Search

The Online Encyclopedia and Dictionary

 
     
 

Encyclopedia

Dictionary

Quotes

   
 

Paris Dakar Rally

The Paris Dakar Rally (or "The Dakar") is an annual, organized, professional off-road race. The race is currently sponsored by Total and organized by TSO, the Thierry Sabine Organization. Despite its name, it is an off-road endurance race rather than a conventional rally - the terrain the competitors traverse is much tougher and the vehicles used are true off-road vehicles rather than the modified sedans used in rallies.

There is also a Plymouth-Dakar Challenge, organized by an entirely different group of people and restricted to vehicles which cost their owners less than GBP100, with GBP 15 allowed for "race" preparation. The vehicles used here are mostly held together with duct tape.

Most of the competitive sections ("stages" or "specials") are off-road, over dunes, mud, camel grass, rocks, erg, etc; and vary from several kilometers to several hundred kilometers per day.

Contents

History and route

The race originated in 1978, a year after racer Thierry Sabine got lost in the desert, and decided this would be a good location for a regular rally. Historically, the rally originally was from Paris, France to Dakar, Senegal (interrupted by a transfer across the Mediterranean); however due to politics and other factors, the course as well as the origin and destination have varied. The 2002 course was from Arras, France (near Paris), through Madrid, Spain, to Dakar. The 2000 course was from Dakar to Cairo, Egypt. Early rallies passed through Algeria, now considered one of the most inhospitable countries on earth as regards foreigners.

Vehicles and classes

The three major competitive classes of the Dakar are motorcycles, automobiles (small trucks) and large trucks. Many vehicle manufacturers use the Dakar as an opportunity to demonstrate the durability of their vehicles, though most vehicles are heavily modified. Originally, (mostly) European utility vehicles dominated the race: Land Rover, Range Rover, Toyota Land Cruiser, Mercedes Geländewagen and Pinzgauer; other manufacturers entered heavily modified street vehicles such as Rolls Royce, Citroën, and even Porsche. Recent (2002) examples in the car class include Mitsubishi (Pajero/Montero), Nissan, and Hyundai; Mercedes, Range Rover, and BMW sport-utilities are represented but do not appear in the leader positions. Jean-Louis Schlesser builds a series of custom dune buggy vehicles for the race (and has won with them several times). American ("Baja") style pro trucks make an appearance, but are also seldom in the winner's circle. Trucks (T4 "Camions" or "Lorries") include Tatra, Kamaz, Hino, MAN, DAF and Mercedes Unimog. In the eighties a strong rivalry between two companies, DAF and Mercedes, led to vehicles which had twin engines and more than 1000 hp (750 kW). Later Tatra, Perlini and Kamaz took the race up. KTM is the most popular/leading motorcycle; BMW also produces a "Dakar" enduro bike.

Sponsors

  • Total/ELF (Petrol distributor)
  • Euromaster (tires)
  • Telefonica

Television coverage

The English television coverage of the rally is narrated by retired motorcycle rider Toby Moody whose distinct accent (especially pronouncing all the foreign names: "Schless-ah", "Shi-no-zoo-ker", "Me-oh-nee") adds to the personality of the race.

Incidents

In 1982, Mark Thatcher, son of the then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, his French co-driver Charlotte Verney and their mechanic went missing in for six days. On January 9, the trio became separated from a convoy of vehicles after they stopped to make repairs to a faulty steering arm. They were declared missing on January 12; after a large-scale search, a C130 Hercules search plane from the Algerian military spotted the white Peugeot 504 some 50km off course. Thatcher, Verney and the mechanic were all unharmed.

In 1986, the organiser of the rally, Thierry Sabine , died in a helicopter crash. It was one of the worst years in the history of the rally.

In 1988, the DAF truck, which went faster than the fastest cars of the day, crashed, killing one of the drivers. DAF retired.

List of winners


Year 4-Wheel 2-Wheel Route
Driver Co-Driver Nationality Manufacturer Driver Nationality Manufacturer
2004 Peterhansel Cottret France Mitsubishi Roma Spain KTM Clermont-Ferrand - Dakar
2003 Masuoka Schulz Japan Mitsubishi Sainct France KTM Marseille - Sharm el Sheikh
2002 Masuoka Maimon Japan Mitsubishi Meoni Italy KTM Arras - Madrid - Dakar
2001 Kleinschmidt Schulz Germany Mitsubishi Meoni Italy KTM Paris - Dakar
2000 Schlesser Magne France Renault Sainct France BMW Paris - Dakar - Cairo
1999 Schlesser Monnet France Renault Sainct France BMW Granada - Dakar
1998 Fontenay Picard France Mitsubishi Peterhansel France Yamaha Paris - Granada - Dakar
1997 Shinozuka Magne Japan Mitsubishi Peterhansel France Yamaha Dakar - Agades - Dakar
1996 Lartigue Perin France Citroen Orioli Italy Yamaha Granada - Dakar
1995 Lartigue Perin France Citroen Peterhansel France Yamaha Granada - Dakar
1994 Lartigue Perin France Citroen Orioli Italy Cagiva Paris - Dakar - Paris
1993 Saby Seriyes France Mitsubishi Peterhansel France Yamaha Paris - Dakar
1992 Auriol Monnet France Mitsubishi Peterhansel France Yamaha Paris - Sirte - Le Cap
1991 Vatanen Berglund Finland Citroën Peterhansel France Yamaha Paris - Tripoli - Dakar
1990 Vatanen Berglund Finland Peugeot Orioli Italy Cagiva Paris - Tripoli - Dakar
1989 Vatanen Berglund Finland Peugeot Lalay France Honda Paris - Tunis - Dakar
1988 Kankkunen Piironen Finland Peugeot Orioli Italy Honda Paris - Alger - Dakar
1987 Vatanen Giroux Finland Peugeot Neveu France Honda Paris - Alger - Dakar
1986 Metge Lemoyne France Porsche Neveu France Honda Paris - Alger - Dakar
1985 Zaniroli Da Silva France Mitsubishi Rahier Belgium BMW Paris - Alger - Dakar
1984 Metge Lemoyne France Porsche Rahier Belgium BMW Paris - Alger - Dakar
1983 Ickx Brasseur Belgium Mercedes Auriol France BMW Paris - Alger - Dakar
1982 Marreau Marreau France Renault Neveu France Honda Paris - Alger - Dakar
1981 Metge Giroux France Range Rover Auriol France BMW Paris - Dakar
1980 Kottulinsky Luffelman Sweden Volkswagen Neveu France Yamaha Paris - Dakar
1979 Genestier Terbiaut France Range Rover Neveu France Yamaha Paris - Dakar


External links

  • dakar.com http://www.dakar.com (multilingual)
  • dakar.total.com http://dakar.total.com (French)


Last updated: 05-02-2005 01:14:32