Dakar 2011 Car and Motorcycle Competitors
The X-Raid Mini is one of the most awaited entries with Guerlain Chicherit leading the charge. After an impressive 2010 rally, Robby Gordon will be back this time in an orange-colored modified Hummer H3. The champions are back too, with last year’s winner Carlos Sainz, in the massive works Red Bull Volkswagen outfit in the Race Touareg 3 cars, returning to defend his hard fought 2010 crown, which he won after an intense battle with team-mate Nasser Al-Attiyah.
Another Spaniard, Marc Coma, who won Dakar 2009 in the motorcycle category, will be again battling with Frenchman and fellow KTM rider and 2010 Dakar rally winner Cyril Despres and many others who fancy their chances this year; particularly since the 650cc class has been eliminated with all motorcycles being in the 450cc class. Not least among these hopeful competitors is David Casteu aboard the Sherco.
Before the 2011 Dakar Rally Gets Started
Following the ceremony at the Obelisk at the Avenue of 9th July, Buenos Aires, Argentina on January 1, 2011, the Dakar rally entourage heads to Victoria for Day One of the action, which won’t be timed. It is a chance for fans to get up close to the spectacular machinery - Volkswagen Race Touaregs, BMW X-Raid X3 CCs, X-Raid Mini Countrymans, Mitsubishi Lancers and Pajeros, Nissan Overdrive Navarras, assorted buggys; KTM, Yamaha, Aprilia, BMW and Sherco motorcycles, compact quads; and the impressive Kamaz, Tatra, Iveco, Ginaf, Man, Mercedes-Benz, Unimog and Hino trucks. Spectators can even shake hands with participants, particularly the motorcycle competitors as they trundle along the road in a celebration of competition, off-roading and the New Year.
Dakar 2011 Route and Schedule
This friendly stage of 377km to Victoria is a welcome initiation for participants, spectators and television audiences into the spirit of the Dakar. But once the real Dakar rally kick starts, on January 2 with the above-750km stage to Cordoba, there will be around 9,500 km to negotiate of which 5,000km will be competitive (timed). As the rally crosses Argentina into Chile on January 6 the participants will gradually enter the picturesque but dreaded Atacama Desert, the driest desert on the planet. Before the rigors of Antofagasta (where competitors get a glimpse of the Pacific Ocean) and Copiapo mountain and desert stages, the Rest Day on January 8 gives a much needed break from the Dakar 2011 for the competitors and the machinery. For the crew though, it is time to service the machines and get them back to running order.
The characteristic dunes will return as the 2011 Dakar rally winds its way back to Argentina after crossing the Paso San Francisco en route to Chilecito on January 12. At Chilecito the high dunes, while giving great opportunities for breathtaking photography, present a formidable challenge to the quads, motorcycles, cars and trucks. This will be followed by equally spectacular canyons as the Dakar 2011 makes its way to San Juan. Following this will be the fastest stages of the rally where sports car performance is required as the 2011 Dakar rally draws to a close back at Buenos Aires on January 15.
Closing of Dakar 2011
The final day, January 16, will be one of regrouping before the participants and their assorted vehicles go their separate ways taking back memories and perhaps nightmares too. Not all would have finished the rally; some would be nursing their wounds in hospital, and still others would have given up and headed home. Whoever participated though, will get the feeling of having achieved something spectacular while the works outfits such as Volkswagen, BMW and X-Raid Mini, KTM, Yamaha, Aprilia and Sherco, and Kamaz and Tatra would have the pride of having showcased the capability of their machines.
Praveen Titus - I've been watching Formula 1 on TV since 2000 when I was 17. I've always had a passive interest in cars, but it was only when I watched ...
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