanish customs. After waiting a few hours, we are told that everything is okay and we will be on the 2100 hours boat to Tangiers. It is 2030 hours now.None of us were expecting to leave tonight and the thought of having to spend the night in the trucks, in Tangier port, is not want we really want. We now have half an hour to get back to the truck parking area and drive into the departure lanes for the ferry. A very old boat awaits us and once on board, we have to complete immigration cards and have our passports checked by the police on the boat.
The whole system for getting a truck from Spain to Morocco is not as simple as making a booking on the internet, or from a ticketing office. It seems that you have to clear customs first, then get issued a ticket to get on the boat, and then you have to wait until there is space for your truck on whichever boat is due to leave next. This means that you could be waiting for up to a day. Depending how many trucks ahve been given a ticket. How the shipping companies can operate like this, I do not know?
It is dark when we finally roll down the loading ramp of the ferry, onto Tangiers Med 2 port area. The truckies are glad that this part of the journey is over. As we need to complete Moroccan customs and the offices are now shut, a night in the trucks is our only choice. And at least the new port area seems better than the old one.
A cool but dry morning in Morocco gives me chance to see what I couldn't see in the dark.
NOW HOW CAN I START TO DESCRIBE TANGIERS MED 2 ????????????
 |
| Tangiers Med port |
It is certainly big and surrounded by steep hills and at least 3 security fences. It has a few small cafeterias and toilet blocks. The cafes only take Moroccan money,no euros allowed, the menus are only in Arabic, and the toilets have all been stripped of their seats and working mechanisms so you cannot flush them. The toilets are a real last resort unless you absolutely and positively need to use them. I went to four different toilet blocks, both male and female, and not one of them worked !! Maybe it is a good thing that we cannot buy any food.
 |
| Need to use the toilet Sir? Forget it..... |
 |
| Abandoned van in Tangiers port |
Plenty of parking space is one thing that Tangier port does have. Even though some of the spaces are occupied by broken down or abandoned vehicles, that the owners have long forgotten about recovering. As for the port security, it is definitely better than the old port. But the approximately 3 metre high fence around the inner port seems to be under constant "attack" by the many groups of children and adults that are desperate to stow away on a truck and be carried over to Spain, hopefully for a better life than they have in their own country. These people will have no passports and will be dealt with as illegal immigrants if they are caught entering Spain. What fate awaits them, I do not know.
These people have already penetrated the outer port fence which is much higher and topped off with barbed wire. The smaller, inner port fence, is definitely not an obstacle for them. They hang around the railway track that runs inside the port and spend their days trying to jump the small fence, while the security men and dog patrols are not looking. We witnessed one "attack" which lasted for 2 hours. People dive under the trucks and play "hide and seek" with the security. Some of them seem to be known by the security staff as we witnessed quite normal conversations taking place through the fence. These people are desperate and we can hear their shouts for food and money.
On our return trip back to Spain, we will be checking under our trucks again, the same as we had to do in the old port.
 |
| Stowaways inside the parking area, hide from security |
 |
| Waiting for their chance !! |
|
|
 |
| Port security with potential stowaway behind the fence. |
 |
| More stowaways are confronted. |
I also see a few faces of some "shipping agents" that I remember from my previous races in Morocco and they are not people that I would wish to deal with again. This year, we are using a bigger and more trustworthy company, to help us with the tiresome legalities of customs clearance. I cannot see what process happens next but I am pretty certain that it does not mean taking your place in a queue and waiting for your turn. I will leave you to make up your own minds of how this is done !
Many calls are made to our shipping agents in Morocco and eventually they arrive to collect our carnets and present them to the customs officials.
How we manage to talk and communicate is quite funny. This group of truckies is made up of 4 different nationalities and languages. Somehow, we all try to speak something and make ourselves understood. We certainly have plenty of time whilst we stand around. Everyone has taken the sensible precaution of bringing some food. This is generously shared amongst us. Our truck has a generator so the microwave oven can be used we can supply the other truckies with tea and coffee while we wait, and wait, and wait, and wait a little bit more. Patience is a virtue !
 |
| Our carnets are returned to us. |
|
|
Early afternoon, and our carnets are returned to us. But for one unlucky team, a clerical error by the Spanish shipping agents means that they are refused customs clearance and must wait until this is sorted out. Another 4 hours, stuck in the port, awaits them. We all feel very sorry for them but can do nothing to help. It is not something that you want good friends to endure, especially through no fault of their own. We say goodbye and have to follow the shipping agents vehicle as we go through 2 checkpoints in the port. These men at the checkpoints, certainly try to look very "official", but do not really check anything. We continue to follow our agents vehicle while much hand waving is done by these fluorescent jacketed "officials".
 |
| Our agent runs towards an "official" in his fluorescent vest while another "official", stands in his box. |
I have joked with the other truckies, many times, about what I have called the "Moroccan Wave". The "officials" seem to perform this in a very random manner, using their hands, usually in opposing directions from the other "official" and is very, very confusing. It can involve a simple, small flick of the wrist. Or can be a complete movement of the arm. While one guy waves you in one direction, the other guy will wave you in a totally opposite direction, or signal you to halt. This will continue for a short time before they either agree, disagree, or they get moved aside by a bloody big truck! I would love to make a video of all these "officials" hand movements, piece them all together, put some music to it and post it on Youtube. I am sure it would be a big hit.
 |
| The final police checkpoint |
Finally we reach a set of big,stone archways. This seems to be the actual Moroccan police checkpoint. I can see no paperwork being shown to him by our shipping agent, only a conversation and we are finally free to leave.
Or so we think !!!!!!
Around the corner and halfway up a hill, an "official" has slowed a line of trucks to a slow crawl for absolutely no reason. Our agent is forced to jump out of his car, run up the road, and then comes back to us and tells us to just drive around him. And guess what the "official" does? He waves us on ! Climbing up the hill, away from the port, our agent stops his car, and we say thank you as we pass him and urge our trucks up an almost never ending hill, up and away from Tangiers Med 2.
 |
| The never ending hill as we leave the port |
I feel like I have aged 5 years after yet another trip,getting into Morocco. Why does something, that in other countries, that we visit, have to be such a monumental task. All I want to do is do my job. Hopefully helping provide some entertainment that will benefit the country hosting the many races around the world.
The almost 700km drive to Marrakesh is bliss compared to the 0km that I did in the port. I get an SMS from the Hungarian drivers asking me to slow down so that they can catch up with me. The climb up the long hill and the traffic, has meant that they have been left far behind. This is their first time in Morocco and I have helped them from Valencia, through Algeciras port and Tangiers, I do not have to keep them close behind me and I tell them to follow the motorway signs to Rabat, then Casablanca and finally Marrakesh. You do not have to turn off this road at all and if you cant read a road sign, then you need to get a different job.
It is dark when we stop at the last toll booth before Marrakesh and all the trucks are all together again. To reach the circuit on the other side of Marrakesh means that we have to drive through the centre of the town. Big, red signs show that no trucks are allowed through the centre, but we drive on through, past police traffic controls as they DO realise that we are here to entertain their people and a small relaxing of the law is not going to upset anyone.
 |
| Motorway maintenance ! |
 |
| Can I have a lift please? |
Due to the race being in April, it is my first chance to see the countryside looking so green. On previous trips, it has always been sun baked and not very nice to look. But some things do not change, and that is the many people and animals that you see on the side of the busy motorway. People stand by the side of the road, trying to hitch a ride to where ever whilst the many sheep, horses,donkeys,goats and even cows, help save the Moroccan highways agency money, by keeping the grass nice and short.
 |
| Pit road wall signs |
The following morning, the trucks are washed and the unloading of equipment starts again. Slowly over the next few days, the activity will increase. Tents and buildings will be put up, and the paddock will start coming to life.
In my mind, I can only think that I still have to make the return journey back to Spain.
I have not included my usual total kilometres travelled by the teams, to get to Morocco. This is due to the fact that many trucks have remained in Spain after the Valencia race. But we are still using up lots and lots of diesel. Ensuring that the many holes in the earths ozone layer continue to expand.
WTCC brings you Real Racing, Real Cars.
And a very good sun tan as well !
 |
| Temporary garages take shape |
 |
| Wednesday morning in the paddock |
 |
| Wednesday morning in the pit lane |
