Dakar
The Background
In 1976, Thierry Sabine got lost in the Sahara while participating in the Abidjan-Nice rally. Back then, neither rally competitors nor organizers were prepared to search for and rescue the competitors. Three days later, the search was cancelled and Thierry had lost hope of ever being found. But when everything seemed lost, the pilot of a single engine plane crossing the desert caught sight of Thierry and rescued him.
When he arrived in France, Thierry surprised everyone when he declared he wanted to create the biggest rally in the world, the Dakar Rally.
The Route
The route from Dakar varies between 5,000 and 9,000 miles, depending on the year. It has never been repeated and is presented to the competitors moments before the start.
The map of the route shows the daily legs. Each day the competitors camp at one point and must reach the next point to camp.
Checkpoints
Each competitor's time is recorded at strategic checkpoints set up and announced by the organizers to prevent easier parallel courses or shortcuts. The organizers have fixed a penalty for each checkpoint missed.
The inspectors see if the vehicle is on the correct route, regardless of the time taken. Time is used only for security, and with that information the organizers have an idea of where the competitors are.