Some may argue that the Paris Dakar Rally AKA the Dakar Rally may not be the most difficult adventure challenge that exists in the World today, but you’d be hard pressed to convince the motorsports commun‑ ity of anything different. Born in 1978 the Paris Dakar Rally takes place each January and is designed to separate the strong from the weak- both the human side and the mechanical aspect. The organizers have sought to make the rally as demanding as it can be but still be possible for the strong and well-prepared. The route and the rally have evolved over the many years, the name sake is based on the original starting at the Place de La Concorde in Paris, France on New Year’s day and crossing the finish line on the Atlantic coast just outside of Dakar, Senegal. A typical Dakar rally takes place over a two or three week period in early January, the days vary depending on the terrain however a daily average distance of 500 kilometres or more is typically covered. The kicker is the terrain – competitor’s vehicles traverse some of the most formidable real estate on the planet.
The pace of the rally has little sympathy for mistakes or breakdowns. Teams spend nights in encampments called bivouacs and must be on the start line the next morning without fail. The original route crossed every condition imaginable; the long dusty and rocky tracks of North Western Africa give way relentless dunes of the Sahara Desert to the endless Sahel plains of coun‑ tries due south. Crossing the Tropic of Cancer brings heat and more dust, the total distance could exceed 10,000 kilometres before the lights of Dakar came into view. Evolution of the rally saw many changes over the years, until 2008 the rally started in Europe and wound up somewhere on the African continent until terrorism reared its ugly head and the rally was cancelled last minute. The Dakar was subsequently moved to the South American continent for a period and now has landed in Saudi Arabia. Each incarnation has brought a new flavour to the rally, but the original challenge has been lived on by way of adaption to the ever-changing political, geographic and economic landscape. The
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