Mauritania
The crossing of Mauritania is traditionally a “turning point” in the Dakar. The outcome is often decided on the burning Mauritanian sands, which have played host to the rally since 1983. However, these sublime, moving landscapes should not lead competitors to forget that it is essential they remain concentrated on their navigating. Between Tichit, Tidjikja, Zouérat and Atâr, where the bivouac will be set up for three days, including the rest day, gaps between the competitors could widen to hours and even the leaders may be subject to disappointment. For example, it was in Tidjikja in 2004, after more than an hour of wandering, that Cyril Despres realised that his dreams of final victory would have to wait a little longer.
STAGE 6: SMARA > ZOUÉRAT
Wednesday 5th January 2005
Liaison: 121 km -
Special: 492 km -
Liaison: 9 km
Total: 622 km
Drivers skilled at dune crossing and navigating will here be in their element. But for the 45% of new entrants in the motorcycle category, it is in arriving in Mauritania that the real Dakar experience will begin. After 100 km of track liaison to the Mauritanian border, competitors will start the Special with a very fast section on sandy ground. This will be followed by mainly speedy stretches punctuated by spaced out dune fields, as far as 1 km apart. Assistance vehicle will take the competitor route on 100 km.
STAGE 7: ZOUÉRAT > TICHIT
Thursday 6th January 2005
Liaison: 9 km -
Special: 660 km
Total: 669 km
Regular Dakar participants won’t be able to use their intimate knowledge of the region as most of the route is new this year. In the motorcycle category, there will be a line-up start, in lines of 20. Up to the difficult El Ghallâouîya pass, situated between two cliffs, drivers will cross plains and some dune fields. The programme will then consist of the crossing of El Mrayer, the “mirror”, a series of small ergs, followed by one hundred or so kilometres of camel grass, and terminating with the need to find a pass, the only way to arrive at the Tichit oasis! At the finish, only refreshments are authorised; vehicles are placed in the Parc Fermé. “Real” marathon stages are back on the Dakar programme.
STAGE 8: TICHIT > TIDJIKJA
Friday 7th January 2005
Special: 520 km -
Liaison: 18 km
Total: 538 km
This stage is a real best of. It will include several stretches of the greatest Specials raced in the region over the last 20 years. Competitors will have sand and sand and sand… But along with the many dunes to be crossed, there will also be several difficul passes to find, for which competitors who need could request the GPS de-blocking codes. After climbing the Nega pass, which becomes more and more difficult every year, drivers must follow a rocky and sinuous track to Tidjikja.
STAGE 9: TIDJIKJA > ATÂR
Saturday 8th January 2005
Liaison: 3 km -
Special: 361 km -
Liaison: 35 km
Total: 399 km
In this final stage before the rest day driving enthusiasts will here be in their element. The 300 kilometres of track will be very fast running even if the end of the stage is punctuated with difficulties. 20 kilometres from the end, competitors will find themselves at the foot of the immense and mythical Chinguetti erg. Crossing the dunes will have to be done gently, without overdoing it, in order to arrive quickly at the bivouac. As after more than a week into the race, every hour of rest will be appreciated. This stage has been traced so that amateurs can reache the bivouac as early as possible in order to enjoy the rest day.
Rest day in ATÂR
Sunday 9th January 2005
Atâr, capital of the Adrar, was founded in the XVIIth Century by a tribe from Chinguetti. Progressively, it became an important strategic point and one of the main stages on the route through the Sahara. The town centre, lined with gardens and palm groves. But a little further on, the old town, built around winding alleyways, houses the market stalls of numerous artisans, set up around the place des Forgerons. Traditional products of the Adrar region can be found here: leather, rugs, silver jewellery, sandals…
STAGE 10: ATÂR > ATÂR
Monday 10th January 2005
Liaison: 8 km -
Special: 483 km -
Liaison: 8 km
Total: 499 km
Competitors usually have a smooth start to the stage following the rest day. That will not be the case this year! This loop Special is the hardest in the rally in terms of dune crossing. At the very beginning of the stage, a 40 km erg will filter the competitors, and then they will have to climb the difficult Thaga pass. A sea of sand and numerous dune fields will enliven the route to the El Beyyed Erg: another 40 km of non-stop dunes, amongst the most difficult ever crossed by the competitors. The “return” route will be easier, marked out through the plains for 200 km over the Sebkhet Chemchâm “chott”.
STAGE 11: ATÂR > KIFFA
Tuesday 11th January 2005
Liaison: 34 km -
Special: 656 km -
Liaison: 5 km
Total: 695 km
To celebrate in a worthy fashion the leaving of Atâr and the last day in Mauritania, drivers will race a long Special of 600 km. The first half, towards Tidjikja via the Pic de Bou Naga, will include much dune crossing on very soft sand: be careful with the fuel consumption. The track is then a new one, in the valleys of the Tagant massif, crossing the superb Ksar el Barka oasis before once again taking the very rocky stretch leading to the Nega pass, this time in a downwards direction. The final 150 km stretch is a fast one, but motorcycle participants will have to watch out for ruts made by trucks on this sandy track.
