2023-07-13 11:00:02
The Tire Race in Mayotte is a sporting competition unique in the world and emblematic of the 101st French department. This incredible event brings together hundreds of participants who parade through the streets of Madmouzou, pushing a tire held in balance with two sticks over a distance ranging from 1.3 to 2 km. This atypical event is rooted in Mahoran culture.
On July 13, 1984, at nightfall, Jack Pass, the founder of the Tire Race, expected to welcome 200 children. However, the reality exceeded his expectations when 400 young people besieged the starting point, located in the dimly lit rue de l’Hôpital, on the heights of the Center mahorais d’animation culturelle.
On the eve of the national holiday, and in order to add a little more animation to the festivities, this sports teacher at the college of Mamoudzou decides to set up the first official competition. The surprise is general in the face of the impressive popular fervor that seizes the event.
TIRE RACE in Mayotte • ©Outre-Mer la1ere
This race is free and accessible to all. The organizers are committed to offering a reward to each participant. They were faced with chaotic situations. All tire sizes are on display, from scooters to trucks and even backhoes. Despite limited resources and a small number of staff, the 200 registered candidates bravely embark on the course of the capital of Mayotte.
For this competition, Ali Ramadani comes to the starting line with a tire and two pieces of wood that act as power steering. Its wheel is smeared with engine oil to slide faster. In the casing, a plastic bottle bottom cut to insert the sticks.
At the kickoff, the young man runs down the street and pushes the machine running. The teenager from M’Tsapéré took the lead in the race. He demonstrates speed and agility over the 2.5 km. Enduring, Ali Ramadani drives his tire and crosses the finish line first. He receives a moped as a reward. Since this victory, every year, the winner of the first edition participates in this event, first with his sons and daughters and today, with children and grandchildren. His team always closes the competition.
No structured event was organized before this race in July 1984. During small village festivals, this hobby, which dates back to the 1970s, is one of the most popular events. Arrived in September 1983, Jack Pass, detects the passion of Mahoran children for tire games. Many kids run with a wheel that they move forward. He then decides to formalize the event every first Saturday of July.
From the following year, the event will change its schedule and will no longer be nocturnal. The same year, the competition becomes an option for the baccalaureate. 26 students take the test. Since 2014, the event has spread to all the municipalities of the island, to become the Tire Race Championship.
The event has grown to five races. 300 children, 150 boys and 150 girls, are selected to participate in the final. The “Mayotte Formula 1 Grand Prix” has now entered Mayotte culture. The competition has an ecological dimension, since it allows the collection of 30 cubic meters of tires which will be sent for recycling.
Since 2008, Laurent Mounier, manager of the communication agency Angalia, has taken charge of the organization of the Tire Race. It traces the memories of the first test. Next year, it will celebrate the 40ᵉ edition of this major event in Mayotte.
INTERVIEW LAURENT MOUNIER ORGANIZER OF THE TIRE RACE • ©Outre-Mer la1ere
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