The Dakar Rally, hailed as 'the toughest race in the world' began in 1978 and ran from Paris, France to Dakar, Senegal. But due to security threats in western Africa the race moved to South America in 2009. And now, for the first time ever, the 2017 Dakar started in Paraguay! Amazingly, the expo for this world renowned race was held just fifteen minutes from our mission's guesthouse! We were excited. If you're unfamiliar with the Dakar, check out this 'Best Of' video for the 2017 race- much of the 'green' footage in the first minute of the video is from Paraguay- we were there!
This years race, named 'The Odyssey', began in Asuncion, Paraguay and took the competitors high into the mountains of Bolivia before heading back down toward the finish in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was a total of twelve days from start to finish through some of South America's harshest off-road terrain including mud, sand dunes, rocks, camel grass and cliffs. Here's the official Dakar logo and map.
This year there were five types of racing vehicles including dirt bikes, quads (four-wheelers), cars, the awe inspiring trucks and for the first time ever, UTVs (which are like small dune buggies)! The Dakar is a true off-road endurance event open to both professional and amateur entries. Our local mechanic was one of the racers! The vehicles are not modified road vehicles as in conventional Rally racing but are built to navigate various types of untouched natural terrain. The length of the stages in this year's race ranged from short distances up to 444 miles per day.
And so, after a New Year's Eve filled with exploding bombas in Asuncion, our whole family made our way down to the Dakar Expo in front of the Presidential Palace along the Paraguay River. It was a hot day, over 100 degrees in the sun which was where we would be as long as we stayed at the exhibition. Before we even arrived our team had to make a road-side repair on a stroller wheel that had come off. Our teammate and Dan with his Leatherman got our family back on track in no time- we were truly ready for this!
When we arrived hundreds of bikes, quads, cars and trucks met our eyes- a myriad of colors, logos and mechanical muscle that was bigger than life! It would be the last time these vehicles looked so clean and were in such good shape- the race was soon to begin the next morning and the anticipation hung in the air.
Some of the competitors were still arriving on their bikes while we were there that morning. It was cool to see them rolling in on their machines fresh from the inspection station. Toby posed on a four-wheeler and looked pretty convincing with his sunglasses in front of a desert backdrop. Sammie sat in front of a pink and purple four-wheeler. There were several female racers in this year's Dakar.
Though I didn't know it at the time, I got a great shot of the winning car- #300 driven by legendary French racer, Stephane Peterhansel. Starting in 1991 he won 6 races on motorbike before switching to car. He commented that the difference of driving in an enclosed vehicle 'felt like a vacation'. He went on to win a total of 13 Dakar races including this year's making him the most successful competitor in the history of the Dakar Rally.
At around lunch time we retreated out of the sun back to our mission's guest house. Later that night the boys and I returned for the official introduction of the racers and their vehicles. Here in Latin America most social events begin after the sun's gone down... and for good reason. However, this time the temperature didn't seem to drop very much. The area that was fairly open that morning was now packed with thousands of people. Even along the Paraguay river the air was stifling.
The trucks were debuting as high humidity gave way to light rain. They tore up the river side with horns blaring and emerged in front of the podium. It was truly impressive to see machines that big moving with such speed and agility. The next day we would go to the starting point of the 2017 Dakar Rally- about an hour outside of the city. We would see hundreds of off-road racing vehicles tearing up the orange clay roads we were so familiar with here in Paraguay!
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