WHAT IS THE DAKAR RALLY?
The Dakar Rally, formerly known as the Paris-Dakar Rally, is an annual rally raid. A rally raid, otherwise known as cross-country rallying, is a form of off-road Racing over long distances that usually take place over a period of several days. This can range from anywhere between 2-3 days to up to as long as many 15, which is typical for the Dakar. The original Dakar Rally was a marathon race that began in Paris and finished in Dakar, Senegal. However, the setting for the rally has changed since its inception.
What makes the Dakar Rally special is its length as well as the terrain, which is much tougher than that which is typical of most conventional rallies. Thus, the vehicles that are typically used are purpose-built true off-road vehicles and motorcycles, rather than simply being modified on-road vehicles. The off-road sections of the race include dunes, mud, camel grass, rocks and erg. Given that the rally is so long, there are various stages to the race which can vary from fairly short distances all the way up to 900 kilometres (560 miles) per day. Although the race is arduous and can be dangerous, the annual field of participants skews heavily to amateurs, who make up around 80% of the total.
DAKAR HISTORY
THE FIRST DAKAR
It wasn’t long before the rally became a reality, largely due to his great conviction, and to some degree, his madness. On 26 December 1979, just two years since Thierry Sabine had been lost in the desert, 182 vehicles gathered at the Place du Trocadéro for the first Dakar Rally, a 10,000 Km journey into what was then the largely unknown, with only the destination established: Dakar.
Among the 182 vehicles that began the rally, 74 were able to finish, making it to the Senegalese capital. Cyril Neveu riding a Yamaha 500 XT motorcycle was the first winner of the greatest rally in the world.
POPULARITY RAPIDLY RISES
THE TÉNÉRÉ
The 1983 event was the first to include the very place where Thierry Sabine came up with the idea for the Dakar, the as yet unexplored Ténéré Desert. This was the event that really made the Dakar legend grow. A terrifying sandstorm plunged over the desert, engulfing as many as 40 drivers who were stranded for 4 days before getting back on course.
Thierry Sabine, who was noted for his care over the competitors, spent four days in a helicopter flying over the region directing lost competitors toward the correct route. One competitor, Nicole Maitrot, said of him, “One has the impression that Thierry Sabine is God looking over his sheep from up in his helicopter, coming down in a swirl of airplane to help those who are lost.”
The subsequent years in the early period of the Dakar were marked by continued growth, with 1984 and 1985 breaking the 400-participant mark.
DEATH OF THIERRY SABINE
PEUGEOT AND CITROËN DOMINATION PERIOD
Between 1987 and 1996, there was a marked increase in official factory participation in the rally, with automotive manufacturers such as Peugeot and sister brand Citroën producing vehicles specifically to participate in the event along with other rallies. These brands subsequently dominated the rally during this period.
In 1992, a special edition of the Dakar was held where riders needed to traverse the entire African continent, starting in France and finishing in Cape Town, South Africa. Hubert Auriol won to become the first driver to be victorious in both the bike and car categories.
INITIAL CHANGES TO THE TRADITIONAL DAKAR ROUTE
LAST PARIS-DAKAR ROUTE
DAKAR MOVED TO SOUTH AMERICA
Due to security concerns after four French citizens and three Mauritanian soldiers were murdered just days before the event was to start, the 2008 event was cancelled at the behest of the French Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Thus, in 2009, the event was moved to Latin America for the first time. A notable level of interested was generated in both Argentina and Chile, where significant crowds gathered to catch some of the Dakar. In total, 113 bikers, 13 quad riders, 91 car teams and 54 truck teams finished the rally-raid.
The 2010 edition produced one of the most exciting finishes in the rally’s history, with car competitors Calos Sainz and Nasser Al Attiyah crossomg the finish line separated by the smallest margin of victory ever at the Dakar: 66 cm (2 ft. 2 in.).
SAUDI ARABIA
DAKAR RALLY VEHICLES AND CLASSES
There are five competitive groups in the Dakar, which are motorcycles, quads, the cars class, which includes buggies and small SUVs, and the trucks class. Many automotive manufacturers use the Dakar’s harsh environment as both a testing group as well as an opportunity to showcase their vehicles’ durability, even though most of the vehicles are either heavily modified from the standard manufacturing versions or are purpose-built for the competition.
Classics is the newest class which was introduced in 2021 for cars and trucks that were manufactured before 2000, or new vehicles that meet the pre-2000 specifications. This rally is also run on a different route that is more suitable for older vehicles. The Classics rally is also not based on fastest time, but rather on a regularity rally point scoring system, in which the object of driving each segment of the course in a specified time at a specified average speed.
Peli’s long-time friends and Pros RumboZero will once again be competing in the Classics class and we wish them all the best.
Peli has sponsored several participants in the Dakar including the above-mentioned RumboZero team as well as the Honda Racing Team with an assortment of protective cases, work lights and flashlights.
If you’d like to know more about how you can benefit from Peli cases and torches, click on the button below to speak to a Peli expert.
