Dakar 2011: Conclusion

This year's Argentina-Chile Dakar rally lived up to its reputation as being the toughest race in the world. 407 competitors started and only 179 completed the gruelling 9600km route. It's probably not a record for attrition (I haven't checked) but it is was a back breaker, that's for sure.

Al-Attiyah and Sainz pushed each other hard in week two. Their spectacular (and somewhat insane) race to the finish on stage 9 demonstrated how just how hard they were fighting. (Damn! Can't find any on line video of the action! ASO issued a take down on YouTube.) With competition this intense, it was only a matter time before one of them succumbed to the pressure. Surprisingly, Sainz broke first as he started accumulating errors over the succeeding stages, which culminated in a broken suspension on stage 11. With team mate Miller's help, the damage was repaired and Sainz continued, but he had lost almost 2 hours: his rally was done. Al-Attiyah on the other hand, kept it together to claim his first Dakar victory.

The one problem with the Dakar is that the TV coverage mostly focuses on the leaders, but the real rally, the true spirit of the Dakar if you like, is the in the rest of the field. The hundreds of amateurs who are in the Dakar strictly for the adventure and who toil long hours, sometime deep into the night, to complete each stage. The organizers need to find a way to tell this story. I'm not sure how they could do it but they really should look for a way.

Next year it will be the Brazil-Peru-Paraguay Dakar! Until then, hasta luego!

Not This Year

Sadly, 2011 will not be the year a Canadian finishes the Dakar in a car. Team Chinook have reported that they dropped out due to a mechanical failure which could be fixed in time for tomorrow's start. As is the case for all the low budget teams, mechanical reliability was always going to be their Achilles Heel. Nevertheless, it was a magnificent effort for a first attempt at the Dakar.

Dakar 2011: First Week

Team Chinook had a hell of a first week in the Dakar.

They lost the alternator on stage 4 (January 5) but scrounged one from Robby Gordon's crew! (I assume this was after Gordon dropped out and didn't need the spare any more.) The Team Chinook race crew slept in the desert on stage 5, unable to to make it to the finish before it closed. They completed the stage the following morning and made the start of stage 6.

Near the end of the special stage, they lost the radiator! With a radiator to repair, a 100km of special stage to race, and another 200km of liaison section to complete, they were never going to make it before the finish closed, so they spent another night in the dunes. Because January 8 was a rest day, the stage 6 finish was open until the evening, and even then Team Chinook just made it. Phew!

The good news is they are still in it! The bad news is there's another week to go and it gets harder. This is the Dakar and it always gets tougher in week two. But, based on their performance in the first week, it will take a major mechanical failure to stop these guys. They were awesome!

Dakar 2011 Day 4

I've been looking forward to the Dakar for weeks and then. when the time comes, I forget. Sigh. It's annoying how the Dakar gets TV coverage everywhere else in the world (even in South Africa!), but nothing in Canada and the U.S. This is even more strange considering a well known U.S. driver like Robby Gordan is competing. Not that the lack of TV coverage is a problem for me, since I download it anyway. Love that Australian SBS HD coverage. ^_^

Another Canadian team is tackling the gruelling 14 day test. Perhaps they will be the first Canadians to finish in the Dakar in the car category. According to their Twitter page, they are in 111th place after stage 4 on day 5. Best of luck to them.

(Yes, yes, I know the title says day 4, but the TV coverage that I watch, is a day behind since I download it, remember? Sheesh!)