So money rules...no surprise there.
The "(Paris-)Dakar" franchise is owned by someone wanting to do it elsewhere.
Senegal don't like it - they want their name back!
What is keeping them or someone else from doing the rally in Africa, as soon as it is deemed feasible? Can't we have two (or more) rallies of the same magnitude?
Weren't the Adrar (Mauretania) tracks the most challenging off-road ever in the race?

French politics led to the cancellation of the PD one week before the start; that is an indicator of how the rally raid is controlled and organised:-
Amaury Sport Organisation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alternatives do exist; the B2B is one.

I think they copied a bit of the tree from higher up the trunk and pasted it over where Andy was. You can see the scar on the tree in the pasted bit appears again higher up - where it originated.

I vaguely remember the Mark Thatcher incident being on the news when I was young so was amused by his own little contribution to this film. “Navigator” Thatcher had is position out by about 200km when the back axle gave out stranding the team. After three days he said he was about to “take control” over the water situation and ration the engine coolant between the crew. Luckily at least someone there knew that the ethyl/glycol in engine coolants is fatal to all animals – even Dakar racers and Tories :oops2:

I agree, for all the reasons listed. Our region has become FUBAR and Dakar was stuck in a rut going up and down the west side trying to find a new variation each year. The advent of terrorist threats necessitating a new venue in SA has been a shot in the arm for the rally; less guilt about 'flash rallies in other people's misery' (to paraphrase the Pistols and some old graffiti on the TSH north of Tam).

I supposed I'm biased but to me the classic era was the 80s: Alg to Niger then west to Dakar - and not least the Tenere 'filter' which decimated the field and help ease the catering workload for TSO. It may just have been the 'popular/naive' phase before notoriety set in.
Crossing Africa down to CT wasn't the same; boring red tracks through jungles I recall watching. Even crossing to Cairo wasn't the same or was too hard to repeat.

Never heard that - can't be any harder there than anywhere else (except maybe the execrable tussocks). Much depends on how far you're expected to cover in a day.

The tree picture was nicely 'shopped but not so well cropped IMO, given what they were trying to show. I guess erasing all of us to show the memorial slab below the tree was too much work.

We all choose to rewrite our histories a little, but I'd be very surprised if he and the cars they were with (before they left him) managed to wander 200km off course. Iirc it was the stage from Tam to Timia on the Mali border, probably along the regular piste via Tim Missao (A13 in SO). We did it a few years later following regular balises.
It all proved to be PR gold that ended harmlessly and added nicely to the event's mystique.

I was out there that year myself. I'd never heard of the Dakar but was mistaken and even cheered as a plucky back marker on the ride across France. How wrong they were.

Hi,

The rallye will stay in Latin America. There are many challenging tracks too

http://www.adventure-travel-experien...merika_075.jpg

125 ccm motorbike trip around Latin America: Chile and Argentina part 1

but in Marokko and other African countrys are still many different private rallyes. Would be great to work for them :)
cu, Tobi

Great Documentary but I think we're past seeing the Dakar back in Africa.

But you can still get a taste

October 2010 saw the return of the Rallye Intenational Du Maroc. Armed with a trusty Hyundai Atoz hire car we caught up with the rally at Ouarazazate.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6029/5...83390ecf70.jpg
P1010498 by Trackasylum, on Flickr

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6134/5...671a1da722.jpg
P1010531 by Trackasylum, on Flickr

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6017/5...ddb7733862.jpg
P1010556a by Trackasylum, on Flickr

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6149/5...ee47792ac8.jpg
P1010559 by Trackasylum, on Flickr

Full Set
Rally Du Maroc 2010 - a set on Flickr

The rally was a rerun of one that used to be a regular fixture using some lovely old and very rare rally cars. The citroen prototype has a factory fitted maserati engine :o

....and you can still see the Dakar Teams in action

During our trip last year the OiLibya Rallye Du Maroc was there for a week and we caught up with them in Zagora

Moroccan Team, love the detail on the cruiser at the back
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8382/8...a6200c0402.jpg
P1040631 by Trackasylum, on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8379/8...584507e271.jpg
P1040563 by Trackasylum, on Flickr

The trucks were amazing
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8096/8...a2e4109096.jpg
P1040598 by Trackasylum, on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8097/8...504ae79476.jpg
P1040536 by Trackasylum, on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8093/8...b5a8d5f9bf.jpg
P1040209 by Trackasylum, on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8248/8...cbee797ea3.jpg
P1040216 by Trackasylum, on Flickr

Full Set
OiLibya Rallye du Maroc 2012 - a set on Flickr

This was the final day of a week of racing. The day before we were in at Team Ali Nazir Zagora getting repairs as were a lot of the competitors, fascinating taking to them and seeing the vehicles close up.

Talking to the teams they were all prepping for the Dakar a few months after. A Polish chap we're were taking to moaned he never saw home, Morocco for this then back home for a week befor returning to Mmorocco for pre Dakar testing then out to South America for the race - sounds like a dream job

The OiLibya lot are there again this October 13th - 21st and if we don't do the Western Sahara we'll try and catch up with the rally for a bit