Sporting Aspects
The major change for the Dakar 2011 concerns the bike category, where the elite riders will now have to compete on 450cc machines. The emphasis has also been placed on navigation, which has become harder due to a strengthening of the rules concerning WPMs.
2011 regulations
Download the car regulations of the 2011 Dakar (.pdf)
Download the bike regulations of the 2011 Dakar (.pdf)
Bikes: the title for a 450cc
The movement towards a field of bikes exclusively limited to 450cc machines is still in progress. This year, it has reached a decisive stage, since the riders enrolled on the “Elite” list are obliged to ride a bike that is no more powerful than 450cc. The initial consequence has been the involvement in rally-raids of many constructors capable of competing for the leading places, such as Yamaha, Honda, BMW, Aprilia or Sherco, in addition to KTM. For the future, the characteristics of the 450cc, lighter, less costly and less fuel-hungry, meet in particular the needs of all the competitors.
Donwload the list of ASO Elite pilots (.pdf)
Navigation: a need for accuracy
On each special stage, the road-book includes several WPMs (hidden way points) which the competitors must approach in order to validate their passage. At the end of the stage, forgetting one or more WPMs will result in penalties. Until last year, the competitors were guided by their navigation instruments to within a radius of 3 km around the WPM to be considered as having passed it. Now, they will have to try to get within less than 800 m of the WPM for the function on the GPS to be triggered.
Route: made to measure specials
Cohabitation between the different vehicle categories can sometimes prove to be delicate for overtaking manoeuvres. This aspect has received special attention in drawing up the route, since the bikes and quads will have a separate route on all or part of six stages in total. After experiments in 2010, this principle has been extended to enable the two-wheelers to strike out at certain moments in the race on more technical terrains and narrower tracks. Similarly, the trucks will have the privilege, at the end of the rally, of opening the day’s proceedings in front of the other categories.
Alternative fuels: an experimental category
The Dakar, a leading motorsport event, pits men and machine against extreme conditions. It is therefore an ideal means of testing performance in light of the technological changes currently affecting the automobile industry. The Dakar has invited constructors to join the competition by creating a category reserved for vehicles running on alternative fuels. Some competitors have already made this choice for 2011: their undertaking will serve as an example for the forthcoming years.
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