Dakar 2010 Thoughts

I have just one reason for saying that moving the Dakar Rally to South America is probably the best decision the organizers ever made: the enthusiastic spectators. They are everywhere, even in seemly remote areas, and it gives a subtly different feel to the rally.

I say "seemly remote" because it is not always clear how far away from "civilization" the rally is really taking place. Once this year there was wide shot of the bivouac in the desert and you could see a city in the distance.

And as for how the locals get to these places, I'll remind you of the T2 class which are only slightly modified production vehicles. Never forget the old racing adage, "Winning on Sunday sells on Monday." I don't doubt that many of the locals drive the same vehicles in the T2 class.

Dakar Coverage

I'm watching the Dakar via torrents of the Eurosport coverage, which is just amazing. It must be an hour long show with commercials. (I don't know for sure since I don't see the commercials!) The best part is they have a crew in the bivouac and actual live post-stage interviews. They still have to use the stock in-stage footage provided by the organizers, but the live stuff really makes a difference. My only quibble is that that they reverse the car and motorbike segments in the stock footage. I find it a little disconcerting because the motorbikes do start before the cars. But it is still the best Dakar coverage I've ever seen. Kudos!

Canadians In The Dakar

Yes, there are a few Canadians in the Dakar. I thought I would mention it here since it is not likely to be mentioned anywhere else. ^_^

Unfortunately, the only car entry driven by Lawrence Hacking, dropped out on the first stage according to the standings on the Dakar site, although there is no indication of what went wrong. It could be just about anything, considering that it was the team's first attempt at a Dakar. Hopefully, they'll try again next year.

Four Canadians on motorcycles started but it appears that only one is still running as of stage six. I must try and find out if any Canadians have ever finished a Dakar.

Dakar 2010

The 2010 Dakar Rally is under way and I have yet to see any video of it in English. What is curious that two successive Italian broadcasts of the daily highlights have appeared as torrents already. Worse comes to worse, I'll just watch the Italian version so as not to miss the action. It is amazing how much of my entertainment now depends on the generosity of others. ^_^