Racers will cover more than 5500 miles over the course of two weeks.
Dakar is just around the corner and every racer and navigator will be focused on just that – what’s around the next corner. The 5553-mile race is broken up over 16 days, only one of which is for rest. Racers will leave the start in Buenos Aires, Argentina for a short commute to Colon on January 1. From there the racing will begin in earnest. Competitors will be glad to learn that race organizers have designed the rally to feature what can only be described as a warm-up period during the first four days from Jan 2-5. The special lengths are reasonably short and overall daily mileage doesn’t top 400 miles, though that says nothing about the terrain itself. Once the riders leave from Copiapo, Chile, saddle time will greatly increase.
The trip from Inquique to Antofagasta will put the riders through the meat grinder with a 373-mile special, the longest of the entire rally by at least 73 miles. Those who survive will be grateful for the day of rest on January 9. From there the giant loop begins to work its way out of Chile and back to Argentina. It’s by no means all downhill, however, with the final three days from San Juan – San Rafael – Santa Rosa – Buenos Aires being the longest for overall mileage – a brutal end to a grueling event.
Check out the details of each stage below courtesy of
Dakar.com.
Stage 1 - Friday, January 1 and 2: Buenos Aires - Cordoba, 405 mi (652 km)
Liaison : 216.9 mi (349 km)
Special: 136 mi (219 km)
Liaison: 52.2 mi (84 km)
In the first days of the rally, overtaking is sometimes tricky. To make things easier between the bikers and the car and truck crews, a doubled course has been designed with just a few kilometers less for the riders. While the course will be separated, the program remains similar with tracks that will seduce the sliding specialists. In the car class, experts will have noticed a tribute to the Argentinean leg of WRC that usually goes through the Calamuchita Valley. The steering wheel virtuosos will be able to express themselves.
Stage 2 - Sunday, January 3: Cordoba - La Rioja, 389 mi (626 km)
Liaison: 34.8 mi (56 km)
Special: 182.7 mi (294 km)
Liaison: 171.5 mi (276 km)
Again to avoid tricky maneuvers, bikes and quads will have, like on the previous day their own course. On the major part of the special, the motocross and enduro specialists will enjoy the blind jumps and series of fast bends. They will then have to take on a wilder environment: less sinuous but rockier. The drivers in cars and trucks will have to take good care of their brakes on a long descent at the middle of the special.
Stage 3 - Monday, January 4: La Rioja - Fiambala, 274 mi (441 km)
Liaison: 160.9 mi (259 km)
Special: 113 mi (182 km)
Liaison: 0 mi (0 km )
It'll be on the third real day of racing that the competitors will have to deal with a first test. The change of context will be radical: with a switch from earth to sand and especially a dune portion of close to 19 miles (30 km). Other than their dimension that suits perfectly a first part of rally, these dunes are noticeable thanks to their white colour. In this new landscape, the crews will enjoy driving in areas without tracks. They will also have to adapt to a change of climate and especially sand storms that are frequent in the area.
Stage 4 - Tuesday, January 5: Fiambala - Copiapo, 390.8 mi (629 km)
Liaison: 244.8 mi (394 km)
Special: 126 mi (203 km)
Liaison: 19.9 mi (32 km)
The organizers have made sure of taking good care of the competitors during this day that will first of all be used to cross the border. After a very early start, the crossing of the Andes Cordillera will be done during a liaison. At an altitude sometimes over 13,123 ft. (4000m), the shivers will be linked to the temperature as well as the beauty of landscapes. The descent, Chile side, will take the competitors to an absolute desert special. The rather short distance of this exercise will allow one to work on the last settings for a 'sand' configuration that the vehicles will keep during several days.
Stage 5 - January 6: Copiapo - Antofagasta, 416.3 mi (670 km)
Liaison: 55.9 mi (90 km)
Special: 300 mi (483 km)
Liaison: 60.3 mi (97 km)
The area has a reputation for its density in gold and copper mines. And that'll be the theme of the hard day the competitors will witness on the road to Antofagasta, as demanding physically as it will be mentally. The open but rocky tracks of the first part of the day won't leave the slightest respite in terms of staying focused. And the off-road portions that follow will request solidity at all points of view: it is indeed here that the competitors will have to battle it out in the really deep dust, known on this continent as 'guadal'. At the end of this stage where changes in pace will be numerous; the notion of endurance will start to have its real significance. The less cautious will have already committed mistakes.
Stage 6 - Thursday, January 7: Antofagasta - Iquique, 371.6 mi (598 km)
Liaison: 111.8 mi (180 km)
Special: 259.7 mi (418 km)
Liaison: 0 mi (0 km)
The efforts are equally spread out on the day's special. On the off-track portion of the first third, the dust will push the competitors to be cautious. The larger and faster tracks that will be at the heart of the program will force those who are fighting for positions to maintain a fast pace. They will however need to keep a good amount of energy: indeed an African type sand sea awaits at the heart of a sandy portion of around 31 miles (50 km). But for the final part, the reward will be at the height of the difficulties. After having climbed a last dune, the competitors will take on a slide type sand downhill of close to 1.9 miles (3 km) with Iquique and the waves of the ocean on the horizon. An unforgettable scene.
Stage 7 - Friday, January 8: Iquique - Antofagasta, 398.3 mi (641 km)
Liaison: 23 mi (37 km)
Special: 372.8 mi (600 km)
Liaison: 2.5 mi (4 km)
The longest special of the rally is also the most varied. When leaving Iquique, one always has regrets but the splendor of the landscapes will motivate the competitors just as much as the fun they will witness in the sand dunes they will have to swallow in the first part of the day. The ideal technique will be a lot harder to find when having to cross a salar, of around 1.9 miles (3 km). On this extent filled with huge blocks of dry salt, certainly never seen by most of the competitors, the speed will drop down to under 6 mph (10 km/h)! Once that's digested, the tracks heading to Antofagasta are, in majority, fast and open. The menu will be generous in terms of sand and miles. The rule book will allow the bikers and crews to reach the bivouac before 6.00 P.M. on the following day, during the rest day.
Rest Day - Saturday, January 9: Antofagasta
Stage 8 - Sunday, January 10: Antofagasta - Copiapo, 352.9 mi (568 km)
Liaison: 59.7 mi (96 km)
Special: 293.3 mi (472 km)
Liaison: 0 mi (0 km)
The 62.1 miles (100 km) or so of liaison will allow the competitors to leave an often foggy area, in order to launch the special in optimal visibility conditions. If the rest day has had its effect, the debates will resume on this penultimate stage in the Atacama. On rocky terrain during the first part, minutes will easily be lost in case of a mistake for a title contender. With the miles covered, the cruising pace should progressively increase until hitting more and more frequent dune zones as we close in on Copiapo. Those who want to enjoy the final panorama won't be able to slow down and take it easy: the stage will be long and the days are short.
Stage 9 - Monday, January 11: Copiapo - La Serena, 339.8 mi (547 km)
Liaison: 0 mi (0 km)
Special: 210 mi (338 km)
Liaison: 129.9 mi (209 km)
The last day in the Atacama will be a good opportunity to make the best of sand and dunes: it is mainly on the first 111.8 miles (180 km) that the difficulties will be gathered. The terrain being fairly open, the bikers will take off in lines of 20. At this stage of the race, the leaders are clearly identified in each class but the podium can still change at any moment. In the same way, those who will have reached La Serena will certainly have covered the toughest part, technically speaking. A long distance will however have to still be covered with cold blood and taking it easily. For the amateurs, it is on these qualities that a Dakar can be played.
Stage 10 - Tuesday, January 12: La Serena - Santiago, 364.1 mi (586 km)
Liaison: 69.6 mi (112 km)
Special: 147.9 mi (238 km)
Liaison: 146.6 mi (236 km)
The end of the journey through the Atacama will remind all that Chile is mainly spread out on hilly territories. The vegetation is dense and varied and the competitors will be able to notice that on the road to Santiago. On the many hills, they will also have to get used to more and more sinuous tracks where trajectory mistakes can cost many minutes, or even hours. There is much more to lose than to win on the day's stage.
Stage 11 - Wednesday, January 13: Santiago - San Juan, 269.7 mi (434 km)
Liaison: 131.1 mi (211 km)
Special: 136.7 mi (220 km)
Liaison: 1.87 mi (3 km)
It's through the Paso Libertadores, at an altitude of 11,483 ft. (3500 m) that the competitors will leave Chile to return to Argentina where the day's special will take place. For the first 31 miles (50 km) which will actually be the only portion of the rally competed at high altitude, the mechanics will need to work on settings to compensate with the lack of power. The competitors will race on the high hill tops of the Andes with views on the famous Aconcagua that dominates the area from the top of its 22,503 ft. (6859 m). To reach San Juan, one will then need to find a way through the rios. In the same time the cars and trucks will have to take good care of their brakes for a long descent of close to 65.6 miles (20 km).
Stage 12 - Thursday, January 14: San Juan - San Rafael, 494.6 mi (796 km)
Liaison: 14.3 mi (23 km)
Special: 295.8 mi (476 km)
Liaison: 184.5 mi (297 km)
For the longest stage of the rally, the program will be as lively as it will be spectacular. We will leave the area of dinosaurs on tracks cut by rios, surrounded by canyons and "fairy chimneys". After around 124.3 miles (200 km) of special, the competitors will momentarily use the road in order to avoid a classified and protected natural site. The second part, exclusively sandy will have many jumps. The bikers can expect to have sore arms and the best of them will rarely ride at over 62 mph (100 km/h). The day will be even more tiring due to the fact that it will end with a long liaison.
Stage 13 - Friday, January 15: San Rafael - Santa Rosa, 450.5 mi (725 km)
Liaison: 47.2 mi (76 km)
Special: 228.7 mi (368 km)
Liaison: 174.6 mi (281 km)
With two days to go before the finish, the standings can still be modified. No-one can consider being clear of staying stuck in the grey sand of the Nihuil dunes, the last few of the rally. After this part of close to 24.9 miles (40 km), larger and faster paths will lead the competitors to the finish of the special. These portions will be a rare opportunity to test on the distance the top speeds of the vehicles while taking good care of the mechanical aspect.
Stage 14 - Saturday, January 16: Santa Rosa - Buenos Aires, 439.3 mi (707 km)
Liaison: 103.1 mi (166 km)
Special: 128 mi (206 km)
Liaison: 208.2 mi (335 km)
From the first to the last, staying focused is key on this final special where the statistics are formal: there are always withdrawals just a few lengths away from the finish. The 128 miles (206 km) of special, covered on very fast tracks therefore have to be negotiated extremely carefully. At the finish, the heroes of this 32nd edition will at first be celebrated in the village of San Carlos de Bolivar. The aficionados, aware that the most intense moments of joy occur on the line, will certainly have come in numbers. After the avalanche of emotions, the competitors will drive to Buenos Aires where a huge crowd will be expecting them for more glorious moments.
For more information about the Dakar Rally visit: www.dakar.com.
