Its one of the oldest and most famous off-road races, but here in the U.S. the Paris-Dakar Rally is little known. Just like Baja racing, only the hard-core enthusiasts pay much attention to these events. But once youve been there and experienced it, off-road racing can hook you as fast as NASCAR has hooked the masses. The Paris-Dakar rally is a little different from the Baja 1000, in as much as it is a true rally, where time-distance-speed calculations are thrown into the racing mix. Massive on-board computers and a keen navigational eye are just as important as driving skill, and with both races a durable vehicle is paramount.
We had a chance to cover the first three days of this 23rd Paris-Dakar event, which starts in Paris and travels through the French and Spanish countryside. The rest of the rally takes place across the African continent, which is considered to be the most brutal portion, finally terminating at the finish line in Dakar, Senegal. Known mainly just as the Dakar, the entire trip covers over 10,000 kilometers (6,210 miles) and takes about three weeks to finish. Supported by huge 5-ton 6x6 support trucks, the motorcycle and car contingents take off in separate classes on set stages, with special skill events thrown in for more excitement.
The enthusiasm for the Dakar on the European continent is overwhelming. As the vehicles race through the narrow streets of small French towns to the wide-open throttling on the motorways, the locals stand and cheer from ancient windows and modern overpasses. The special skill segments gave us a chance to capture the rigs in action, on specially-built short courses through the vineyards in southern France to the beaches of the Mediterranean in southern Spain. While tame compared to some of our courses in the states, the route has obstacles that ripped off tires and rolled rigs left and right, necessitating our dodging debris and death as we do in Baja.
Our main focus was the lone U.S. entry, Kia, which entered Darren Skilton and Curt LeDuc in two matching Kia Sportage SUVs. These drivers from Southern California won the Baja 2000 last year in the stock Class 3 division and have participated in the Dakar previously. While these Sportages are highly modified race versions, they arent as radical as the Ford entries, which looked like they came out of the Baja 1000. As well as the American team did (while sporting legit California plates) the race was won by Mitsubishi vehicles driven by Germans, a true indication of the global nature of the Dakar. Next year we hope to cover the Dakar from inside the cockpit and hopefully for the full distancewhich is what we consider a true 10K.
For results, information, and coverage or the Paris-Dakar rally, check out the Web site at www.dakar.com.