The unique and rather bizarre nature of the Dakar rally, which started a fortnight ago, can be summed up by the fact that the route will go nowhere near the capital of Senegal.
In fact, the 15-day event will not even enter Africa after terrorist threats in Mauritania caused the last-minute cancellation of the 2008 race and this year’s switch to South America.
The location may be different but the attraction and the challenge remain the same, as competitors using cars, trucks, buggies and motorbikes tackle deserts and mountain ranges on the 9 576km circular route south from Buenos Aires, across the Andes and north to Valparaiso before returning via Córdoba to the Argentinian capital.
A spirit of adventure, mixed with a tricky blend of endurance and speed, accounts for the rally continuing to attract an entry as varied as the machinery and terrain.
Retired grand prix drivers and former world rally champions join the privateers who make up the vast majority of the 500 entries willing to risk financial as well as physical hardship.
In three decades, the Dakar rally in its various forms has rarely been completed without a fatality or serious injury.
Giniel de Villiers, who won the fifth stage, a 506km special from Neuquen, represents South Africa. He led home Germany’s Dieter Depping by two minutes 18 seconds, while American Robby Gordon was third four minutes 12 seconds adrift — France’s defending champion Stephane Peterhansel had a bad day as well.
Finishing seven minutes 12 seconds behind De Villiers, the Frenchman, who is seeking his 10th win overall in the race and his fourth in the car section, could well have seen his challenge come to an end after his Mitsubishi ended the stage with a broken radiator.
This year’s British contingent is headed by Alister McRae, the former British rally champion making a late entry in a McRae Enduro, one of four such diesel-powered vehicles designed specifically for the event.
‘I’m here to provide back-up for our three customers in case they hit trouble,†McRae said. ‘But it’s a great opportunity to see what the Dakar is all about. It’s a very exciting prospect and I can’t wait to get started. It’s going to be a totally different discipline to what I’m used to on rallies.
”While I’ve got to act as a sweeper and hold back to make sure I’m there for our customer cars, it’s going to be hard to tame the competitive streak in me.â€
A former grand prix driver, Eliseo Salazar, is one of McRae’s customers.
The late Colin McRae, elder brother to Alister, used a Nissan pick-up when taking part in the 2004 event. Despite having to spend 48 hours waiting for a spare part to be delivered to a remote part of the African desert, McRae finished the event and set fastest times on two special stages.
The Scot, who was killed in a helicopter accident in August 2007, said that reaching Dakar meant more than winning the Monte Carlo rally.
McRae regularly fought tooth and nail with Carlos Sainz, the two-time world rally champion leading the Dakar entry list today in a Volkswagen Touareg. ‘Because the 2008 event was cancelled, two years of development and preparation lie behind us,†Sainz said.
Mitsubishi are the defending champions and Sainz has predicted one of the toughest Dakars in the history of the event. ‘Cross-country rallying is more of a team sport than in any other form of motorsport. You always have to be extremely patient during the Dakar rally. Every day I have to consciously prevent myself from wanting too much, from taking too many risks. It will be a question of patience.â€
The longest but not necessarily the most difficult day was on Sunday as the 837km between Santa Rosa and Puerto Madryn include 147 special-stage miles against the clock.
The loop to and from Copiapó on January 13 are also demanding thanks to a 665km special stage in the heat and sand dunes of the Atacama region in northern Chile.
The mileage on that day alone vastly exceeds the distance covered in an entire round of the world rally championship. —