motoring.co.za: SA Dakar rider moves on - to St Petersburg

Tom Classen arrived back in South Africa on the same afternoon he was supposed to be riding his KTM 690 on the opening stage of the 30th Dakar rally.

He was one of 570 car, motorcycle and truck competitors from 50 countries left disappointed when the organisers pulled the plug on the rally after terrorist threats.

Classen was to have competed in his third Dakar after finishing 77th in 2006 and 18th (and first South African motorcyclist) in 2007.

He said: "The organisers were left with no alternative but to cancel after threats from terrorist groups linked to al-Qaeda.

"We've already seen the Dakar bypass other African countries such as Egypt, Mali and Guinea - now it's Mauritania.

"There will be no more finishes at Lac Rose in Dakar because you can't get there without crossing countries that are no longer stable."

However, the 43-year-old Gauteng plumber refuses to be downhearted.

"I feel very sorry for those who were to have competed in their first Dakar – all that preparation and investment for nothing - but we're not going to take this lying down. We'll compete wherever we can, anywhere in the world.

"Our Dakar team, Rally Raid UK, has entered Cape Town engineer Albert Hinenaus, Pretoria town planner Robert Straek and me in the St Petersburg - Beijing rally from July 12-28, 2008.

"I've also been invited to compete in the nine-day Australian Safari in August 2008, so my Dakar training won't go to waste."

Source: Motorsport.co.za

2010 Dakar Rally to start in Budapest

The 2010 Dakar Rally could start in Budapest, a Hungarian official said on Monday. The Hungarian Government and the race organisers, A.S.O have signed a preliminary agreement to hold the start of the race in the Hungarian capital.

Istvan Ujhelyi, the regional development minister's state secretary said he hoped to completed the deal in March. "I believe we will be able to reach a final agreement during the next two months so I don't think (another city) will take our place," said Ujhelyi, before leaving for more talks in Lisbon where the 2008 Dakar rally was due to start before it was cancelled earlier today. The rally will start in Heroes' Square in Budapest, and there will be a stage on an army base near Lake Balaton.

Ujhelyi said the government have agreed the €2.2million license fee for the rally organizers and expect to recoup that fee from increased tourism in the area.

Manufactures respect decision

KTM, VW and Mitsubishi and released statements saying that they respect and agree the decision of A.S.O to cancel this years Dakar Rally.

All Manufactures expressed regret that the 30th Dakar Rally will not go ahead tomorrow. However understand that safety must come first. VW was hoping that this year would be the year that they finally beat the highly dominate Mitsubishi.

How important is the Dakar Cancellation to the future of the rally

The Dakar Rally has faced security threats before, this has caused cancellation of stages but never of the entire rally. 47 people have lost there lives on the rally, but only 2 of these were related to conflict.

In 1991, Charles Cabannes, the French driver of a Citroen support truck was shot dead in Mali on the ninth stage between Tilia and Gao. The shooting was linked to conflict between Malian Army and Touareg (No link to VW!!) rebels. This caused a the cancellations of the two following stages to Nema.

In 1992, Laurent Gueguen, another French driver was killed when his Mercades truck was destroyed by a Moroccan army landmine in a disputed zone between Morocco and the Polisario Front Rebels.

During the 1997 Dakar Rally clashes between Touareg tribes resulted in two deaths and the organisers decided to shift the route to Niger. The Sixth stage initially planned between Gao and Tahoua finished in Menaka and the rally continued to Agadez without an incident.

In 2000 the race between Dakar and Cairo received terrorist threats resulting in the cancellation of four stages. The rally was suspended for 5 days so an airlift could be arranged from Niger to Libya.

2004 saw two stages cancelled in Mali because of security threats. The cars travelled in convoy to Burka Faso and the motorbikes were airlifted.

The last year rally saw threats from Al-Qaeda's Branch in the Islamic Maghrab, the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC). This forced the cancellation of two stages in Mali between Nema and Timbuktu and was replaced with a circle around Nema.

Despite these issues, there has been many Dakar's that have gone without a security incident. Will the 2008 cancellation affect the future of the Dakar Rally? Nope! It'll keep going as long as people mad enough want to do it!

VW Respects Dakar Cancellation

VW Motorsport Press release:

It is with great regret that Volkswagen acknowledges the cancellation of the 30th Dakar Rally. "The safety of every single participant has absolute priority and for this reason Volkswagen completely and utterly endorses the decision made by the organisers ASO to cancel the start of the Dakar Rally originally scheduled for 5 January,” explains Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, Board Member with responsibility for Technical Development at Volkswagen. "We are obviously very unhappy about the cancellation, since we prepared for this rally for an entire year and were extremely well equipped for this sporting challenge.”

Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen underlines: "We fully respect the decision for safety purposes, which also have absolute priority for us. The cancellation is a great disappointment for every member of the Volkswagen Motorsport team, particularly as everybody was looking forward to starting this peaceful and fair sporting competition.”

At midday on Friday, 4 January 2008 the "Dakar” organisers ASO officially announced that the rally will be not be held due to the significant safety concerns voiced by the French Government regarding the stages in Mauritania.
The start of the 30th Dakar Rally was scheduled for 5 January 2008 in Lisbon. The "Dakar” should have finished, as is tradition, after 15 stages and approximately 9,300 kilometres in the Senegalese capital city on 20 January.

Source: raid-live.com

30th Dakar is - Cancelled!!

Press Release from A.S.O:

After different exchanges with the French government - in particular the Ministry for Foreign Affairs - , and based on their firm recommendations, the organisers of the Dakar have taken the decision to cancel the 2008 edition of the rally, scheduled from the 5th to the 20th of January between Lisbon and Senegal’s capital.

Based on the current international political tension and the murder of four French tourists last 24th of December linked to a branch of Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb, but also and mainly the direct threats launched directly against the race by terrorist organisations, no other decision but the cancellation of the sporting event could be taken by A.S.O.

A.S.O.’s first responsibility is to guarantee the safety of all: that of the populations in the countries visited, of the amateur and professional competitors, of the technical assistance personnel, of the journalists, partners and rally collaborators. A.S.O. therefore reaffirms that the choice of security is not, has never been and will never be a subject of compromise at the heart of the Dakar rally.

A.S.O. condemns the terrorist menace that annihilates a year of hard work, engagement and passion for all the participants and the different actors of the world’s biggest off-road rally. Aware of the huge frustration, especially in Portugal, Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal, and beyond the general disappointment and the huge economical consequences in terms of direct and indirect repercussions for the countries visited, A.S.O. will continue to defend the major values of great sporting events and will carry on its engagement for a durable development through the Actions Dakar, started 5 years ago in sub-Saharan Africa with SOS Sahel International.

The Dakar is a symbol and nothing can destroy symbols. The cancellation of the 2008 edition does not endanger the future of the Dakar. To offer, for 2009 a new adventure to all the off-road rally passionate is a challenge that A.S.O. will take on in the months to come, faithful to its engagement and its passion for sports.

This is of course so disappointing for both the fans and especially the competitors who have put so much time and money into entering the Dakar. However if it would have been much worse of competitors or locals had been attacked by some form of terrorist organisation. I therefore believe it was the right thing to do to cancel this year. And what's more important - Dakar will be back in 2009!

Rally-Raid.com: What's Up Doc?

1264 medical consultations in 2007, 53 evacuations, including 50 back to Europe, 53 medical staff mobilized for the 2008 rally including 47 doctors... in the field, the figures of the medical assistance of the Dakar translate into an impressive structure that is already in place when the scrutineering starts in Lisbon. Each competitor is asked to provide information on their medical history, on who to contact in case of problem, etc.

"During the rally, we have five so-called Tango vehicles following the race, doctors on board helicopters and 18 people on alert at the medical antenna of the bivouac", says Gouram Assathiany, in charge of medical logistics and evacuations. This is not just for the competitors: "The core of our work is the small outbreaks of flue, gastroenteritis or fatigue that hit the people from the assistance team or from the rally organization."

Finally, "we try - to the best of our abilities - to also care for the local population, underlines Gouram Assathiany. And from Smara onwards, we shall donate - at every stage - a large quantity of drugs and medical equipment to the biggest hospital in the region. We should distribute almost 500kg of drugs and equipement."

Source: Rally-Raid