In this article on IR-LuxeCars website, we want to introduce you to one of the most attractive and exciting rallies in the world ; Dakar Rally!
Introducing the Dakar Rally
The Dakar Rally started in December 1978 and had a very interesting story. In 1977, a French adventurer, Thierry Sabin, was reportedly crossing the Libyan desert on a motorcycle and lost his way. He also escaped a tragic death in the burning Libyan desert, but wonders why Do not share an exciting experience with many people. He returned to France and started a race called the Paris-Dakar Endurance Rally.
In the first round of the competition, out of 182 participants, only 74 were able to safely cross the 9300 km route from Paris to Dakar, and gradually in the following years, the number of participants increased, so that in 1982, about 382 people They participated in these competitions and the competitions took a more serious form. But perhaps the best part of the Dakar Rally was the introduction of GPS technology in 1992, which promised that no participants would be lost, as by then some participants were lost on the road and bad things had happened. It happened to them. Here we need to summarize some interesting events for you.
- In 1997, the Dakar Rally was held exclusively in Africa and the round trip between Dakar and Agadz.
In 2001, Mitsubishi driver Jota Klinschmitt became the first woman to win the race. Of course, when the first person, Mr. Schleser, was fined one hour for unsportsmanlike conduct.
The Dakar Rally was known as the Paris (French capital) Rally to Dakar (Senegal) until 2008, but was held in South America from 2009 to 2019 following threats to athletes in Mauritania. But from 2020 to 2022, this rally will be held in Saudi Arabia and in the Middle East, which is very interesting in its kind.
These competitions start in the first two weeks or 14 days of each year in 13 stages.
- Prior to 2008, the race route was about 9,300 km, which has been reduced to 8,500 km in recent years due to threats to drivers’ health. given.
The driver has to travel between 800-900 km per day in each stage of the race to reach the destination, and any driver who reaches the destination faster is in a higher position. These trails include sand dunes, mud, grass, rocks and boulders.
Admission is $ 75,000 per person and there are no special requirements for entry, as soon as you are 18 years old.
The Dakar Rally is an endurance event and participants use special vehicles for the race that are generally capable of off-roading.
The intention of the automakers to enter these competitions is both a test of the cars and an opportunity to show the durability and strength of their products.
Now we come to the part where we talk about the middle ground. The Dakar Rally has 5 competitive groups, motorcycles, cars, classics, trucks and UTV
Motorcycles
Since 2011 it has been decided that the cylinder capacity of motorcycles should not exceed 450 cc in the class of motorcycles of the brands KTM, Honda, Yamaha, Sherko, Huskvarna, Gaz Gaz and BMW.
Passenger cars
The car class consists of vehicles weighing less than 3,500 kg, which are divided into several categories: Group T1 consists of “international advanced vehicles” based on the type of engine (petrol or diesel) and the type of drive (two wheels) Or four-wheel drive) is divided. Group T2 consists of “vehicles manufactured in countries” which are divided into petrol and diesel categories, while group T3 is for “light vehicles”.
Mitsubishi, Volkswagen, Citroen, Peugeot, Porsche, Ford, Toyota and Haval have been and are participants in the Dakar Rally.
Trucks
The truck class first entered the competition in 1980 and is for vehicles weighing more than 3,500 kg. The trucks are in the T4 group. Kamaz Russia is the leading brand of Dakar Rally in the truck sector. In addition to Kamaz, Renault, Man, Iveco, Tatra, Hino, Duff, Perlini and Mercedes-Benz are also in the race.
UTV class
This class did not exist before 2017 and was a subset of T3 cars, but gradually the number of enthusiasts increased and they decided to add a new class to the Dakar Rally.
Classics
This class was added to the Dakar Rally in 2021 and was produced for cars and trucks before 2000. The interesting thing is that these cars move in a parallel direction and at the same time are different and suitable for classic vehicles. The scoring table is not based on the fastest time, but on the scoring system.
