We are only days ahead the start of the most grueling cross-country event of the year, the Dakar Rally. We are happy to be able to show you the official Dakar 2015 teaser video, which is anyway, very far from what actually takes place in the remote areas of the South American outback.
The 2015 edition of the Dakar Rally kicks off on January 4 in Buenos Aires, Argentina and will also see the final checkered flag in the Argentinian capital, on January 17. However, there’s a 9,000 km (5,600 miles) loop between the two dates, as the competitors will travel through Argentina, Bolivia and Chile in their quest for Dakar glory.
13 Stages of hardcore riding are waiting
The rally is split in 13 rounds, with the first 6 separated from the latter 7 by a rest day on 10 January in Iquique. The longest stage is Stage 12, which links Termas de Rio Hondo and Rosario over 1.024 km (636 miles). If Termas de Rio Hondo sounds familiar, we’ll just add that this city hosts Argentina’s all-new MotoGP circuit which debuted in GP racing this very year (2014).
When it comes to special stages, Round 8 is the hardest, with a 781 km (485 miles) leg, while the longest liaison section will be encountered in Stage 12, measuring 726 km (451 miles).
168 riders at the start
We counted no less than 168 entries in the bike class, with two huge names missing from the list. Five-time Dakar winner Cyril Despres is present in the cars class, however. The 40-year-old Frenchman is driving a Peugeot and will have Gilles Picard in the cabin as team mate.
The other big name missing from the Dakar 2105 is Francisco “Chaleco” Lopez. The Chilean rider announced his retirement from motorcycle racing recently, and said he is still considering competing in the Dakar Rally in the future, but if this will be the case, he will also be switching over to four wheels, like others before him, including 12-time winner Stephane Peterhansel.
Watch this space for stage-by-stage reports. You can also check out the attached general map in PDF.
Google News