Club Arnage

Dakar Rally 2008 - Lisbon to Dakar starts 5th January 2008, ends 20th January

http://www.dakar.com/indexus.html (http://www.dakar.com/indexus.html)

route - http://www.dakar.com/2008/DAK/presentation/docs/parcours_novembre.pdf (http://www.dakar.com/2008/DAK/presentation/docs/parcours_novembre.pdf)

(http://www.wayfaring.info/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/dakar-rally.jpg)

And how I wish I could be there......maybe I could do a Lord Drayson.....

MG Mark

Hi Mark,
           Me too.... I want to race the truck :o.
Please explain Lord Drayson comment.
Who He ???
 Phil

Are you sure its not the more famous race

Plymouth - Dakar ?

http://www.plymouth-dakar.co.uk/

like the other one, but done on a slightly smaller budget.

He was brought in from the private sector as the Minister for Defence Procurement a couple of years ago.  He is a businessman who made pots of money, whose pastime has been historic racing nationally and internationallly, so a good bloke for that, and for the fact that he was doing the job unpaid.  With lots of reasons (generally to do with constantly arguing the defence case against the Treasury's refusal to fund Defence acquisitions) he has left the post "to pursue his lifelong dream of racing at Le Mans", which he intends to do by competing in a few of the ALMS races and Le Mans itself next year, in a bio-ethanol fuelled car.

MG Mark 

One of our team this year will be absent from LM,he has managed to get a slot for the Mongolian Rally which starts in July.

It is run by the same people as the Plymouth - Dakar rally.

Anyone want to sponsor him on his epic journey :)

Thanks Mark,
                 I will have to see if he makes any of the ALMS races i attend.
Phil

Hi Wishy,
     that mongolian rally sounds like a hoot. What car is he taking/ or is he on a 125cc motorcycle as the "rules "call for?
Phil

Here's the route map

(http://layout.yahoo.eurosport.co.uk/i/calendar/dakar2008/dakar_map.jpg)

Hi Phil

He is still trying to sort out a car and is trying to find some sponsors for the drive.As soon as I have anymore details I'll let you know.

Sorry for the delay in answering,but have been on hols to Orlando

According to BBC news this is now cancelled due to some French tourists being murdered in Mauritania  :(

Press release from the ASO (race organisers) here - http://www.dakar.com/indexus.html (http://www.dakar.com/indexus.html)

WOW!!! I was really looking forward to watching this years event (as I do every year). I hope that they can find safer routes in the future. :'( :'( :'( :'(

2009 race to be held in South America......  ;)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/world_rally/7239355.stm

So it was originally called the Paris-Dakar, because it started in Paris and finished in Dakar. This year it was going to start in Lisbon and finish in Dakar, so they called it the Dakar.

WTF are they going to call it now it is in South America.

I think there will be lots of non entrants for the 2009 edition. I have often seen trucks and cars on their way to the start in early January, I am sure that most of the Truck Teams will not ship the trucks half way round the world!

I think the bigger teams will go, certainly the ones who consider themselves contenders for a win - the advertising potential is too big to ignore for a winning team.  But the privateers will struggle, you can't just jump on your quad and ride to the start any more.

But they had to do something, no doubt the 2009 event would have been under threat as well if the format remained the same.  Maybe they can whip up some interest from southern-hemisphere teams, can't imagine south & central America getting many entries.

They used to (possibly still do) run the Camel Trophy for Land-Rovers, maybe they could call this one the Llama Trophy  ::)

There was (is?) a rally down the spine of Baja California - so there's plenty of suitable Central American contendors out there.