Dakar 2007

The route
For this edition, the organisation has prepared a similar route to that of the 2006 edition, starting in Lisbon, crossing the Iberian Peninsula from coast to coast, embarking in Malaga, disembarking in Nador and then the real start of the African adventure. Participants will spend three nights in Morocco, four in Mauritania, two in Mali, a further night in Mauritania and the last two nights in Senegal, setting the full stop, on January 21st to the 2007 Lisbon Dakar Rally.
PORTUGAL and SPAIN>>STAGE 1 – 06/01/2007 Lisbon > Portimão Liaison: 115 Km. | Special: 120 Km. | Liaison: 260 Km. Total: 495 Km.The organisation will provide participants from the first stage with a bit of sand, without even going to the beach and still in Europe. The start of the special promises a few not too serious mishaps& just a foretaste of Africa. Then the technicians will be free to snatch back a few seconds in the bends through the forests of pines and corks.   >>STAGE 2 – 07/01/2007 Portimão > Málaga Liaison: 15 Km. | Special: 60 Km. | Liaison: 425 Km. Total: 500 Km.This terrain will not at all be similar to what participants will be facing in Africa: mountain routes and tracks. The course is tortuous, the ground quite hard. Drivers will prudently slow the pace, just in case the course may be glistening wet. One false move on this WRC type route, and the consequences may be highly negative for the expectations of any driver. After the long liaison to Málaga, tired bodies will benefit from the night of the crossing.MOROCCOOn entering the African continent, the rally becomes a long-distance trek. All those ingredients that go to make the Dakar difficult are there, and in respectable quantities already. The competitors have still got their freshness and the subtleties of navigation can soon make your head spin. One little novelty for 2007: the organization proposes a sporting visit to the Atlas Mountains.  >>STAGE 3 – 08/01/2007 Nador > Er Rachidia Liaison: 205 Km. | Special: 252 Km. | Liaison: 192 Km. Total: 649 Km.The start of the stage is very serious, particularly in terms of navigation. On the first part of the special, there are very many navigation changes. This is a real maze of tracks. But even once out of this labyrinth, no lapses of attention will be tolerated. And though the rocky trails seem ideal for speed, the many wades may seriously harm the mechanics… and especially the shape of motorbike riders. The organization has asked for special attention.  STAGE 4 – 09/01/2007 Er Rachidia > Ouarzazate Liaison: 96 Km. | Special: 405 Km. | Liaison: 178 Km. Total: 679 Km.A first lesson in endurance. The second Moroccan special is a long one, and above all very varied. The first dunes and the first serious thrills will appear: this is the moment to confronter the multiple traps in Africa. The priority of the moment will be to stay focussed and not to get carried away.  >>STAGE 5 – 10/01/2007 Ouarzazate > Tan Tan Liaison: 170 Km. | Special: 325 Km. | Liaison: 280 Km. Total: 775 Km.Dakar regulars will have rallied from Ouarzazate to Tan Tan on three occasions in recent. Yet despite this, theyll never have taken the 2007 route on a long-distance trek before. On this special, the drivers are going to be getting a taste of the Atlas Mountains, a feast for the eyes. On average, the scenery is dramatic, lunar: for the connoisseurs, a mixture of the Ventoux and the Izoard.MAURITANIAThe national specialities of this inhospitable scenario are sand, pebbles and immense dunes. Crossing Mauritania will be a determining factor for the result in the hierarchy of the rally. Those who arrive here in full possession of all their faculties have every chance of shining here, but here is where you can also lose everything. This kingdom of dunes and off-roading in the heart of the Sahara is the spot if ever there was one where the expert navigators can make their mark  >>STAGE 6 – 11/01/2007 Tan Tan > Zouérat Liaison: 414 Km. | Special: 394 Km. | Liaison: 9 Km. Total: 817 Km.This is the longest stage of the rally. By the end of the day, almost a thousand kilometres will have been clocked up. To set off on this long preliminary liaison leading to the Mauritanian border, participants will have to get up extremely early in the morning. Then they will need to apply themselves to navigation by heading and off-road, yet more techniques for drivers and co-drivers to get to grips with again. At this stage in the rally, just one piece of advice: prudence.  >>STAGE 7 – 12/01/2007 Zouérat > Atâr Liaison: 4 Km. | Special: 542 Km. | Liaison: 34 Km. Total: 580 Km.A particularly full days programme, over 600 kilometres. No-one is likely to be left unmoved by this series of tracks, off-road sections, and dunes. This is where you find out just what crossing the erg means. And here too, the hierarchy can be thrown radically into disorder. After six days of racing, those who havent managed to avoid problems begin to feel the fatigue. Now, those moments of tiredness can cost you dear. Everybodys going to be glad of the much-needed rest day  REST DAY – 13/01/2007 AtârThis is a moment for taking stock. Many have proved themselves steadfast, though some will have already returned home. If the competitors are holding up, and the vehicle is still in one piece, theres still plenty of room for optimism. Right in the middle of the Sahara, the setting is ideal to stock up with energy and to get yourself really psyched-up for what remains. Its still 4,201 kilometres to Dakar  >>STAGE 8 – 14/01/2007 Atâr > Tichit Liaison: 35 Km. | Special: 589 Km. | Liaison: 2 Km. Total: 626 Km.This special has several facets. The course is quite well-marked, with stony tracks at the beginning of the course; then the enthusiasts will be entitled to a dose of sand in the middle of their day. Patience will be the drivers best ally for finding the oasis: the final track has no hidden traps, just so long as you keep your eyes peeled. The panorama that awaits the competitors is more than worth it. Backup vehicles are not allowed in Tichit  >>STAGE 9 – 15/01/2007 Tichit > Néma Liaison: 0 Km. | Special: 494 Km. | Liaison: 3 Km. Total: 497 Km.This big chunk of desert may seem hard to swallow. Here we are on one of the great classics of the Dakar, revisited and improved for the occasion. Landmarks are extremely few and far between the finest navigators are going to have their say. For the less inspired, Plan B involves picking the right tyre-tracks to follow. Reaching Nema in daylight is a victory in itself, for after nightfall, everything seems to take twice as longMALIThe Dakar caravan will spend two nights under the sky of Mali. The stay in Mali will include a new visit to Mauritania. From Mali, participants will take a typical product of the area as a souvenier: a good portion of fesh-fesh. Moreover the lack of service in  Tombouctou will ask for prudence and a careful treatment of the machines. >>STAGE 10 – 16/01/2007 Néma > Tombouctou Liaison: 10 Km. | Special: 516 Km. | Liaison: 89 Km. Total: 615 Km.A regular point of passage in the eighties, Timbuktu hasnt seen the Dakar since 1999. The drivers will need to prove nimble for this incursion into Mali territory. On this special, the fesh-fesh, which wears down the mechanics, the eyes, and morale alike, is all part of the game. For the aces at the wheel up amongst the leaders, there could be some good strokes to play here. Just as long as they can look after their machines, as the backup vehicles will be staying in Nema.  >>STAGE 11 – 17/01/2007 Tombouctou > Néma Liaison: 8 Km. | Special: 571 Km. | Liaison: 11 Km. Total: 590 Km.Competitors will have already gotten a good preview of what will be awaiting them on this stage from the day before except that the return leg of this loop between Timbuktu and Nema is much more demanding. On the programme today are 576 kilometres of special on a very technical, sandy marked track. So watch out for this string of challenges, which the drivers will only be able to overcome at a reduced speed.>>STAGE 12 – 18/01/2007 Néma > Kayes Liaison: 372 Km. | Special: 257 Km. | Liaison: 117 Km. Total: 746 Km.The nostalgic may shed a tear: they wont be seeing any more dunes this year. Todays special will be fought out on tracks alone. From the desert, we pass now to the savannah, with even a few stretches through forest. Time to get used once again to fast driving on narrow routesSENEGAL Senegal brings the euphoria of deliverance for those competitors who reach it. Its also a lesson in humility and patience. You mustnt allow the relief at having overcome the principal obstacles to make you lower your guard. Amongst the leaders, reversals of situation are still possible, right up till the end of the 14th stage, where the victors in the various classes will be declared. The day at Lac Rose will be devoted to celebration and spectacle.>>STAGE 13 – 19/01/2007 Kayes > Tambacounda Liaison: 180 Km. | Special: 260 Km. | Liaison: 18 Km. Total: 458 Km.Expert skidders are going to have the times of their lives here. On these tracks over laterite, the aim of the game is all about controlling your machine. The team-work between drivers and navigators is also one of the big issues today. To make it to Tambakunda, youll also need to think about slowing down and finding the right pace to thread between the baobabs.>>STAGE 14 – 20/01/2007 Tambacounda > Dakar Liaison: 124 Km. | Special: 225 Km. | Liaison: 227 Km. Total: 576 Km.Its usually said that the game is over once youve crossed the Senegal border. But thats to be unaware of the possibilities on offer from now on right up till the last day for regaining positions in the general. Those who did the last-but-one stage in 2006 are all too aware of how easy it is to get caught out and lose your bearings here.  >>STAGE 15 – 21/01/2007 Lake Rose Grand Prix Liaison: 52 Km. | Special: 0 Km. | Liaison: 41 Km. Total: 93 Km.For the parade on the beach, the odometers are zeroed, and everyone has their chance to become the hero of the day before the podium ceremony. The trophy being contested in this new Grand Prix will be won on two symmetrical tracks laid out side-by-side over a distance of 500 metres. The cars set off in pairs, motorcycles in fours. Onward for one last spectacle by the sea, with skid turns and a long-jump competition The show eill gave way to the prizegiving on the podium and while most of the people will be thinking about the trip back home, some will already be looking forward to the 2008 edition, counting the days left to the start.