The Dakar Rally Raid : The adventure began back in 1977 , when Thierry Sabine got lost on his motorbike in the Libyan desert during the Abidjan-Nice Rally . Saved from the sands in extremis , he returned to France still in thrall to this landscape and promising himself he would share his fascination with as many people as possible . He proceeded to come up with a route starting in Europe , continuing to Algiers and crossing Agadez before eventually finishing at Dakar . The founder coined a motto for his inspiration : “ A challenge for those who go . A dream for those who stay behind .” Courtesy of his great conviction and that modicum of madness peculiar to all great ideas , the plan quickly became a reality . Since then , the Paris-Dakar , a unique event sparked by the spirit of adventure , open to all riders and carrying a message of friendship between all men ( and women ), has never failed to challenge , surprise and excite . Over the course of almost thirty years , it has generated innumerable sporting and human stories .
The only way to complete the Dakar is through a combination of endurance and determination . The competitors will have an additional problem to resolve on the 9,000 kilometres to be covered in Argentina , Chile and Bolivia : adopting and maintaining the right momentum , while the route continuously endeavours to break it . Depending on the day , both the setting and the pace will change , moving from rocky routes to desert dunes and from endurance stages to extreme sprints . Given the competitors ’ inability to recognize clearly identified sections , in particular they must capitalise upon their ability to adapt and to control their stamina . The marathon stages will definitely remind them of this basic rule of off-road races .
The Dakar tests competitors and their vehicles in extreme endurance . The marathon stages , where drivers cannot use their assistance teams , are a particular test of their ability to independently manage their mechanics . This year , cars and trucks , which have not taken part in a marathon stage since 2005 , will have to tackle this additional difficulty . Split over two days , a marathon stage involves some of the competitors spending the night in an isolated bivouac . The vehicles are taken into a closed area , where only help between competitors is authorised . Despite the technical challenge that this constraint represents , the drivers also enjoy a different , highly convivial atmosphere . In Uyuni , it will be the car teams which will spend a night apart , followed by the motorcyclists and quad bikers the next day . The truck category will have its own dedicated bivouac in the middle of the Atacama Desert .
For several years now , the organisers have used their in-depth knowledge of the South American terrain to refine the routes and offer specific features for each category . For the 2015 edition , the motorcyclists and quad bikers will face an additional difficulty , with a particularly dense second week : four marathon days in total . 35 % of the kilometres they cover without the cars and trucks will be in the form of special stages .
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