time in Morocco riding the dunes and perfecting his navigation skills .
Morocco became a happy hunting ground for Houlihan who , earlier this year , took part in the Africa ECO Race , the rally often regarded as “ The Real Race To Dakar ”.
Conceived in 2009 when ‘ The Dakar ’ moved away from Africa due to security fears and continued threats of disruption and a cancelled event in 2008 . The Africa ECO Race continues the tradition of the original Paris-Dakar events by racing from Europe to the Senegalese capital of Dakar . For many there is no comparison , north-west Africa is the Dakar and so many an aspiring world class racer will take on this event before racing in The Dakar . Confused ? Politics and dollars will do that .
The 2020 ECO Race attracted numerous rally riders that chose not to do The Dakar due to it moving closer to its traditional home in Africa . For many years , The Dakar had taken place in the high deserts of South America but for now was moving to Saudi Arabia , a move that some had moral issues with .
“ They decided it may be a better option than the first Dakar in Saudi ,” Houlihan raises an eyebrow .
“ Talking with the regular Dakar riders after the race , I think its easily on par with The Dakar Rally ,” Houlihan suggests , he ’ s quick to mention that the 12 days of riding through Morocco and Mauritania were brutal with relentless sand and dunes .
Houlihan is a pragmatist and doesn ’ t get too drawn into the politics or beliefs of a people or nation , he ’ s about the racing and the landscapes , believing that moving The Dakar to Saudi Arabia , from a sporting event point of view , was a great move with “ untouched terrain with many options available for the routes ”. He also understands there ’ s a huge motorsport following in that country .
Dakar 2021 goals are clear for Houlihan , to make the finish line , stating that he wants to take part in many more , “ so just finishing is the priority ”.
It ’ s a similar philosophy that got him through the ECO Race with respectable results . There was little self-
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