EDITORIAL
TRAVERSE:
DAKAR!
A
ny motorsport fan gets a little
excited come the second
week of each year. It’s that
time when Dakar, one of the
toughest, most demanding,
of all sporting events takes
place.
Initially the Dakar raced from Paris,
France to Dakar, Senegal through
some of the most spectacular and
toughest landscapes on earth, since
2009 the Dakar has taken place in
South America. Similar landscape,
just as tough and spectacular.
As I sat there, each evening,
watching the ASO coverage of the ten-
day event I was drawn into the almost
alien landscapes of Peru; seemingly
never-ending sand dunes, with the
occasional rocky outcrop or beach.
There’s no sporting arena, anywhere
on earth, that is as spectacular.
Non-riding friends, would ask,
“what are you watching each day?”
Within minutes they were as hooked as
I have been for decades, it then struck
me, Dakar is much more than bikes,
strange looking cars and behemoth
trucks racing across the sand. It’s
TRAVERSE 5
about the landscapes, the challenge,
the adventure … could there be a
much more perfect advertisement for
a region other than the Dakar?
Through the exceptional images
and stories of adventure the Dakar
manages to capture the imagination
of many travellers. How many do you
know that have added it to their list of
must do’s? It’s certainly on mine.
The 2019 Dakar was one of the
closest fought in the events history,
with Australian Toby Price claiming
victory at the last minute as he took the
lead with just one stage remaining. It
was an epic event with a great outcome
for the Aussie.
In this issue we have a full race
report from the Dakar, then a perhaps
more behind scenes look at what it
takes to compete in this event, we’ll
have that in the next issue. If nothing
else, you’ll have to ask, how the hell
do they race, day after day, on sand? It
makes my mind boggle …
Leigh