An inside look at the 4L Trophy
(by Pauline and Nicolas, OXYMETAL crew)
“When we signed up for the 4L Trophy adventure, we could never have imagined that it would be such an intense experience, both physically and emotionally. We travelled 6,000km in 10 days and discovered landscapes each more stunning than the last: picturesque villages, desert as far as the eye can see and mountain tops covered in snow, etc. This unique and timeless experience taught us the real meaning of freedom, helping one another and surpassing oneself, and we have come out stronger on the other side.
We could spend hours regaling you with stories of this fantastic adventure, so we’ve chosen to talk about the time we broke down in the middle of the desert. A breakdown I hear you ask? Nothing original about that! Well that’s where you’d be wrong, because it was much more than a simple breakdown. As a side note, the 1,200 4L Renaults that set out on the trails are divided into 2 groups (circuit 1 and circuit 2). On the 2nd day, when we were on circuit 2 following the Road Book and the directions using our compass, we suddenly found ourselves surrounded by camels, lost in the middle of nowhere. After several minutes spend frantically trying to find our way, we spotted two 4Ls that we decided to follow to get back on the trail. That was the worst, but also the funniest, thing we could have done, as we ran into a dune where we remained stuck for 3 hours, with sand stretching in all directions as far as the eye could see. It turned out, when we were found, that we had strayed onto circuit 1. The organisers’ 4x4 that came out to help us also got stuck in the sand and had to leave us while awaiting backup. Alone again as night fell, we met a Berber and a group of children who were passing by. We sat together around a campfire and enjoyed a magical moment discovering another culture... An experience that will remain forever in our memories."
