Kick-off to the biggest rally in the world, the Dakar Rally 2018

Dhe Dakar Rally is legendary. Founded in 1978 by Thierry Sabine, the Paris-Dakar Rally has spurred adventurers from all over the world to prove their courage and foolhardiness by fighting against all the odds of nature in a crazy rally through half of Africa, away from any civilized road network, to get to Dakar. The euphoria that arose in the 80's even gave birth to new types of motorcycles, the desert machines - big enduros with huge tanks, unheard of until then. It was adventurous motorcycle and enduro riders like Thierry Sabine who created this unique rally.

Dakar Rally 2018
In 2018, the Dakar Rally, or the Dakar for short, celebrates its 40th birthday, having first started in Paris on December 26, 1978. Since the unexpected cancellation of the Dakar in 2008 due to terror threats against the event, it was held in South America from 2009. A closer Dakar would have been an advantage, especially for the media presence in Europe, but with the South American Andes and their plateaus and deserts, an equal environment was found to the original route through Africa. In terms of timing, the start was postponed for the first time to January 6, after all the public holidays were often not suitable for generating effective media coverage for the event. The postponement is absolutely commendable from a spectator's point of view.

From January 6, 2018, 139 motorcyclists, including 3 women - yes, that's right, the Dakar is a men's event, thank God! one or the other man will now think, "created by men, made for men" - 49 quads, 92 cars, 11 SxS and 44 trucks will make their way over 8,000 km from Lima to Cordoba. Up to 934 km will be covered in one day, which means a distance about the same as from Zurich or Munich to Naples (860 or 840 km). If you think about how long you are on the road by car and how exhausting this journey is, you have to imagine that this goes through the desert, over gravel roads, through savannahs, riverbeds and plateaus without once seeing asphalt. The Dakar will be as exciting as ever, we can look forward to the hot races and extreme crashes that the Dakar delivers year after year.

Image credits/photocredit: Press conference 22.11.2017, race director Etienne Lavigne: Frédéric Le Floc'h/DPPI - Start camp 5.01.2018, François Flamand/DPPI - 6.01.2018, Car by Al-Attiyah Nasser, Florent Gooden/DPPI -. 6.01.2018, Bike by Barreda, Florent Gooden/DPPI - 6.01.2018 Truck by Ardavichus, Florent Gooden/DPPI -. 6.01.2018 Quad Hernan Paredes, ASO/@World/N. Katikis - 6.01.2018 Desert, ASO/@World/A. Vialatte