Sibling Revelry

FOR MOST PEOPLE, DRIVING FROM PARIS TO Morocco without a GPS or cellphone would be a nightmare. But to Susanah and Jo Hannah, it sounded “like the adventure of a lifetime.” for nine days in march the sisters participated in the 24th rallye aïcha des gazelles. This all-female, off-road rally attracts more than 300 competitors from more than 20 countries who must use old-school navigation techniques—and no service crews—to find the most direct route to checkpoints in the Sahara.

The event was a natural fit for the Hoehns, fourth- generation car dealers from San Diego. Art history major Jo Hannah drove, while Susanah, a classical studies major, navigated the 1,700-mile journey. They trained with a pro- fessional off-road racer in the southern California desert, susanah says, driving, camping out and working on “basic navigational training, learning how to analyze topographi- cal maps and to use a Breton plotter, minute ruler and compass to plot checkpoints and take bearings.” one of the most difficult aspects of training for Jo Hannah was “learning the difference between ‘normal’ and ‘harmful’ car sounds,” she says. There was also the matter of driv- ing in different terrains. “in rocky, mountainous areas the main challenge is positioning the wheels in a way that will best protect the tires,” susanah says. “in sand dunes we deflate the air in our tires to gain more surface area on the ground and concentrate on keeping a steady momentum so as not to get stuck.” Team 107 handily hit all the rally checkpoints of the first week, but on the second-to-last day the pair came off a steep dune and broke the radiator mounts on their suV. They didn’t make the final stage, but did manage to drive into Essaouira, Morocco, to celebrate the completion of their first Gazelle rally.

Susanah Hoehn, left, says that when driving in sand dunes, it feels as though the car is skiing.