400 competitors, 9,000 kilometers and a lot of sand equals a hell of a way to get the 2014 motorsport season started
For pure spectacle, nothing probably beats seeing the craziness of men and women in cars, bikes, trucks and quads willingly cover around 9,000 kilometers of desert and rocky terrain across South America.
Even though the name and location of the Dakar Rally doesn’t really match anymore, the move has made the event less of a guilty pleasure – expensive machines roaring through some of the poorest regions on Earth – and more of a motorsport spectacle enjoyed by crazy fans who brave the desert heat to travel deep within stages too.
Not to mention it remains quite the marketing tool for car companies as well as energy drink peddlers who use the extreme nature of the Dakar Rally to promote their technical prowess and brand appeal, respectively.
Of late, Red Bull and Monster Energy have been at each others throats while aligning themselves to manufacturers or securing the services of star drivers/riders.
The void left by the exit of tobacco sponsorship had to be filled somehow, and another kind of addiction seemed a perfect way to go.
Oddly enough, the exit of tobacco companies from motorsport meant the death of probably a more relevant competition as far as the cars were concerned; The Camel Trophy. The case can be made that the Dakar is now more an arena for prototypes backed by car companies with deep pockets.
Volkswagen dominated the Dakar from 2009 to 2011 while supported by Red Bull until the marque decided to stop beating up on their rivals and head towards the World Rally Championship.
The vacated top spot has now been filled by Monster Energy backed Mini All 4 Racing, including at this year’s event where Nani Roma took his first ever Dakar win, pipping two and four wheel legend Stephane Peterhansel.
It is possible to fill up pages looking at the Dakar Rally and other cross country events like it as merely technological and marketing pursuits but there is a very human side to it too.
One that was brought home to Indian motorsport fans in particular last year when supercross and Raid de Himalaya sensation CS Santosh suffered near fatal burns while competing in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.
More than any other of the competitors, it’s the bikers who bear the brunt of the abuse while hitting speeds that sometimes match their four-wheel rivals.
KTM’s effort to remain king of the hill in this category since 2001 continued unabated with Marc Coma winning while previous five-time winner Cyril Despress fell well short after switching to Yamaha, the marque with whom Peterhansel used to dominate the Dakar.
However, away from the heat of competition, even the Dakar had its share of tragedy as 50-year-old Belgian rider Eric Palante who was found dead after the completion of the fifth stage of the rally.
It was a stark reminder of both the inherent danger of motorsport that will probably never go away as well as the mental make up of competitors who agree to such an undertaking.
The efforts of the organizing bodies to keep such incedents to a minimum should be given equal recognition along with the bravery of the participants.
Write your Comment