4th Edition of the Baja Morocco from September 2024

Experiment successfully completed. Jens Fritzsch at the 4th Edition of the Baja Morocco from September 23-27, 2024. This time it was already very adventurous to reach Merzouga, the starting point and basecamp oft he Rallye „Baja Morocco“. After 72 hours on the ferry from Genua to Tanger I still had 850 km to the Southeast of the country ahead of me. Heavy rain set in during the crossing of the Atlas Mountains, which flooded the street with stones and mud. Although I was in a real hurry, going on with my Service vehicle was not an option for a while. After four hours I risked going on. Thanks to all my experience in difficult terrains together with a portion of luck I had solid ground beneath my wheels after approximately 1km of „walking on eggshells“ and finally I reached Merzouga on the evening before the start. Against all expert opinions and advise of longtime experienced desert rallye drivers, I chose a two-stroke engine for this event. The total distance of only 1.300 km spread over five days made me taking this risk. Since the single stages were very selctive I wanted to use the lesser weight -compared to a four-stroke engine as an advantage. On the other side one has a higher fuel consumption and the endurance oft he engine is limited to 60 hours after it needs a complete maintenance. I had to specially enhance the serial machine of the Italian producer Beta with it’s 300 ccm: essential were a bigger tank, a motor-exhaust protection, foam rubber tires, a changed secondary transmission ratio and -almost the most important thing – navigation equipment. Since it had rained a lot the weeks before the Rallye as it had not done for 30 years, the Wadis – at most oft he times empty – led much water, sometimes so much that the organisers had to change the track on short notice. The terrain changed steadily during the race. Two times we had to pass 30km of soft sand dunes. This was the endurance test for the motor. The additional water cooler, which I had installed, provided the neccessary cooling now. On top I had to adapt my driving style „on my old days“. After 27 years unexceptionally on four-stroke engines the 60 HP two-stroke engine behaved a bit hectic. On the evening of the third competition day the organisers announced a potential start prohibition for the next day due to a stormy weather forecast . The helicopter responsible for the rescue of injured drivers could not have been able to take off then. Luckily the storm came in the night and calmed down in the morning so that the next competition day could start as planned. On the fifth and last day we mostly had very fast piste sections which is rather disadvantageous for a two-stroke engine. That was the moment I wished I could have my usual four-stroke engine back. Anyway: during this event I did not have to do any tricky repairs on my machine, but just the usual compulsory maintenance checks every evening after the stage. Last but not least: punctually such an adventure can also become a pleasantness. The local cooks and bakers hired for the event created extraordinary delicious dishes – completely unfamiliar to the Central European palate, very tasty and all this in the middle of the desert.

Terrain changed constantly

this time with a two-stroke engine

otherwise empty wadis carried water

Experiment successful 4. Baja Morocco

very fast piste sections

30 km long soft sand dune passages

Desert of Morocco

60 two-stroke hp already very hectic

Extreme athlete Jens Fritzsch

I am Jens Fritzsch. I was born on September 2nd, 1968. My sister Katrin was born one year later on September 2nd, 1969. At that time we did not suspect that we would have common challenges in extreme sports later on. Registered at school in 1975, I was presented my 1st moped from my father Karl, a Simson S50. With this moped I illicitly drove through fields and woodland around Stollberg in Saxony. But soon the engine performance did not suffice any more, therefore a 250 cc motorcycle Cross bike on an MZ basis was constructed by myself. This machine was followed by a further special machine by MZ and I became member of the Motorsports Club "Stahl Lugau" in the ADMV. A 200 cc Gaciva represented my top motorcycle during GDR times, but I soon Moved to the most powerful motorcycle Cross class, the sidecar class. This was in 1986. In this first year I still was a front-seat passenger (which is more exhausting than driving) and later as a driver in the GDR Rallyesport.

Fritzsch Jens extreme athlete

Gruppe A Opel Corsa

On the way to the extreme athlete in the GDR Rallyesport sidecar team

Fritzsch Jens extreme athlete

In the field of running it was quite similar. One of my favourite disciplines in school (1975 to 1985) was running. In the 100 metres and in the longest run, the 3000 meteres, I often dominated my class mates and I held the record amongst the gardener apprentices in Chemnitz. At this time I felt slowly that my strength might rather be the long distance. Therefore I looked for bigger and bigger challenges in the extreme sports. Today a 10 km run is the shortest competition I take part in and I only reach the finishing line within the midfield. I need approximately 7 to 8 km to get into a running rhythm at all. It is amazing that independently from me my little sister made the same experience, so the long distance run had to lie in our genes. I finished my 1st marathon - the Berlin Marathon - in 3:16:46 h. But very soon a marathon did not suffice any more and I wanted to find out my limits. I heard of extreme sports and the extreme marathon runs. So I did the "Marathon des Sables" and finally I found my discipline, the really long distance for extreme athletes. I was also looking for new challenges in motor sports and dedicated myself to long-distance rallyes, the cross country world cup. This way of extreme sports also requires high endurance performance and I feel comfortable while doing it. Actually to feel “comfortable” is not the correct word for this kind of extreme sports or extreme athletes. I like to say that it is a kind of “beloved torture”.
I have substantial experience with a Group A Rallye car on all different kinds of ground. Only those who go beyond their limits will get to know how fast one can go. From now on extreme running competitions like the "Desert cup" in Jordan, "Himalayan stage Race", "100 Miles of Namib Desert" followed as well as the Rallye "Paris-Dakar", the "Master Rallye", the "UAE Desert Challenge" in the crazy and adventurous world of the big Rallyes.

On the following pages you will get more information about my running & Rallye events. Enjoy reading !