Americans to Race in the Grueling Dakar Rally
It is an event that makes popular American reality shows such as The Amazing Race, Survivor and Fear Factor look like child’s play. The race will cover 6,500 miles through 8 countries over a span of 16 days. Every conceivable terrain must be navigated, from rocky mountains to barren deserts where sand dunes frequently halt their progress. Teams must dig themselves out when stuck and make repairs along the course if they break down. They must cope with scorching heat during the day and freezing cold conditions at night. Opportunities to sleep are minimal and the racers must make do in a temporary bivouac that moves along with the event each day. At the end of each stage, there is only a short amount of time for their crew to work on their vehicle before the next stage.
Beginning in Lisbon, Portugal on New Year’s Eve, the racers will head south through Spain to the Mediterranean Sea. These stages are primarily for show, as it is the only chance the European fans have to see their heroes on home soil. They will then cross the Strait of Gibraltar via cargo ship, before hitting the shores of Africa where the true endurance contest begins.
There the terrain gets tougher and the stages get longer. It is not uncommon for the racers to have to fight their way through over 500 miles of unforgiving terrain in a single day. The course will wind through Morocco and the Western Sahara before arriving in Mauritania. In the city of Nouakchott, one day of rest will be given on January 8 for the drivers to re-energize while their crews restore their battered vehicles to tip-top shape.
The drivers will then set out into Mali and Guinea before heading west into Senegal. On any given year, only half of the competitors make it to Dakar, the western-most point of Africa. Although the teams arrive there on January 14, there will be one final stage on January 15 running along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.
For most drivers, simply reaching Dakar after 16 punishing days is it’s own reward but others are in it to win it. Never in it’s prior 27 runnings has the Dakar been won by an American. With domestic interest in the sport growing, several American racers have set out on their quest to be the first to take that victory.
NASCAR star Robby Gordon is returning for his second Dakar in a specially-built Hummer H3. Gordon made history in last year’s event by becoming the first American to ever win a stage and to lead the event. Driving a modified Volkswagen Toureg, he won two stages and looked to be a challenger for the win before he rolled it over a sand dune, incurring some serious damage. Despite this setback, he was able to continue racing and managed to finish 12th overall. Gordon has a wealth of experience in off-road racing, having grown up with off-road racing in Southern California and having won the Baja 1000 twice. While his goal is to win this year, his achilles heel will be the fact that his Hummer H3 is untested in actual race conditions and co-driver Darren Skilton is entering the Dakar for the first time.
Another two-time Baja 1000 winner, Mark Miller, will take Gordon’s place at the Red Bull sponsored Volkswagen team. It is the third season that the team is campaigning the racing Touregs and they are expected to be fighting for the win. Miller has previously contested the 2002 and 2004 Dakar rallies with German co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz. Last year Zitzewitz sat along side Gordon in the Toureg, so Miller is paired with someone who knows both the event and the car well. Miller has already stated that his goal is to become the first American to win the Dakar.
In the motorcycle class, the Repsol/Red Bull KTM team will be providing bikes for Chris Blais and Kellon Walch. Both are talented off-road racers who were selected through an intensive rider-search program conducted two years ago. Both competed in last year’s Dakar and gained valuable experience that they hope will help them ride to victory this year. Blais made history last year as the first American to win a stage in the motorcycle class. KTM bikes have won their class in the Dakar before, but never in the hands of the American team. KTM has been made a multi-year commitment to getting an American rider to victory in Africa, but will be happy to simply reach the podium this year.
Despite the involvement of several big factory teams and star drivers, the Dakar remains a predominantly amateur event. Many drivers and riders also act as the service crew on their own vehicles making the challenge that much tougher. These racers do not stand much chance of winning the event, but instead are there for the adventure and their goal is simply to finish. Several other American racers have stepped up to this challenge. Ronn Bailey and Herve Cotel will compete in the car class while Jonah Street, Mike Krynock, Charlie Rauseo, James Embro, Kevin Heath and Scott Whitney will race on motorcycles.
There is certainly enough American representation in the event this year to capture the interest of American race fans. As such, OLN has expanded their coverage of the event to include daily reports. Tune in every day from January 1 through January 15 for half hour recaps of the day’s action from 4:00 pm to 4:30 pm Eastern Standard Time. OLN will broadcast an additional hour-long show on Saturday, January 14 from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm with re-airs at 10:00pm to 11:00pm and 1:00am to 2:00am. Several additional recap shows will be aired the following week.
Any race fans who simply can’t wait for the Daytona 500 in February should tune in and share this amazing adventure with the American racers who are fighting so hard to win it.
