Dakar rally 2008

[burnout01]

The Dakar rally starts this week, Mitsubishi vs VW in the cars catagory is allways a great battle. Hopefully fingers crossed no one will get killed this year. The catagorys are Cars, bikes and trucks.

[rasfigjohn]

Well... you should have added a "Mauritanian terrorist" category in the poll... looks like the Dakar 2008 is cancelled...

[Altarir]

I hope it doesn't get canceled. But on the other hand, better cancell it, than risk a terrorist attack.

If it does take place, I'd like to see Jean Louis Schlesser win in his buggy. Sadly this is not very likely. This Mitsubishi/VW dominance is getting boring, but still, may the best man win.

[rasfigjohn]

I hope it doesn't get canceled. But on the other hand, better cancell it, than risk a terrorist attack.



Well... It is cancelled
http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=672745

[Altarir]

Damn, what terrible news :(. Where's the war with terrorism, when we actually need it.:mad::mad:

[BuRnY]

Damn, i was looking forward to the rally:(

[audir8fan]

There goes my entertainment for a month.

[GTR DRIVER]

http://www.dakar.com/indexus.html

Do you know what would really condemn the actions of Al-Qaeda? Actually running the rally. This is allowing the terrorists to win, something which should never be allowed to happen. Even a rerouted rally or just the stages in Europe would be preferrable to nothing.

[ZeZeZoom]

http://www.dakar.com/indexus.html

Do you know what would really condemn the actions of Al-Qaeda? Actually running the rally. This is allowing the terrorists to win, something which should never be allowed to happen. Even a rerouted rally or just the stages in Europe would be preferrable to nothing.

I second that, word by word.:up:
It seems to me the French government made a lot of pressure over the rally organization (which is a French company) and got away with it, therefore using the rally for a political purpose.:down:
I know 8 out of 15 rally stages were set to take place in Mauritania; the best solution would have been to take the rally from Morocco to Senegal through other countries, eliminating some rally stages if needed and suspending the course of the rally only if absolutely necessary.
Allegedly, there has been direct attacks to the rally organization from terrorist forces; even if this is true, to cancel the rally this year is creating a dangerous precedent to future editions.:down:
The original spirit of the Dakkar is definitely dead.:down::down:

[rasfigjohn]

The Dakar died long time ago.
Saying that the french government forced them to cancel it for political purpose is true and false.
Of course that's political because politics is their job, but if you mean political because the french government would have an interest of cancelling that rally I don't think we can go that far. In december 4 french tourists were killed in Mauritania, so the government advises any french citizen to avoid going to that country for the moment.
They certainly made pressure but that's obvious that the organization would have taken a huge risk and responsability if they had made it anyway.
That's just sports after all... and taking crazy risks like that would be just stupid.
Maybe cancelling the mauritanian stages would have been a good thing but the Dakar without Mauritania is just nonsense...
For the moment the terror wins for sure... that's their main purpose: putting fear in people's minds... and they succeed. But what if they took a racing team in hostage with all the media coverage of the Dakar? That would be another victory for them.

And also don't forget that the main victims of this terror are always the people who live in these countries not a few guys driving 100 km/h across the dunes.
That's no big deal after all that a rally is cancelled.... I wish they would think about a way to force the drivers to slow down when they drive through areas with people... seeing children dying because of a race car almost every year is really painful.

[GEISHA]

The question was: who will win this year.

My answer: my favorite, mother nature.

I have always had second thoughts about this event in particular.

Seeing cars, trucks and bikes driving through this specific part of the world with sophisticated logistics by planes and choppers, satellite navigation and other state of the art technology.
Bouldering and flying through mother nature's property.

Whilst we are talking about countries where poverty and need is severe.
I guess the cost of the rally in total (everthing included) is equal or even higher than the BNP of Senegal.
For instance the cost of running this rally by 1 private competitor is 80 times more than the average income of a Senegal citizen.

But apparently, there is a need for a Dakar, it sells more VW's , BMW's
and Mitsubishi's in the rich part of the world.

[rasfigjohn]

But apparently, there is a need for a Dakar, it sells more VW's , BMW's
and Mitsubishi's in the rich part of the world.

Yes... the Dakar died a long time ago.
I'm not very comfortable with that Rally and Rally raids generally. First because I don't really like it as a a sport... but it's just a matter of personnal taste.
But indeed there is a problem in the concept of such a rally.
Of course the problem is in it since the beginning... Using poor countries as a playground for the northern rich people... but that's even more now that in fact Africa is something like a landscape for advertising pictures of Volkswagens, Mitsubishis and BMWs...
Touareg is not only a Volkswagen 4x4... that's a people too...

Don't get me wrong, I've been to Senegal, I've seen the Thierry Sabine Dispensary in Niaga Wolof near the Lac Rose and I know many humanitarian things are done around the Dakar Rally... but nevertheless I'm not satisfied with it...

[GEISHA]

Don't get me wrong, I've been to Senegal, I've seen the Thierry Sabine Dispensary in Niaga Wolof near the Lac Rose and I know many humanitarian things are done around the Dakar Rally... but nevertheless I'm not satisfied with it...

I know what you mean. I have worked for the IDA, International Dispensary Association after I retired from international banking, and this foundation works mainly for French speaking African Countries.
We (try to) do a lot, but still it is a wry thing when big car manufacturers
boulder over this part of the world.

[burnout01]

:cry::cry::cry: Oh well, safety always comes first. The Dakar rally is now hit a all time low and I do not think the event is going to last very long. Mitsubishi and VW were preparing for this race all 2007 and in the end it gets cancelled! Could they just hold the race when the risk of a terror attack is down? Thank's Dakar Rally organisers, you have just put me in a bad mood.:mad::( http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/64518

[burnout01]

AMAURY SPORT ORGANISATION (Dakar rally organisers): "The Dakar is a symbol and nothing can destroy symbols. The cancellation of the 2008 edition does not endanger the future of the Dakar."
I think it does endanger the future of the Dakar. HUGELY!!! :mad:

[gazman]

Bring it to Australia . That would be cool.

[burnout01]

Or you could hold a event, like the PS3 game Motorstorm :roflmao: http://www.motorstorm.com/

[Altarir]

Seeing cars, trucks and bikes driving through this specific part of the world with sophisticated logistics by planes and choppers, satellite navigation and other state of the art technology.
Bouldering and flying through mother nature's property.


Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to offend you, but if humanity thought like this, we'd still be sitting in caves, because everything would be mother nature's property.

For me, the Dakar Rally is something special, it's motorsport in it's greatest form, this is not going around a tarmac race track with 100km long safety run-offs, it's real racing, and also, it shows, that nature is no match for technology. Watching this rally makes me feel great respect for the people who built these amazing cars, bikes, and trucks, and for those, who drive them. My biggest dream is to drive in this rally someday (all I need now is a lot of money, experience, a car and a co-driver :) ). I hope it doesn't get cancelled permanently.

[burnout01]

The problem is we have to wait for 365 days until the first stage of the 2009 Dakar! What's next to be cancelled the Le Mans 24 Hours!!!

[Rallyfan]

Sad to hear the race cancelled, but safety has to come first...waiting for 2009 now :-/

[burnout01]

If I could change the poll question it would be: Do you think the Dakar rally 2008 should have gone ahead? Yes or No

[wombat666]

Bring it to Australia . That would be cool.

And much safer than Africa ...... :cool:
I can imagine how the Kimberleys would treat some of the competition.
We have the space and terrain without the gun toting crazies.