Ecomotion 2011
Ecomotion all at Sea for the Start
Rob Howard / 11.04.2011
The race is known for its grand opening and closing ceremonies and this year did not disappoint. The race travelled for 3 hours to the town of Prado for the opening ceremony and race briefings, where teams received their road books and maps, and made final preparations with their support crews.
The race is unusual these days in that it does still require support teams. Team AXA Sports have reported that the transfer to Prado was difficult in small jeeps and cars, and that the support crews face a lot of challenges to reach their teams along the course.
Once they were at Prado however everyone was treated to an evening of dance, film and music, with videos of past races. Many of the dances and songs were chosen for their relevance to adventure racing, with one having the chorus, “I am a warrior�. There was also story of the ‘rediscovery of Brazil’ comparing the difficulties faced by the Portuguese settles with those faced by adventure racers, who will be hungry, cold and thirsty and looking for the right path to follow to reach their goal.
After the festivities the team were given their maps and instructions, including a mandatory 3 hour stop on the course, which can be taken at one of several checkpoints. (These are PC's 20, 21, 22 and 24.) It was also confirmed after the briefing that the race is no longer in the World Series.
Check out the great pictures in our galleries from Swedish photographer Krister Göransson.
You can follow the race on event website <a href="#" onClick="javascript:newsitewindow('http://www.ecomotion.com.br/online2011/default.asp')" class="main">here</a>.
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