Dakar - The Ultimate Rally Race

DAKAR in figures :

4: the number of titles up for grabs at the Dakar, including the motorcycle, quad, car and truck categories
9: the record number of victories at the rally, held by Stéphane Peterhansel with six wins on motorcycles and three in cars. Vladimir Chagin holds the record for the most victories in a single category, with seven wins in trucks.
14: the number of racing days at the 2012 Dakar. Timed specials will be contested on each stage, from January 1 to January 15.
27: the number of countries visited by the Dakar since its inception, with Peru making its debut this year
20, 3, 5: the age in years, months and days of the youngest competitor in the rally, Argentinean Lucas Bonetto (quads)
50: the number of nationalities present at the rally
71, 3, 19: the age in years, months and days of the oldest competitor in the rally, Francisco Claudio Regunaschi (cars)
133: the number of French competitors in the race, representing the biggest national group with 18% of the total
190: the number of countries where pictures of the Dakar will be broadcast, by a total of 70 TV broadcasters
210: the number of organisation vehicles used at the rally on a daily basis (40 cars, 11 helicopters, 12 airplanes, 55 trucks, 5 buses, etc.)
260: the number of journalists following the entire rally, with 1,800 accredited members of the media (technicians, consultants, occasional visitors, etc.)
450: in cubic centimetres, the maximum permitted cylinder capacity for the engines of motorcycles taking part in the rally. This is the first time that this limit is imposed on all the competitors.
742: the number of competitors taking part in the race (pilots, co-pilots and mechanics)
980: the number of competitors participating as members of assistance teams
1,200: the estimated total hours of Dakar footage broadcast by TV channels from all over the world (based on 2011 data)
1978: the 1st edition, dated 1979, kicked off on December 26 of that year
8,373: the number of kilometres covered between Mar del Plata and Lima, with 4,406 kilometres' worth of special stages for motorcycles and 4,191 for cars
15,500: the number of carbon equivalent tonnes offset by the Dakar as part of the Madre de Dios project against deforestation, for a total sum of USD 200,000
510,000: in dollars, the grant paid by the Dakar over four years to the Un Techo Para Mi País foundation, devoted to building emergency housing in South America
710,000: in euros, the amount dedicated over seven years to the Actions Dakar projects, which promote good environmental practices in eastern Senegal
5 million: the number of spectators who came to see the Dakar start, finish or pass by in 2011, in Argentina and Chile
73.5 million: the number of page views on the www.dakar.com website during the 2011 edition of the rally
280 million: in dollars, the direct and indirect economic windfall generated by the Dakar for Argentina, as estimated by a study conducted by this country's government in 2011
1 billion: the number of TV viewers who watched pictures of the Dakar in 2011

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Dìas inteerminables, david castera
Cuando veo a los pilotos desfilar por las verificaciones, imagino muy bien en qué estado se encuentran. Han preparado esta cita durante todo el año, si no más. Y ahora, por fin, están listos para emprender la ruta y sólo tienen un deseo: que arranque la carrera. En cierta forma, son días interminables para ellos. A los recién llegados, para quienes todo es nuevo, les impresiona la magnitud del acontecimiento. A mí me divierte verlos, pero trato de hacer todo lo posible por transmitirles confianza. Sobre todo hay que infundirles tranquilidad, puesto que ahora que comienza la carrera sería absurdo que echaran todo por tierra en dos días como consecuencia de una euforia y precipitación desmedidas. Sea cual sea su nivel, les animo a que esperen a que pasen las primeras tres o cuatro etapas para que se consideren ya metidos en harina
http://www.dakar.com/index_DAKes.html