Who is going to be at the Dakar race this summer ?

2 of us will be there on DR650's following the race from BA to Chile and Back.

I plan to be there with my Land Rover. Do you know if we can actually go on the Dakar trail or do we have to go alongside on the highway?

We will be riding through the area while the Dakar is on and intend on seeing some of the race but have not done research yet to see the best vantage points, any suggestions?
We will be on 2 x 1200GSA's

The competitors do not get the final route until the night before, so I'm not sure how much information is available beforehand.
Our plan is to turn up and see

Remember its allmost imposible for a normal rider like us to follow the entire race.So be smart,make good scenery selections and be in advance of the race for those special moments and pics!
Remember also gas will be tigth on the main racing zones!
Karl

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The special stages will be closed to normal traffic during the race, but some sections will probably open up afterwards, especially if they are back country roads, that seemed to be the case when I was there last year.

I would suggest planning on picking a vantage point for each days stage and getting there early, definately worth doing

Cheers
TravellingStrom

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After following the last 2 Dakar Rallies we can honestly say it is a fantastic experience but be perpared for some long days. As Karl said, to follow the entire race is very difficult. Maybe follow a few days then miss a day or two to get ahead of the race then catch it for another few days. We also found petrol to be a problem in some areas so fill up when you can.

The race sections are closed to normal traffic so you will most likely follow with the support vehicles which usually travel the most direct route (usually tarmac except where there is only dirt roads like Paso San Francisco)between bivouacs and quite often ride with the competitors before and after the special race stages.

If you can check the Dakar web site during the race they post about 1 or 2 days in advance where spectators can have access to watch the special. It's listed under Public Areas, the PDF file is only in Spanish but you can work out the details from the maps included. We would try to ride with the race bikes before the special starts. Often they stop at a local petrol station just before the special and this is good for photos and to talk to the privateers. I know this is not as good as action shots in the race but good all the same.

Be aware that accommodation in the towns where the Dakar stops can be hard to find or quite expensive but not impossible. We would often go a little further and stop in a small town on the next days route and pick the riders up as they came past early the next morning. Scrutineering is good to watch which is listed as the 30th and 31st of December.

We wish we could be there for the 2011 Dakar but we are now in the USA. You can see some of our Dakar 2009 and 2010 photos on teamduval's Photos

Hope the information is of some help.

Ken and Carol Duval

+1 on accommodations. It gets scarce and expensive wherever the race passes through.

My favorite part was how excited the local kids would get when they'd see me. Apparently, one big bike covered with stickers (mine) is as good as the next (belonging to actual competitors), so they'd ask for autographs or just get ridiculously gleeful from merely saying hello. I was carrying cards with my photo (five hundred for US$20 ordered by internet in the States), and I gave away quite a few to kids and their parents whenever I crossed paths with the race. Explaining that I had nothing to do with the Paris Dakar, was not famous, and had never been on television didn't seem to dampen their enthusiasm.

enjoy,

Mark

Hi Mark, come on to Argentine for Dakar 2011. I will wait for you and your card with your photo (naked?) and I will get ridiculously gleeful from merely saying hello to you. Your comment over the local kids and their parents is not suitable

Hm. Might be something lost in the translation somewhere. In any case, I'm far from the Dakar now and have run out of cards. Hope it's a good one!

Mark

If I can't volunteer in some capacity to help then I will follow the race. All I need to do is buy a small dirt bike in Chile in December when I arrive. It would be great to follow the race with some other riders.

I am by no means a professional dirt rider, but I have ridden Baja, The Copper Canyon, Death Valley, Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos, so I am guessing I could keep pace with most folks.

Reply or send me a PM if anybody is interested or has some info.

What about camping along the route, Is it allowed, are there places?

Cheers

You won't be able to 'follow' the race on a dirt bike all the way, except after the fact, you will need to use the highways to get ahead of the race and find the official vantage points, this has already been mentioned

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Obviously, I just know having to wait around for a rider who can't keep up (regardless of environment) is frustrating

I'll be around somewhere

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Damon

I dreamed a dream that i was a dream, so when i woke i decided to live life like it is a dream

Spot tracker

have enjoyed the last two editions, but can't make it this year, we will be suffering our own Dakar in the Amazon during the heavy rains...

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- On the road since 2003 in a vintage Land Cruiser