Palibex has been present once again in the Panda Raid 2019, the amateur rally that crosses the desert of Morocco with Fiat Panda cars. The event has a total of six stages and finishes in Marrakech. For this edition of the rally, Palibex sent eight of its workers: Imperio García, Eva Rodríguez, Fernando Martos, Antonio García, David Izquierdo, Víctor Iñigo and Manuel López, from the Departments of Operations and Franchisee Assistance (DAF) and Juan López, team manager who recently took part in the Dakar Rally.
Panda Raid has offered Palibex workers the opportunity of applying the values and skills they work with on a daily basis to a completely new environment. They did not have mobile signal for most of their journey and had to work as a team to overcome the challenges of the Moroccan desert, an old-fashioned challenge that has tested their physical and mental capacities.
Despite the difficult route and the inexperience of the drivers, the PBX Panda Team stood out for its solidarity with the rest of the participants. As team manager Juan López points out: “We have taken cars out of the sand, pushed them uphill and fixed mechanical problems”. One of the team’s most significant contributions took place during the second stage of the Panda Raid 2019, when a car in front of them rolled over in the ditch of a road. Immediately, they established a safety area to ensure the well-being of the injured and the rest of the participants. For Juan López, that moment marked a before and after because, from then on, “everyone began to see the PBX Panda Team as a big family”.
After living this adventure, the Palibex employees are left with the contrasts of the country and the good vibes among all the participants. Although they have experienced tense moments due to the difficulty of the terrain and have suffered some mechanical failures, they consider the Panda Raid “an unrepeatable experience to which we would return a thousand times”. Above all, they value the companionship, the beauty of the landscapes through which they have passed – such as the dunes or the arid Moroccan mountains – and the friendliness of the local people. “They are very kind people who are always willing to help,” says Eva Rodríguez.
The experience has also allowed them to support the solidarity purposes of the Panda Raid 2019. This year, in collaboration with the GoodPlanet Foundation, the entire CO2 emission of the race will be calculated to make an equivalent investment in a project to improve agricultural activity in the municipality of Drarga. An objective that makes the rally an even more fulfilling adventure.
Click here if you would like to see the video of the aventures of the Team in this years edition of the Panda Raid.