Motorsport geeks are getting ready for the world’s biggest and best off-road event — the Dakar Rally. This year, in the US, we’re back to complete coverage. Battles between SpeedTV and Outdoor Life Network, last year, ended with OLN getting the rights — and, then, offering up a mediocre and minimal piece of crap.
It helps if you have a TiVo — since it looks like coverage will roll 1/2-hour a day starting at 4PM EST, 31st December. OLN-TV. 15 days of cross-country rally-raid with 1 day of rest. For fans of off-road racing — cars, motorcycles and amazing truck drivers — this is the ultimate race.
A raid into the extreme
This will be the philosophy for the 2006 edition of the Dakar. Because we have chosen to mix and alternate difficulties so as to make each stage a “concentrate” of what a rally is and of all the qualities required to make a good rallyman, or rallywoman. There will be tracks, fast or stony, sand and crossings. And navigation. A lot of navigation to find the numerous first-time passes throughout the route. Because in the term rally-raid, there is the word raid. Because, also and above all, the Dakar is the extreme event.
BTW, the start, this year, is in Lisbon, regardless of what the OLN website says.
Dish Network dropped OLN so I’ll be missing it this year.
The siteclaims, “Dakar is not a speed race.” It’s a rally raid. I guess the goal is to spend as much of your parents money as possible. It sounds like a race for rich European kids looking for ways to blow their trust fund money. Dad, send me more money, my GPS broke, the race is going to take a little longer than I thought. See you after I win. I’m going real slow but that doesn’t matter. It sounds like a golf cart race. Stop and play 18 holes since speed doesn’t matter.
DR — the “not a speed race” bit is a requirement/waiver for the insurance companies. Your perception is a world away from the fact. Dakar is as competitive and important in the world of motorsports as F1 or WRC. Like WRC, there’s a whole segment of amateurs as well as the pros and factory-sponsored teams. You also put your life in danger — not only from the effects of a high speed crash — the added dangers of land mines and bandits in the North African desert are part of the equation.
For the low-budget crowd, just completing the Dakar Rally can be a lifetime accomplishment. Trust funders aren’t a significant part of an event like this. It’s too dangerous.
When did Patrick Norton start posting to this blog?
Sucks that it is on OLN because I don’t get that channel. Go pick up the lastest Cycle World. They shed a little insite on the Dakar
John…its cool to know that you your a motorhead too. ( F1, Dakar, what else?)
OLN has really gone down hill… first they became the Only Lance Network (are there others in the peloton?) , and now broadcast primarily rodeo and ice hockey (which both appear to be held indoors.)… ILN
YAY! Dakar starts in Portugal this year! About time!
I’m seriuosly thinking in participating on Dakar some time in the future! So HURRAY for it and good luck to the drivers, since last year I think some of the veichels ‘misterously disapeared’ in the desert during the night. ^_^
agile — actually, I don’t know if John’s a motorhead or not? I posted this one and [being an old fart] I go back before Lime Rock was built. We’re everywhere, though. One of my best “small world” stories has to do with getting into talking racing, rallying and other gearhead topics with a dude — and realizing we competed against each other back on the East Coast in 1956.
I wish OLN would use the British Eurosport commentator, his dry humor adds to the tension and danger. I wish I could get Eurosport.
The Dakar is so totally hardcore. Watching it makes me forget which century I’m in. It’s so much more massive that anything else in sports today. Its amazing that people worship NBA, and NFL stars, and (bletch!) golfers. The Dakar…so massive. So amazingly demanding on the drivers, and much more so on the bikers. Even with things being much more lux that they were in the 70s, still nothing else compares.
Last year though, the death of Meoni kind of shook me up. More so than when Senna died. Probably because I’m older.
BTW, “Dvorak reader”‘s outlook on rally raid, “rich European kids”, etc, is totally out of wack, but I think most of us know that. Shit, I *wish* the privateers actually mattered nowdays, but factory teams have dominated for a long time now.
This year I’m hoping that the VW factory team takes overall, and that everyone makes it home alive.
What a shame, in the news/entertainment media you can’t hardly find mention of the Dakar
Dakar for Americans is a non-starter. By design, Americans are unwelcome, virtually ineligible, and 2 million viewers are dismissed. Why is that?
Theo — I’m not certain you have a clue what you’re talking about. I’ll just leave it at that. I can’t figure out what your complaint is!
To Ed Farrell and others, I’m about to send an email to OLN that certainly needn’t be necessary; but, won’t surprise anyone. For the first few stages, they had Sebastian Piquet commentating. I’ve never heard him before; but, he did at least an adequate job.
Now, they have some stock dude who must be from OLN — who probably is on salary; so, they save money by not hiring someone who knows anything about Dakar or Rally Raid.
Nor does he know how to pronounce the names of the “foreign” competitors.
Just goes to show how many people are ignorant about dakar. It’s one of the most exciting and most dangerous races to be in, the only one of its kind, and losing life and limb is a distinct responsibility. i certainly admire those who choose to race in it. Just finishing is already a great accomplishment. The baja races pale in comparison to what these guys go thru. I think it’s one of the greatest adventures that you can experience, too bad most of the u.s. isn’t even aware of it.
hi, i come from malta, europe and would like to contact an someone that competed in the dakar rally as an amatuer biker.
The OLN coverage sucks. No other way to put it. Of the 30 minute show, the first 8 minutes are spent on ads and rehashing the route, and a few crashes (the same ones over and over, not the best of each day.) Then you get about 3-4 minutes of each class (cycle, car, big rig) mostly boring footage of one vehicle going through sand. How about showing us how they get unstuck? It’s no wonder that we Americans don’t know much about this exciting rally.
Another problem is there is no explanation of the terms. What is the difference between the liaison and special sections?
George, liaison sections are at moderated speeds — usually on pave — and serve as links before and after the special sections — the sections for competition.
The current format has always been the only format available in the US — SpeedTV and Speedvision before OLN. It’s actually produced for UK TV. OLN sends over 1 or 2 people for the standups.
French, Spanish and Italian TV get up to 3 hours/day of each stage.
I may not watch tomorrow’s 24 hour delay of today’s stage. Sadly, one of my favorite bike competitors, Andy Caldecott, was killed, today.
I have to agree with # 17, the OLN coverage sucks. It is way to comercialized just like the majority of “news” programs we have here in the US. It is a crying shame that more people here dont get off the “go fast and turn left” racing that dominates in this country, but I think that the reason for that is for a country we cant drive very well and the thought of only turning left durring a race makes people feel better. Please dont take that for a general statement of everyone in the US because that would not be true. Cannot say that i would ever have the opportunity to race in the Dakar, but if i could I would. There needs to be better coverage here.
i made the decision to enter the dakar 2008/09 a couple of months ago, i’m not rich, or a kid and this will take my entire savings and 15 months of bloody hard work finding sponsors, building the bike, ride training, fitness training and logistics to get there.
as an individual competitor with no support crew it is a daunting task indeed just to get there…from here (New Zealand), but …that is all part of the challenge.
this race is the biggest, the hardest, it isn’t 2-3 weeks long, it’s 18 months of blood, sweat and tears.
God bless you me ‘ol Kiwi mate! Im hoping to take part in ’09. I started training 4 months ago, no booze, no chocolate, no sweets……………no feckin money from sponsors yet!!! Keep plugging away mate, best of luck, stay upright, see you at the start line. Scott