It’s almost Dakar time again. The 29th edition of the trek across southern Europe and Africa is set to begin on January 6th in Lisbon, Portugal. Two weeks and more than 7900 km later, the race will end up (for the few lucky enough to finish) in Dakar, Senegal.
To me, this is one of the most awesome spectacles in motorsports. There are 525 entries in three classes as well as support teams, officials, and press all traveling across some of the most inhospitable terrain on the planet. In all, the bivouac will number a couple of thousand people.
If you have never seen the Dakar, you really should check it out. There is nothing like seeing one of those trucks crashing over the sand dunes of the Sahara. And by truck, we aren’t talking about an F150. These things are huge Tatras, Kamaz, and the like. To see one of these lumbering beasts being thrashed around the desert is awesome.