On the eve of the prologue of the 45th edition of the Dakar, the 4th in Saudi Arabia, the drivers and crews entered were brought together in a new setting: the Sea Camp set up on the shores of the Red Sea, where the “verifs” are organized, immediately immerses the competitors in the atmosphere of the rally.
THE SEA CAMP, IN ADVENTURER MODE
A village not identified by the topographic surveys existing to date appeared on the shores of the Red Sea. Its population of about 3000 inhabitants is made up of cracked wide open spaces, discovery and engines. Installed with the agility and efficiency of the Dakar, the Sea Camp sticks precisely to the temperament of its pilots and crews, the layout favoring as much the spaces of conviviality and relaxation as the realization of the last pre-race preparations. This XXL bivouac immediately conquered the competitors, starting with the triple winner of the event Carlos Sainz, happy to find a semi-holiday atmosphere before diving into the action: “I do not miss the hotels, I am very comfortable in my motorhome. It’s good not to have to move too much, everything is at hand and we are in the atmosphere of the rally from the start.” His future opponent Nasser Al Attiyah, globetrotter and collector of victories throughout the year, even allowed himself a mini-trip as a preamble to his stay at Sea Camp, always in the relaxed state of mind that he adopts as soon as he gets out of his race car: “I left Doha ten days ago, just after the final of the football World Cup, And I rode without hurrying by making small steps.” A way to offer comfort before the effort…
AUDI ON TRACK FOR A FESTIVAL?
Between a game of volleyball and a remote-controlled 4×4 race on a mini-circuit designed on the main square of the Sea Camp, the conversations of enthusiasts regularly address the predictions for victory in the car category. And after the promising debut of the Audi last January, the ultra-favorable opinions are massively issued in the perspective of the title. One of the main stakeholders, Stéphane Peterhansel, is not afraid to display the highest ambitions but politely rejects the label of great favorite: “It’s year two, we reviewed everything that could have been a problem last year. I think we’ll be in the game, but from there to win it’s going to be hot.” Alongside Mr. Dakar and his 14 titles (8 in cars), the German brand is also counting on Carlos Sainz to drive one of its RS Q e-tron E2 to success. The Spanish champion takes this responsibility seriously, while waiting to see what the reality on the ground imposes: “You never know what will happen on a Dakar. What is certain is that we are better prepared than last year and that we will see the competitiveness of the car in the first days. We did the test of the new power regulations on the Rallye du Maroc, now we will see what it gives in our opponents.” El Matador raises the issue of FIA regulations on the equivalence of technologies, the effects of which will only really be observed after several stages.
TOYOTA AT THE SERVICE
It is the Toyota clan that benefits from the first service at the time of the kick-off of the 45th Dakar. The Hilux previously placed 1st, 3rd and 5th in Jeddah in the hands of Al Attiyah, Al Rajhi and De Villiers. A trifecta that announces a cautious start strategy of the race. Nasser Al Attiyah : “It’s always a bit strange to lose power on your car, but what matters is that it’s fair. Winning the Dakar 2022 and the W2RC gave us more confidence for this Dakar. We have to make a good result on the prologue to start in a good position on the first stage. I think steps 2 and 3 are going to be important because it’s easy to make a navigational mistake. We remember the previous Dakar where it happened from day one. It will be necessary to manage the first days intelligently to be able to push then if necessary. The same goes for metronome Giniel de Villiers, whose 20th participation will be (19 of which finished in the Top 10, yes yes !): “The new regulations are making us lose power, and we are not sure where we stand. We will see more clearly after the first days. I’m confident that we have a good car and that we will be able to fight. If technical fairness is at the heart of the expectations of Toyota drivers, Yazeed Al Rajhi already foresees total fairness at the end of the race, including for him the local event: “The Empty Quarter will be a discovery for me and for everyone. As the name suggests, it is an empty part of the country where we do not know what will happen. There will be a lot of big dunes, but the dunes are like the sea, they are not friends with anyone.”
IN THE GOCZAL FAMILY… ERYK
So it wasn’t a bluff. For a few years, the brothers Marek and Michal Goczal announced the upcoming arrival of the youngest Eryk on the starting list of the Dakar. And while Dad and Uncle were winning special stages (8 special stages for siblings in 2022 in T4), the son was patiently waiting for his turn. Today, the most advanced historians of the Dakar do not find any trace of a younger rider on the Dakar, the blondinet from Krakow having celebrated his 18th birthday less than two months ago. However, this boy in a hurry presents himself with a maturity that contrasts with his civil status: “with my father and uncle, I have always heard about the Dakar, I dreamed of it with them. When I was four years old, I had a piggy bank in which I already put all my pieces because I understood that it was expensive to participate. And now I have done everything to prepare for this moment as seriously as possible. I was already on the rally the last two years, observing absolutely everything, so as not to be surprised today.” In addition to motivation, it turns out that the young man has a steering wheel that has already allowed him to win the national championship of “drift” at 15 years old, and which gives credit to the family project to see the three Goczal on the final podium. The idea is not absurd, according to Michal: “We do not know how it is possible, but he is extremely talented, we even used to say that it is super that flows in his veins. Moreover, on his first off-road race two weeks ago, the Baja de Dubai, we took the first three places in the category… with Eryk in front! A single-coloured podium on the Dakar is what Marek Goczal, the father, dreams of: “I have always said that the day it happens, I stop my career”.
KUBA RAISES HIS VOICE
It’s the chef’s surprise! Sven Quandt , at the helm of the Audi program, has secretly developed the third generation of “his” Mini. Sebastian Halpern and Jakub Przygonski remain in the colors of X-raid Mini JCW but they will debut a T1+ version shipped at the last hour by plane. The Pole, 6th in the last Dakar, joins the dance of the premier category: “I am proud to be the driver of this prototype. We worked a lot with X-raid. The project started five or six months ago, and we only did tests a few weeks ago before the car arrived by plane. On the last Dakar it was very difficult with a buggy to be among the leading cars. Things will certainly change this year with the new regulations on technology equivalence. But the 4×4 is easier to fly in dunes and rutted terrain. I’m confident, even if it’s sure that we will encounter unforeseen events with the car, because it is a long-term project. »
CASALE, YAMAHA’S T3 ASSET
In parallel with the Audi Evo2 and the 3rd generation Mini, Sven Quandt had another project on fire in 2022. The one sponsored by Yamaha and seen in Peterhansel’s hands on the Andalucia Rally last October. The new Yamaha Supported Team X-raid prototype arrives on the Dakar with three-time Dakar quad winner Ignacio Casale (2014-18-20) as its spearhead. In 2019, the Chilean had already taken the plunge in a light vehicle, without success since he had to give up. This time, he acts as leader of the new factory Yamaha team and does not hide his ambitions: “I am very happy with this alliance with Yamaha with whom I have won the Dakar three times in quad. This year I received this offer to ride in a very competitive prototype with which I think we will be able to achieve great things. Getting on the podium for this first year would be a good result for me and the team. I have been training for three years in my own SSV in Chile. In September I spent twenty days in Morocco testing with the prototype and accepted Yamaha’s offer immediately. »
WELCOME TO THE CLUB
For the third edition of the Dakar Classic, two challenges are emerging. Two races in the race, reserved for competitors a little special. The Iconic Classic Club brings together and rewards the vehicles that have actually participated in the Dakar. This is the case of 15 vehicles on the list of entries. We find cars already in the race last year, such as the dashing Protruck buggy of Team FJ (#701) of the Gallop couple, which was put in the hands of Bruno Saby at the time, or the Pajero #727, kept in the colors of the legendary Ralliart team as Jean-Pierre Fontenay had taken it on three Dakars between 1989 and 1993. Among the new ones, three vehicles attract the attention of connoisseurs. One of the examples of the Peugeot P4 military vehicle (#731), specially developed by Peugeot Talbot Sport in 1988 to provide rapid on-track assistance to Ari Vatanen. Even closer to the origins of the Dakar and in the wake of Sunhill and other Cotel, the Barlerin couple tries the bet of the Strakit buggy (#738), a French prototype that participated in the Dakar 1982 without overtaking Gao! Among the behemoths, in addition to the DAF straight out of the De Rooy workshops, the Pegaso 7222 (#906) in the colors of the Spanish TH-Trucks received the honors of the podium in 1986 in the hands of Salvador Canellas. Winner of the light truck category, this rarity was produced in four units. The Authentic Codriver Challenge, the other 2023 novelty, is reserved for crews whose co-pilot has chosen to sail without the assistance of modern technology. Two challenges for the diehards!
MOTORCYCLES: “BONIFS” FOR OPENERS
In order to counter the yo-yo effect that can encourage unsporting behavior, a new rule will enter the scene on this Dakar before being applied for the entire W2RC 2023 season. The phenomenon had reached its climax on the Dakar 2022, when Sunderland and Walkner voluntarily stopped for a few minutes at the end of special 11 to avoid starting in the lead the next day for the penultimate stage announced as decisive. David Castera: “We wanted to reward bikers who have the merit of making the trace. We will thus give time bonuses to the three drivers of each day who have spent the most time opening the stage between the start of the fuel refueling.” Concretely, the first two hundred kilometers of the special will be marked with way points that will offer time rewards. 1.5 seconds per kilometre travelled between two bonus points for the first, 1 second for the second and 0.5 seconds for the third. Thus, if bonus way points are placed between the start and kilometer 20, the first driver passed at kilometer 20 will be credited with 30 bonus seconds (20 x 1.5″ = 30″). And so on until refueling. The addition of bonuses will be automatically deducted from his time of the day, as soon as the special stage arrives. About ten or fifteen rewarded sections will be arranged on the special stage, opening right in the best case to about 5 minutes of bonus in the event that the driver left in front will keep the lead until the refueling (200 x 1.5” = 300”). This novelty will appear in step 3. Steps 1, 2 and 14 will not be affected, their profiles do not call for this boost.
Joan Barreda, the record holder in active stage wins (29) is particularly well placed to comment on this evolution: “I had discussed the idea of bonuses with David Castera during the presentation of the W2RC 2022 calendar a year ago. I was in favour of this system that A.S.O. was already practicing on the Tour de France cycliste. The openers are penalized too much, especially since we are in Saudi Arabia on more open and sandy ground and even more so last year with wet soil. I think this development makes sense. Even if it’s not a lot of time saved, it’s enough to consider not starting beyond the tenth position. For riders like me who opened for many kilometers last year, it’s a real motivation. For those who stayed around fifth place throughout the race, it won’t be to their advantage.
- From Dakar 2023
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