The Africa Eco Race technically doesn’t start until Stage 2 on Tuesday after the first two days of racing were canceled due to stormy weather. Even then, Pascal Feryn’s race has already come to an end.

With Storm Harry wreaking havoc on northern Morocco, Stage 1 on Monday had to be called off and was turned into an ultra-long liaison from Tangier to the first bivoauc in Bousaïd. The storm had also forced the cancellation of Sunday’s Prologue and the ceremonial start.

Stage 1 would’ve been 695 km of liaison with 89 km being timed, though the swap meant it became a liaison spanning nearly a thousand kilometers in the end.

Even though nobody was going at race speed, the engine on Feryn’s Toyota Hilux suddenly blew about six hours into the road trip. The team stopped at a parking lot to evaluate the damage, but found it was terminal.

“On the way to the bivouac, I was discussing Tuesday’s stage with my co-driver Kurt (Keysers),” Feryn explained. “Around noon, I suddenly heard a rattling noise followed by a bang. I knew immediately that the engine had seized up and that our adventure was over before it had even begun.

“It’s incomprehensible. The engine was completely overhauled and put on the dyno. Everything was fine. The moment it happened, we were driving at 120 km/h on the highway. The fuel pressure, oil pressure, and oil temperature were all fine. It just happened without any warning.

“I’m really upset. We worked so hard for this as a team, as a group, and then something like this happens. It’s not just a shame for me, but also for our mechanics who, for weeks and months, have prepared the cars for this race with so much passion and expertise.”

2026 was Feryn Dakar Sport’s return to the AER after he finished runner-up overall in 2024. His teammate Koen Wauters will still continue the race.

“This is something you hope never, ever happens, even though I know it always can,” Wauters commented. “To use a cliché: this is a mechanical sport. It is what it is. It’s bad for Pascal and Kurt, and by extension, bad for the entire team.

“Months of work literally gone to waste. There’s nothing left to do but uphold the team’s honor and try to get a result. That was our intention anyway, but even more so now. I’ll miss him, my friend. It’s not pleasant, because you want to share an adventure like this with your best friend.

“And he’s gone home now. It’s a shame.”

Stage 1 winners

Maybe the real Stage 1 winners were the friends we made along the way.

Featured image credit: Feryn Dakar Sport