Dakar Mag
Charly Lopez wins 10th Émilie Poucan Photo Contest
Freelance photographer Charly Lopez has won the contest for pro photographers accredited to the Dakar after two weeks of racing and sensational pictures. The selected picture is a stunning helicopter view of stage 9 between Wadi Al Dawasir and Haradh.
Émilie Poucan served as Dakar press agent until 2010, when she died in an air crash on her 32nd birthday while on her way home after a trip to South Africa. The contest was created in loving memory of Émilie, a young woman in love with sports photography who poured her heart and soul into assisting...
Stage 12 | Truck
Haradh > Qiddiya
518| GIULIO MINELLI
Minelli, passion to the nth degree
Flying under the radar in the general classification, in which he is sitting in 20th place along with his driver, Claudio Bellina, Italian Giulio Minelli goes unnoticed by most of his fellow Dakar competitors. They have no idea that he is the oldest Dakar winner still in the field: he was the co-driver of the Mercedes Unimog that won the truck race with Giacomo Vismara in 1986. Time for a trip down memory lane…
Old habits die hard. After truck no. 518 is done for the day, Claudio Bellina, Giulio Minelli and Bruno Gotti sit down at the table...
Stage 12 | Car
Haradh > Qiddiya
387| PHILIPPE RAUD
Their Dakar and other people's Dakar
Philippe Raud and Patrice Saint-Marc, racing in the Dakar as Sodicar's rapid support crew, do their fair share of good deeds every day as they strive to reach the finish as soon as possible. Their very own challenge.
Marathon stages tend to have the fewest mechanicals. Philippe Raud is adamant about it. "The guys take better care of their machines because they want to make it to the finish", asserts the man at the wheel of Toyota no. 387, which —although part of the race— is there to support the seven cars fielded by the Sodicar team. "My challenge is all...
Stage 12 | Car
Haradh > Qiddiya
309| YAZEED AL RAJHI
Yazeed graduates to the major league
True-blue Saudi supporters would have bet the farm on their local hero winning the Dakar on home turf. However, his fourth-place finish in his sixth participation shows that Yazeed Al-Rajhi is coming into his own
The air of eternal teenager, the smirk plastered on his face, the jovial tone and the high-pitched voice —Yazeed Al-Rajhi has everything it takes to pass himself off as the amateur he once was. Matthieu Baumel, now his teammate at Toyota after a four-year stint as his co-driver, remembers how the young Saudi took his first steps...
Stage 11 | Truck
Shubaytah > Haradh
534| ALMUHNA IBRAHM
Objective 150
Ibrahm Almhuna occupies 29th place in the general standings two days from the finish. For this old hand of desert driving, it has been the most demanding experience of his career as a driver. However, he has not let all the mishaps get him down…
If you like to take it easy, then the Dakar is not for you. Ibrahm Almhuna was not looking for a walk in the park… and by signing up for the rally he got what he asked for. Since the start in Jeddah, his truck has been temperamental every day and would have driven anybody crazy, apart from...
Stage 10 | Ssv
Haradh > Shubaytah
444| ILYA ROUSS
Easy does it means Ilya and Anton can do it
For their first Dakar, Ilya Rouss and Anton Yarashuk decided to not put the cart before the horse and up until now, it has been a relatively successful formula.
Among those who arrive late in the evening at the bivouac, there are those who have suffered, competitors who have struggled just to get to the finish. However, there are fewer competitors who emerge from the night in a good mood having encountered no problems. Yesterday evening, in Haradh, Ilya Rouss and Anton Yarashuk were firmly in the latter group. The crew of Can-Am SSV number 44 completed the 400-km long...
Stage 10 | Ssv
Haradh > Shubaytah
417| AXEL ALLETRU
Axel Alletru: “When all seems impossible, there is always something possible”
With a particularly unique background, extraordinary determination and clearly efficient driving skills, the leader of the rookies in the promising SSV category is discovering the Dakar with enthusiasm, whilst providing an inspirational performance.
Axel Alletru is not a driver like the others: he is one of the revelations of the SSV category and is the leading debutant still racing thanks to his 7th place in the general standings as well as his leadership of the SSV standard class. The prototype buggies leading the race ahead of him can reach...
Stage 9 | Car
Wadi Al Dawasir > Haradh
361| MOHAMAD ALTWIJRI
The Dakar Bedouin style
The rally community in Saudi Arabia is at its strongest in the region of Ha’il. Mohamad Al Twijri is one of its pillars: he is fond of the discipline’s spirit as much as the racing, somewhat like Nasser Al-Attiyah…
You can always try to find Nasser Al-Attiyah on the bivouac, but probably the best way is to meet him by chance when going to see Mohamad Al Twijri, who every day sets up a little zone almost like a Bedouin encampment next to his workshop. The title holder often comes to chat with his long-standing friends that...
Stage 9 | Bike
Wadi Al Dawasir > Haradh
79| GUILLAUME SIMONNET
Mechanical stress
The good pals of the “Original by Motul” category might well have helped Guillaume Simonnet and Olivier Pain may have dispensed valuable advice, but sometimes their machines can be temperamental…
The mopeds on which Guillaume Simonnet took his first competitive steps are but a far off memory. The KTM which he has been riding since the start of his first Dakar is certainly an asset for succeeding in his plan to finish the rally. However, on the bivouac in Wadi Al Dawasir, it has been making his life difficult: “I’ve...
Stage 9 | Ssv
Wadi Al Dawasir > Haradh
423| OMAR ELISEO GANDARA
Proud to have come this far
Even though they had to drop out of the race near Wadi Al Dawasir, Omar Gándara and Sergio Lafuente will have wonderful memories of this first Dakar in Saudi Arabia.
It is 6 pm and night has fallen on the eighth stage of the rally. Omar Gándara and Sergio Lafuente will not reach the finishing line. Well, in fact they have, but thanks to the helicopter that transported them there two hours beforehand. Since then, the Argentinean and Uruguayan have been waiting beside the tent at the finishing line. Their assistance team is meant to pick them up, but it...
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