Dakar 2008 - Cancelled!!!

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Milliethemutt

Milliethemutt

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DJC330Wagon
It's nearly new year and that means it's coming up to Dakar time. With almost 600 entries this year it promises to be a good one. Anyone else on here watching? PM me if you don't get it on TV where you live and I may be able to point you in the right direction.

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

They usually have live tracking and the daily Eurosport program gives you a real sense of the atmosphere around the bivouac. Another good thing to hunt out is Charley Boorman and the Race to Dakar for a more behind the scenes look at stuff. The things these guys go through to do it - a lot of them at their own expense - is mental.
 
Yeah, I can't wait either. Its always been good to see the Dakar race, although I would miss some of the days ( almost all actually. I rarely get to catch it on TV) But it would be interesting if they would do a tribute race for Colin like they did in the ROC as well as the other events. I'm really hoping Carlos Sainz gets a better result that last year. He would be the nearest rival to Stephane Peterhansel. 👍
 
I will be watching too. Everyone here says that the Dakar Rally does not make for good television, but I beg to differ. I'll have to see if I get the right channel, though.
 
I'll definitely be watching the Dakar and, as usual, I'll be rooting for Robby Gordon in that big 'ol Hummer of his!

Theres quite a field of entrants this year and it would be good to see if they can fit more of the trucks into it this year. (Hey, a guy can dream...)
 
GO KAMAZ

kamaz_1.jpg
 
superberkut
I will be watching too. Everyone here says that the Dakar Rally does not make for good television, but I beg to differ.
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Good to hear. The daily coverage we get here really gets you into the Dakar with live stuff from the camp each night. It lets you see the privateers and how they are getting along with finishing late, fixing their own bike, a couple of hours sleep and the off again on some 700kms or so of road and stage. Nutters.
 
I watch as much as possible, but all I get to see is usually 20 minute sum-ups on Eurosport and a local danish TV channel...
 
Up until a couple of years ago, SPPED also had the same-day coverage of the Dakar Rally with a half-hour highlights show at night. After the race was run, they would have a marathon of all the stages of the rally and even do a one or two hour long condensed version of the race highlights.

Since then, Versus has shown the Dakar Rally but in a production style that is more in-house but still used the images that came pretty much off of the 'world feed' of the rally. Not to mention that they air the race hiughlights a couple of weeks to about a month after the race has already been run. :indiff:

I may be wrong a a few things in what I just said, so correct me if I made any such oversights. Although it would be nice of Versus tried to do it the same way SPEED did it when they had the Dakar Rally on their channel.
 
CAMikaze
Up until a couple of years ago, SPPED also had the same-day coverage of the Dakar Rally with a half-hour highlights show at night. After the race was run, they would have a marathon of all the stages of the rally and even do a one or two hour long condensed version of the race highlights.

Since then, Versus has shown the Dakar Rally but in a production style that is more in-house but still used the images that came pretty much off of the 'world feed' of the rally. Not to mention that they air the race hiughlights a couple of weeks to about a month after the race has already been run. :indiff:

I may be wrong a a few things in what I just said, so correct me if I made any such oversights. Although it would be nice of Versus tried to do it the same way SPEED did it when they had the Dakar Rally on their channel.
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Of coarse it would be better if they tried Speed's approach but at the end of the day, we live in the U.S.A. and the average person has no idea (prolly doesn't want an idea) of what the dakar is. The average racing fan in this country watches "Nascrap", until this changes, we wont be able to really enjoy the dakar the right way. They need to make Speed split programing to where 1 station covers proper motorsport and the other is Nascar tv (and only that).

That day,

F1, Cart, ALMS, WRC, WTCC, DTM, BTCC, SPEEDGT, SCORE OFF ROAD,
RAID, MOTOGP, AMA, WSK, ENUDURO.....etc
will be watchable ny the rest of us. its not that hard. and i know of 100.000 if not a million people whod watch it.

i pray for that day!
 
I've been watching it for the past few years. Hopefully, OLN will have daily coverage. :) But OLN's coverage is just a 30min daily re-cap.
 
Bubble Bunny
I've been watching it for the past few years. Hopefully, OLN will have daily coverage. :) But OLN's coverage is just a 30min daily re-cap.
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Ya, it's hard to watch the Dakar rally since OLN took over with it's crappy coverage. Hopefully, this year's coverage will be better.
 
I would love to watch Dakar but seeing as I dont have Sky or Freeview the coverage is around about.... hmm, zero! :sly:

Robin
 
you know i never did like al quida but this is pushing it..... they need to keep their terrorist ^$#@ out of motorsport....otherwise dakar standard equipment will be a car, fuel, safety kit, and a m4!
 
Motominded
you know i never did like al quida but this is pushing it..... they need to keep their terrorist ^$#@ out of motorsport....otherwise dakar standard equipment will be a car, fuel, safety kit, and a m4!
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Link please...

[Edit:] Yay.. Nevermind - It's all over the place...
 
That really sucks, how many times has Dakar been threatened from terrorism? Maybe the support helicopters need to be AH-64 Apaches.:D
 
Tiago only races for fun. Alone in a buggy, without any knowledge of navigation ... I just hope he doesn't get lost :sly:


Not the case with Robby Gordon. winner of one stage last year, he announced today, here in Lisbon, that he aims for the overall win.

This bit is taken from the official site:

"It’s on the occasion of a press conference looking like a demonstration of strength that Team Dakar USA put on a true arrival show on the 2008 edition of the Dakar. Present since last night at the rally scrutineering, both pilots Robby Gordon and Ronn Bailey, the only ones driving a Hummer in this edition, unveiled their respective aims today at 2:00 PM: victory for Robby and a place in the Top 20 for Ronn. Nascar champion and the first American to win a special and finish 8th in the 2007 Dakar, his mind is set on winning this time with a vehicle that is 500 kg lighter than last year. "In the sand, my Hummer is scary, scary fast I mean!", he shouted with a smile. The Americans have arrived and they are ready to put on quite a show."


I don't believe he can do it, but nevertheless, it will be good to watch him.

And believe me, guys, I saw him go by last year, and that hummer is a scary monster ... it's true that a mean look, raw engine noise and "MONSTER" written on the side don't make you win the rally, but they surely are very impressive ... :crazy:

besides, he gets his NASCAR bumper-to-bumper style to the Dakar, and that's "refreshing" ... :D

 
Hun200kmh
I would, but it seems that the Dakar is going to be cancelled ... :indiff:
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Yep, the organisers have just announced that the 2008 Dakar Rally has been cancelled due to security fears for the rally when passing through Mauritania. Four French tourists have been murdered by local gangs in the last couple of months, and the French government "strongly advises all French people against travelling to Mauritania until further notice. That goes for all French people, as well as for the organisation of the Lisbon-Dakar rally."

In light of this the organisers have decided that the risk to competitors and the rally itself is too great.

This is not without precedent. Last year's event ran a liaison through Mauritania to bypass Mali over security concerns. And in the past, the French government has assisted by sending huge transport planes to airlift the Rally out of dangerous territories.

I'm sad.
 
Yep, it has been confirmed on the Dakar website as well. Here is the original statement:
Lisbon, Friday the 4th of January 2008
A.S.O. cancels the 2008 edition of the Dakar rally

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 28th 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.
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http://www.dakar.com/indexus.html

Its sad really. I was really hoping to watch this tomorrow, but now that its canceled, I could just forget this whole thing ever appeared. :(
But really, can't they just set up some stages somewhere else? I feel everyone is getting ripped of by this. But then again, the safety of the competitors and the spectators are more important as well...... :irked:
 
I hoped that since they are all here (it's quite a show just to watch them in parc ferme, believe me) they could just do the portuguese stages ... but it was a fool's (and unreasonable) hope ... :indiff:

I'm really, really, really sad ... those hundreds of cars, buggies, bikes and trucks parked a few hundred meters from me ... and they're all going back without racing.

I feel sorry for all those that came here to Portugal and now are going back to their homes and countries. It must be an unbearable frustration, especially for all those amateurs (so many of them) that have spent a full year dreaming of "their" Dakar.

:indiff::indiff::indiff::indiff:
 
Another victory for terror...

This blows and sucks at the same time...
 
I'm gutted. Didn't hear about this at all until just now. Watched some of the news earlier but no mention of it. What am I going to do for the next 3 weeks? Can't believe they couldn't just run a different route to avoid the problem area.

Edit: Being that they run about half the stages through there probably not.:dunce:
 
Perhaps they will come up with a solution for later in the year with a brand spangling new rally dakar that doesnt go to dakar.

You know I thought I could contribute something interesting to this thread and failed miserably. Thanks for your time.
 

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