Dakar won't be Dakar

[R]

In 2003, the Dakar rally will go nowhere near Dakar, in stead, it will go east, through Libya, before finishing at Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt! Sorry if this is old news to some of you, but I can't see a topic on it, and I thought it was worth a mention in the forum.

Dakar seeks new destination

[Liz]

That sounds extremely dangerous to me! What on earth possesses them to decide to go through one country that's on our Do Not Visit Or Else passport list, and another that will likely be at war by then?

[SJ Spode]

Looks like the Humvee will be the vehicle of choice then for next year

[racer69]

It's a pity the rally doesn't keep to it's traditional (except in extreme circumstances) route, Paris-Dakar.

[Speedworx]

Couldn't they do like they did a few years back?

Paris -> Dakar -> Sharm El Sheikh

[Spinner]

The Dakar hasnt Been the same since those amzing days with the 959's etc.....

[Liz]

The Dakar is still THE race to watch. Wouldn't you love to see Colin McRae and Juan Pablo Montoya in the Dakar?

And how long do you think TGF would last if they put him on a KTM?

[djb]

Hell, how long do you think any of them( or us ) would last on a KTM? I have only seen snippets of this years race (speedvision handouts as usual) but over the years watching it. I am always amazed slash flabbergasted by the bike guys. I have only done a bit of sand motorcycling, and it's damn hard I simply cannot imagine the men and women doing The Dakar, in cars let alone the bikes. But the bikes, this really floors me. Alone, having to navigate, dealing with all kinds of terrain, especially the sand, the heat, dehydration, the whole works makes me REALLY admire these people (part of me thinks-nuts)

and the tv fellow, Moody, I really like his narration. He's been the same voice for the last 5 years or so that I've seen images of The Dakar, and he will probably always stay in my mind as the voice of the race. (as with Lemans, the Dakar was something that I had read about, and seen stills sometimes, but it was only with Speedvison/Speed that I was able to see footage of these events-great stuff!)

ps, why the proposed route change?

[zealot]

I LOVE the Speed network!

I had only read about, and played video games, about Rally racing before finally getting speed on a dish. Here in the states, if you don't have Speed, all you get is NASCAR.

I can't wait to see Dakar!

[Liz]

We only get one hour a night, but I am glued to that hour with my eyes like saucers. They are not only insane drivers, they are mechanics, muscle men (and women), ingenius and dauntless. (I felt so sorry for the biker who had the nervous collapse on TV last year -- Nani Roma, I think his name was. I hope he will be back this year.)

This week I did an article on the Spyker Squadron for Another Site, and discovered that they had done the Peking-Paris Rally in 1907! Can you imagine what that must have been like?????

[djb]

Nope, without GPS, let alone proper suspension etc etc etc.

In reading about the biker you mentioned, I realize that the stuff I've been seeing in the last month or so must be old tapes of stuff they repeated before all the racing seasons started again, as I recall the poor fellow getting lost and just falling off his bike and lying on the ground shaking.
This is an event where you can see how experience really does matter, from the technical point of view, ie how to drive in dunes etc, to the mental aspect of taking in the scope of it all, and maintaining your sanity and pacing yourself.
As well, the mammoth trucks are something else. I imagine it's an European thing to have even the idea of a "class" of these things. Interesting to note that they mention that the truck guys always help each other out with getting unstuck or rolling one back onto its feet.