The first Dakar Took place on 26 December 1978 with 182 vehicles taking part. It was a 10,000-kilometre journey into the unknown, Paris to Dakar. By 2008, 213 cars, 101 trucks and 272 bikes were entered in the race from Lisbon to Dakar, only to be sent home due top terrorist threats from Mauritania.
The Dakar will survive. In 2009 the race will move to South America, to Argentina and Chile. It will be an amazing course, a 9000 km loop including 6000 km of specials between Buenos Aires, Valparaiso and back to Buenos Aires.
PASCAL TERRY
At RolfsRacing.com we extend our thoughts and sympathies to the family and friends of Pascal Terry.
The French national rode the #192 450 WRF Yamaha bike.
Pascal Terry lost his life during the Dakar Rally in Argentina on Sunday January 4th. He suffered an apperent heart attack during the race. Pacal Terry was 49 years young. He will be missed.
VOLKSWAGEN WINS DAKAR
Dakar Rally, Leg 15, 18 January 2009
VW TOUAREGS TAKE THE DAKAR
Photo: courtesy audi-motorsport.info
The Volkswagen team that was victorious in the Dakar Rally was honoured in a manner befitting the occasion in Buenos Aires on Sunday.
Giniel de Villiers and Dirk von Zitzewitz drove their Race Touareg, numbered 305, onto the finish ramp through a crowd that had lined up on both sides of the road. On the ramp, the South African-German duo was officially celebrated as the winners of the "Dakar" debut in Argentina and Chile. After 14 legs and a total of about 9,500 kilometres they finished with a lead of 8m59s ahead of their team-mates Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA), who thus gave Volkswagen a one-two victory. The automobile manufacturer from Wolfsburg made history, clinching the first diesel win in the car class in the world's toughest rally that has been staged since 1979.
Sixth place in the field of 168 contenders who had started to the event in the car class was secured by the two Germans Dieter Depping/Timo Gottschalk in the third Race Touareg. Carlos Sainz/Michel Perin (E/F) had retired due to an accident while leading the twelfth stage. After 500,000 thrilled spectators had sent the participants off to the legendary desert classic in the heart of the Argentine capital on 2 January, another huge turnout at the finish now gave the victorious teams an enthusiastic welcome in the same way hundreds of thousands had been cheering the total of 530 participants during the rally day by day.
Robby Gordon finished in 3rd place with his #309 Monster Hummer.
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Here are the post race comments of the 3 leaders in the cars
#305 Giniel De Villiers (Afs Volkswagen - 1st)
"Everything is a bit crazy right now. It's incredible. Until the 11th stage, I was ranking third and I knew it would be tough. But I thought about what had happened to Peterhansel in Sharm El Sheikh. This rally is really tough. We had our fair share of trouble. We had bad luck sometimes and we had some tricky situations too. But we were able to make the right decisions and - more importantly - we benefited from a fabulous car. We have made a lot of progress since our huge disappointment in 2007.
Of course, I am sad for Carlos (Sainz) but I am above all relieved that both of them are ok.
Before the last 227km special stage, I had told Dirk (Von Zitzewitz) that we had to stay really focused. We did not even push hard but we got the best clock. We will celebrate that by having a few beers with the guys."
_________________________
#308 Mark Miller (USA - Volkswagen - 2nd)
"At the start in Buenos Aires we had our mind set on the first place, so I am a bit disappointed. I have been working with Volkswagen since 2005 to reach this level. Of course, it is fantastic to finish second but at the same time I have a sweet and sour feeling about this. But that's very personal. It is a bit frustrating not to have been able to race till the last Stage but Giniel De Villiers is a great guy. That's the raid. It was a team decision and I had to abide by the order.
On this raid, there were times I will never forget. I remain deeply convinced that I can still win a Dakar. I still have the same motivation and a few good years ahead of me. But of course, my future will depend upon the decision of Volkswagen."
#309 Robby Gordon (USA - Hummer - 3rd)
"Right now, I am disappointed and frustrated. Looking back on the raid, I know we could have won but we lost. We were beaten by Volkswagen although we had the right pace. Actually, we lost the raid on stage 8, this is where they made the whole difference. But I am rather confident for the future. We have one more year of contract with the Hummer. We realized that the Volkswagen team and cars were better in the first stages and it is on this type of terrain that we must progress. Next year, we will have the advantage of starting third in the first special stage. We will be there with a faster, more powerful car. We had four flat tyres during this Dakar; next year, we must make sure we don't get flat tyres.
But one thing is sure, tonight our party will be wilder than the party at Volkswagen."
The Dakar will be held in South America from Jan. 3-18
About five hundred and thirty teams will take part in the rally, with 82 trucks, 188 cars, 30 4x4s and 230 motorcycles. They will race over 9,500 kilometres and cross over the Andes Mountain between Argentina and Chile. Included in that the drivers and machines will be tested by 5,650 miles of dunes, fresh sand, dirt roads, mud and dust, and mountain roads.
Volkswagen Race Touareg 2
The elite of worldwide rallying will meet to fight it out in these new territories. Mitsubishi's title will be up for grabs against their major rivals at Volkswagen, BMW and Team Gordon. In T2, we will find Toyota and Nissan looking for a highly coveted victory. On the two-wheeler side, KTM will turn out in force to maintain its domination of the discipline. All the best truck teams will be there, including Kamaz, Tatra, Hino, Mercedes, Ginaf.
The Dakar exists above all because of a longing for discovery and a capacity to confront the unknown. By crossing the ocean, the rally is ready for an experience that is true to its values and temperament. The Dakar is the quality of the challenge offered to the competitors with just one idea in mind- human adventure, extreme human adventure.
The Argentinians and Chileans have shown an exceptional eagerness for the rally. Hats off to them.
VOLKSWAGEN FACTORY DRIVER MARK MILLER
Wolfsburg (22 December 2008). Team player, multitalented off-road driver and genuine racer: Mark Miller starts the forthcoming Dakar Rally as one of the Volkswagen factory driver.
Mark Miller, Carlos Sainz, VW Race Touaregs
When the US American tackles the desert classic on its premiere in Argentina and Chile with one of the four Race Touaregs on 03 January in Buenos Aires he trusts his distinct psychological strength. He approaches his job in off-road rallying in an extremely concentrated, fully committed and, at the same time, relaxed manner. The results of this professional attitude to date: fourth place for example in the 2007 Dakar Rally, which he finished as best placed Volkswagen driver or second place in the Rally dos Sertões in Brazil in June 2008 - including three stage victories in the Race Touareg. His outings in the legendary Baja 1000, which he contested for the first time in 2008 with a Volkswagen Baja Race Touareg TDI specifically developed to comply with the SCORE regulations, were also crowned with success: Two overall victories in 2003 and 2004 are credited to the professional born in Phoenix/Arizona. "It's a real benefit to have him in our 'Dakar' squad," says Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. "He lives and breathes this sport 100 per cent every day and is highly professional."
Mark Millers goal for the "Dakar" premiere in South America: "Quite obviously victory," says the American, who attaches great value to the next sentence: "But the most important thing is that a Volkswagen wins at the end. I will do everything to achieve this and if required drive solely for the team. One of my strengths is that I never target unrealistic goals and therefore do not put myself under unnecessary pressure, but a 'Dakar' win is the dream of every driver who competes. With Volkswagen and the fully-developed and reliable Race Touareg I have the opportunity to achieve this."
Miller is regarded as a talented all-rounder. In 1979 he contested the SCORE off-road series in his homeland on a motorbike for the first time was successful on tarmac in the NASCAR Truck series and celebrated several wins in the Trophy Truck classification of the famous Baja 1000 and Baja 500 rallies. "The best decision I ever made was to become a professional racing driver. I just should have made it earlier," says Miller. As a youth he sacrificed a career as motorbike racer to study. The Volkswagen factory driver, who belongs to the team since 2005, now goes in the other direction. The investment manager withdrew from the business several years ago to concentrate entirely on his motorsport activities.
In addition to intensive fitness training, in his spare time Miller looks to balance the fast moving world of motorsport with fly fishing, snowmobile or motorbike enduro tours and also helicopter flying. Family life is also of great importance for the US boy. "My two sons Nick and Sam love football and I frequently watch their games."
DAKAR 2009 - FINAL IN BUENOS AIRES
Chile - Argentina Dakar 2009, see the top 3 podiums all classes in this video.
Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart claimed a seventh successive victory in the punishing 2007 Dakar Rally after the final 16km special stage, near Dakar, in Senegal. source:mitsubishi-motors.com
THE DAKAR SOLD OUT
July 10, 2008/ More than 550 entry forms have been received six months ahead of the start, it's already a success for the Dakar Argentina-Chile. Because it really is "the Dakar" that will be run in Argentina and Chile from January 3-18, 2009.
New regions worthy of the most difficult rally in the world will provide the competitors all they will require to push their limits. Those who like to surpass their capabilities have answered in mass for this all-new challenge.
From May 15 to June 15, the competitors who had been chosen for the 2008 Dakar were given a sign up " grace period " and they will make up 65% of the field of the next Dakar.
After the six weeks following the start of the inscription period, more than 500 teams had already been chosen, after a review of their entry form, to take part in the next edition of the rally. Among them, 16% are first time participants.
The field will be, as last year, world-class with the presences of factory teams and the top independent teams.
This summer, the reconnaissance runs will continue on as will all the preparations in order to ensure this new challenge is a success.
Unchanged, unequalled, inimitable, the Dakar remains the Dakar.
Press release from Dakar.com
THE 2009 DAKAR RALLY
On the tracks of South America
Patrice Clerc, President of Amaury Sport Organisation and Etienne Lavigne, Director of the Dakar, have
announced that the 2009 Dakar would take place in Argentina and Chile from the 3rd to the 18th of January.
They promise an amazing course, a 9000 km loop including 6000 of specials between Buenos Aires,
Valparaiso and Buenos Aires.
The Dakar rally, the legendary event of the off-road rally discipline, will for the first time go to South America in
2009. During the last thirty years, the race has forged itself a legendary reputation on the African territory that
helped it grow and become one of the major events of the international calendar. The Dakar will know how to
keep and maintain values and a unique spirit. A first choice sporting competition that mixes great champions
and amateurs, the event has become extremely international throughout the years, uniting up to 52 different
nationalities. Added to that, the Dakar gathers a state of spirit driven by a quest for adventure, openmindedness
and discovery. A nomadic event by excellence with 21 African countries visited during its history,
it has the vocation to explore the deserts of the World and A.S.O. studies the possibility for other territories to
welcome the Dakar.
While keeping an undamaged challenge, the 2009 edition has accepted the invitation of Argentina and Chile,
countries with which A.S.O. was in contact for several years.
The organisers were seduced by the discovery of territories where navigation, sand, and crossings will be on
the menu. Argentina and Chile gather all the ingredients for a fantastic Dakar both in terms of the level of the
varied topography and the splendour of the landscapes or through its infrastructures. The enthusiasm
launched by the prospect of welcoming the event promises a great Dakar.
The registrations for this new challenge will start on the 15th of May 2008. The competitors registered for the
2008 edition will have priority and will benefit during a month from a similar tariff as this year's one.
www.dakar.com
Press Contact:
Emilie POUCAN
epoucan@aso.fr
+33 (0)6 78 01 51 31
The major dates of the 2009 Dakar:
-15th of May - 30th of June 2008: reception of registration files
-26th - 27th of November 2008: first phase of technical and administrative scrutineering at Le Havre.
-31st of December 2008 - 2nd of January 2009: second phase of technical and administrative scrutineering at "La Rural" Palace in Buenos Aires.
-3rd of January 2009: start of the first stage from Buenos Aires, on the "Plaza de la Republica".
-10th of January 2009: rest day at Valparaiso.
-18th of January 2009: finish in Buenos Aires.
THE ROUTE OF THE 2009 DAKAR (courtesy dakar.com) _____________________________
THE 2009 DAKAR STAGES IN DETAIL:
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Stage 1 - Saturday, January 3
Buenos Aires > Santa Rosa
Connection: 196 km / Special: 371 km / Connection: 166 km / Total: 733 km
Stage 2 - Sunday, January 4
Santa Rosa > Puerto Madryn
Connection: 0 km / Special: 237 km / Connection: 600 km / Total: 837 km
Stage 3 - Monday, January 5
Puerto Madryn > Jacobacci
Connection: 70 km / Special: 616 km / Connection: 8 km / Total: 694 km
Stage 4 - Tuesday, January 6
Jacobacci > Neuquen
Connection: 4 km / Special: 459 km / Connection: 25 km / Total: 488 km
Stage 5 - Wednesday, January 7
Neuquen > San Rafael
Connection: 173 km / Special: 506 km / Connection: 84 km / Total: 763 km
Stage 6 - Thursday, January 8
San Rafael > Mendoza
Connection: 76 km / Special: 395 km / Connection: 154 km / Total: 625 km
Stage 7 - Friday, January 9
Mendoza (ARG) > Valparaiso (CHL)
Connection: 80 km / Special: 419 km / Connection: 317 km / Total: 816 km
Stage 8 - Sunday, January 11
Valparaiso > La Serena
Connection: 245 km / Special: 294 km / Connection: 113 km / Total: 652 km
Stage 9 - Monday, January 12
La Serena > Copiapo
Connection: 88 km / Special: 449 km / Connection: 0 km / Total: 537 km
Stage 10 - Tuesday, January 13
Copiapo > Copiapo
Connection: 20 km / Special: 666 km / Connection: 0 km / Total: 686 km
Stage 11 - Wednesday, January 14
Copiapo > Fiambala
Connection: 20 km / Special: 215 km / Connection: 445 km / Total: 680 km
Stage 12 - Thursday, January 15
Fiambala > La Rioja
Connection: 4 km / Special: 253 km / Connection: 261 km / Total: 518 km
Stage 13 - Friday, January 16
La Rioja > Cordoba
Connection: 161 km / Special: 545 km / Connection: 47 km / Total: 753 km
Stage 14 - Saturday, January 17
Cordoba > Buenos Aires
Connection: 224 km / Special: 227 km / Connection: 341 km / Total: 792 km
