The Dakar Rally
Maverick - Jan 3, 2012

The adventure began back in 1977, when Thierry Sabine got lost on his motorbike in the Libyan desert during the Abidjan-Nice Rally.  Saved from the extreme sands, he returned to France still in awe of his adventure, and promising himself he would share his fascination with as many people as possible.  He proceeded to come up with a route starting in Europe, continuing to Algiers and crossing Agadez before eventually finishing at Dakar.

The founder coined a motto for his inspiration: "A challenge for those who go. A dream for those who stay behind." Courtesy of his great conviction and that modicum of madness peculiar to all great ideas, the plan quickly became a reality. Since then, the Paris-Dakar, a unique event sparked by the spirit of adventure, open to all riders and carrying a message of friendship between all men, has never failed to challenge, surprise and excite. Over the course of almost thirty years, it has generated innumerable sporting and human stories.

The Dakar by the numbers in 2012… 

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 St￩phane 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 are 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 represented by competitors 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 organization 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 centimeters, 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). 

8,373:  the number of kilometers 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.

302,703:  the number of fans following the Dakar's official Facebook page a few days before the start of the race.  

510,000:  in dollars, the grant paid by the Dakar over four years to the Un Techo Para Mi Pa￭s 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.