Oliver Lazar and Stephane Agostini, will once again be at the wheel of their Ferrari 308 GTS on next year's 15th Maroc Classic as they bid to make it three wins in a row on the Moroccan desert rally. The 2008 event will be epochal. Divided into seven legs between 15 and 22 March, the route starts from the Royal capital, Rabat, and finishes as always in Marrakech.

Sixty teams are entered in the "Classic" class; 15 in the "Prestige" class. As of today, the provisional entry list for the 15th "Maroc Classic - La Route du Coeur", which runs on 15-22 March 2008, is already closed and sets a new record. Led by the winners in 2006 and 2007, Oliver Lazar/Stephane Agostini, at the wheel of their faithful Ferrari 308 GTS, the French contingent includes a score of the best-prepared crews.

The top-class entry will leave Rabat on 16 March for a route of almost 2,300 kilometres, taking competitors through seven legs, from the mysterious Tangier, via the marvellous Marrakech, the majestic medina at Fez, the chiefs' tent at Tazzarine, the picturesque bivouac at M'Hamid, the luxurious pool of the Berber Palace at Ouarzazate, the mountains and valleys of the Atlas, and the very margins of the desert. Morocco is a land of sublime and striking contrasts, above all a land fit for those who love to drive.

Greater interest in the Maroc Classic among the British has produced many more competitors from the UK for this edition. No fewer than 12 will start from Rabat, including two of the only pre-war cars entered in the event: an Alvis and a 1937 Lagonda, both exceptional cars. Apart from these rare pearls, British manufacturers dominate the "Classic" class, where they make up more than one third of the list. Jaguars boast the lion's share, with no fewer than 16 XK or E Types, followed by six Austin Healeys, two Sunbeam Tigers and single examples from Lotus, Morgan, Rolls Royce and Mini Cooper.

The German car industry is well represented, too, its honour defended by an armada of 11 Porsches (356 and 911 models) and six Mercedes (including a trio of 300 SLs). Italian hopes depend on four Ferraris, four Alfa Romeos and two Maseratis, while Sweden is represented by two Volvos. In the "Prestige" class, with its rich selection of exceptional cars, the entries include a rare Mercedes-McLaren SLR and (subject to confirmation) one of the magnificent new Ford GTs.

With a land area of more than 650,000 square kilometres, Morocco is larger than France. The road network, so perfect for the drivers of classic and collectors' cars, is nevertheless less comprehensive than the French one. The number of stages suitable for participants in the "Classic" is not unlimited and the options for route variations are few. Jean-Francois Rageys, the event organiser, makes it his business to find new routes each year, combining the pleasures of exploration with those of driving.

The 2008 event will be epochal. Divided into seven legs between 15 and 22 March, the route starts from the Royal capital, Rabat, and finishes as always in Marrakech. The total distance of 2,240 kms, divided by halts at Tangiers, Fez, Erfoud and Ouarzazate, includes 17 "Regularity Tests on the Road", includes at least 60% of roads not used previously. Organised around a north-south axis, it is notable for travelling further south than ever before on the "Classic", heading all the way down to M’Hamid, well below Zagora, where a bivouac has been arranged (five-star): an exotic change of scenery is a definite promise.

Throughout the event, all of it on asphalt roads of bewitching beauty and endless variety, the ability of participants will be tested daily, with timing to the tenth of a second on the 17 Regularity Tests. Treated throughout as VIPs, competitors will relax every day in some of the nation's most elegant watering holes (all four- or five-star hotels) and in the bivouac at M’Hamid. Each evening, they will find that their luggage has been brought by the organisers, who will also provide top-class mechanical service. The quality of the facilities will be equalled only by the warmth of the Moroccan welcome and the safety of the event, guaranteed by the authorities. Competitors in the "Classic" will be treated as distinguished guests; after all, the event's Honorary President is the king's brother, His Royal Highness Prince Moulay Rachid.

The Maroc Classic is also "La Route du Coeur" (the road to the heart), to which competitors have given generously for almost ten years. This year, they will again help to pay - at the Auction or by anonymous donations - for social projects run by our partner, l'Heure Joyeuse (Happy Hour). Since the year 2000, these donations have totalled almost four million Dirham, or 360,000 Euros.