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Podcast: The Underpowered Hour
Episode: Dakar Classic with “The Gazelles”: Building a Defender from Scratch and Racing the Desert
Description: Steve Beres and Ike Goss skip the news to interview Helen and Marcella (“The Gazelles”) about their debut run in the Dakar Classic in a self-built classic Land Rover. Helen explains how her first desert rally idea began with Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles in 2019, how she and Marcella—friends for over 21 years—became teammates, and why in-car chemistry matters under stress. They describe building their Dakar vehicle “Purdy” from the ground up after an outside build effort failed, using a pre-inspection for peace of mind before shipping the car, and arriving surprised to see big teams still wrenching in the bivoua...