Rally Dakar 2005

The route
Spain will be hosting the Dakar Rally for the fourth time; the race started in Granada in 1995, 1996 and 1999 and will be starting this time in Barcelona. The largest city of Catalonia already witnessed the African caravan go by in 1987 and 1989. After the necessary technical inspections and the already usual prologue stage, which will be run on the last day of the year, the race will start on the first day of the new year from the Plaza de España and will then be heading south to run two timed stages on its way to Granada. From Granada they will move on to Algeciras, and from there the caravan will disembark in Africa after crossing the Strait of Gibraltar by ferry. Once on African ground, the challenge will take shape. After the voyage, the first stages on the African continent will be rather soft, with a highway stage from Tangier to Rabat, although the arrival could be a little late. The Dakar will set its camp for the fourth time in its history in the capital of Morocco (it did already in 1994, 1999 and 2002). This will be the real start of the Dakar 2005. Europe is left behind and ahead lies Africa with its secrets, charms and also its numerous traps… The race, with a 70% newly designed route, will enter Africa with the first navigation stages on stony grounds, combined with some fast sections to get the whole power out of the engines. Finally, a long chott will complete the Smara stage. From that moment on, the race will get complicated for everybody, participants and services. The rally leaves Morocco and enters the inhospitable ground of Mauritania, that host the Dakar since 1983. Everything is possible on the sand of the Mauritanian deserts and despite impressive, changing landscapes, the participants will have to stay highly concentrated and avoid any navigation mistake. In the sixth and seventh stage of the race, from Smara to Zouérat and from Zouérat to Tichit, the Dakar will begin with its own natural selection. The participants will find themselves initially on fast tracks, but then the first dunes and with them the first serious traps and the large differences on time will be putting everyone in the corresponding place, in the race and in the overall standings. In these stages, navigation will be a decisive factor. In addition, participants will have to deal with all kinds of obstacles and traps: chains of dunes, half-hidden passages, series of small ergs followed by hundred kilometres of camel grass…With a total of 622 kilometres 492 of which are timed the first of the two stages, and knowing that the next day there is going to be another long and in addition marathon stage – 660 kilometres timed-, taking care of the mechanics and avoiding any mistake will be the secret to stay in the race and have chances to take the final victory. After the first selection, the Dakar will take a rest on Mauritanian ground, thanks to the rest day planned on January 9th in Atar. Strength and mechanics recovered, it will be time to move on. In previous editions, it was usual to prepare a soft stage after the break to get back the pace, but this year is going to be different. From the beginning, they will have to face a first 40km-long erg to continue towards Thaga, and then enter a sea of sand and several dune chains which will provide entertainment on the road to the El Beyyed erg: more than 40 km of lined-up dunes, among which is probably the hardest ever negotiated by the participants. Then there will be the last day in Mauritania with the stage going from Atar to Kiffa, where riders and drivers will have a 600-km long stage ahead. Again they will be facing several sections on very soft sand that could give some trouble as regards fuel consumption. Once the Dakar has entered Mali and already in Western Africa, a place visited regularly since 25 years, the participants will inevitably feel the change, both as regards landscapes and ways of life. After these large desert extensions have been negotiated, the rally will venture through the fastest tracks of Africa, giving way to technique and riding/driving style. Mali will be the venue of the second marathon stage, from Kiffa to Bamako, where the rally will with no doubt have its second important selection phase. In addition, the participants will have to cross several villages, where riders and drivers will be forced to slow down for the safety of all. They will have to face several narrow roads made up by latherite that make overtaking manoeuvres really difficult. Two days later the race will leave Mali behind to enter Senegal. However, there will be no reason for relaxing because some traps will still be left on the way. Any driving mistake or mechanical failure may mess up the whole work of the previous stages. As always, Lake Rose will mark the end of the Dakar 2005, after a total of 8,596 kilometres, 5,431 of which are timed and 3,525 liaisons. They will have crossed five countries with three special stages in Spain, two in Morocco, six in Mauritania, two in Mali and three in Senegal.  Spain  Stage 1. Barcelona-Barcelona December 31Liaison: 6 km. Super Special (Prologue): 4 km Liaison: 8 km.  Stage 2. BarcelonaGranada January 1Liaison: 919 km  Morocco  Stage 3. GranadaRabat January 2Liaison: 6km. Special: 10 km. Liaison: 507  Stage 4. RabatAgadir January 3Liaison: 122 km – Special: 123 km – Liaison: 421 km  Stage 5. AgadirSmara January 4Liaison: 240 km – Special: 381 km – Liaison: 33 km  Mauritania  Stage 6. Smara Zouérat January 5Liaison: 121 km – Special : 492 km Liaison: 9 km  Stage 7. Zouérat-Tichit January 6Liaison: 9 km – Special: 660 km  Stage 8. TichitTidjikja January 7Special: 520 km – Liaison: 18 km  Stage 9. TidjikjaAtâr January 8Liaison: 3 km – Special: 361 km – Liaison: 35 km  Rest stage. Atâr January 9  Stage 10. AtârAtâr January 10Liaison: 8 km Special: 483 km Liaison: 8 km  Stage 11. AtârKiffa January 11Liaison: 34 km Special: 656 km Liaison: 5 km  Mali  Stage 12. KiffaBamako January 12Liaison: 25 km Special: 586 km Liaison: 208 km  Stage 13. BamakoKayes January 13Liaison: 205 km Special: 370 km Liaison: 93 km  Senegal  Stage 14. KayesTambacounda January 14Liaison: 93 km SS: 529 km 8Km  Stage 15. TambacoundaDakar January 15Liaison: 108 km – Special: 225 km – Liaison: 236 km  Stage 16. DakarDakar January 16Liaison: 37 km – Special: 31 km