MY DAKAR
Everyday feelings of those who are not specially famous but who dare the
challenge and give a dream for those who stay behind...
ART OF SPEED
"Joel Smets (Mercedes) - Bel - n.235
"For quite some years, my dream was
to do the Dakar. In the past I would watch the performances of Jacky Ickx
and Gaston Rahier, who are stars in Belgium. I'm really attracted by this
adventure. I love competition and I'm a professional sportsman. I have won
World titles in motocross but this Dakar is something else. There are
amazing landscapes. Live and survive in such an adventure, all together, is
great. Despite all circumstances, the important thing is to carry on, to give
everything and to improvise. That's fine with me. On the rally I use my
experience of motocross and professional sports. You have to be able to
stay calm and under pressure to analyse the events and find solutions. In
the desert, you have to stay calm and react quickly. I really have fun
alongside my pilot. As soon as I entered the car, I knew that Jacky Loomans
was an excellent pilot who knows his job. Even when I miss out on
something, he has the experience to catch up my mistakes. When I see the
dunes, it makes me want to compete on a bike. On the other hand the rocks
and stones don't attract me very much. I'm happier in a car. The bikers are
very fast and have the experience of enduro. Motocross is a lot different
and isn't an advantage on this type of race. I'm used to going very quickly
but only for a short moment. Here you have to go slower but the effort lasts
a few weeks. I'd like to try but it might not be a good idea because I have a
season to do after. I prefer the adventure in a car."
CHALLENGE TOYOTA
"Eric Farge (Toyota) - Sen - n°273
"I'm a Senegalese pilot, doing the Dakar for the 8th year under the colors
of the Senegalese Federation. This year, I'm very very happy to go to
Sharm El Sheikh. During all these years, I've been through Mauritania and
Mali but discovering new landscapes and different countries is fantastic.If
the organistaion decided to go to other countries or start from a different
plave than France, I would be even happier. In the car I'm with an
eye-doctor from Paris, Jean-Mark Ancel who was dreaming of doing the
rally. The only little problem is that I only had a bike budget so he had to
help me out for us to start the car race. He's not really used to racing but
he's learning day after day. He is making a lot of efforts. He's very cautious
in navigation. And in the sand, I'm not too bad. Our car is not very powerful
with a 163 horse power engine but it goes through anything. Driving a car
isn't a big change for me compared to the bike. I've done the Dakar 6 times
on two wheels and have nothing to prove. I finished 27th in 2000. In 2001,
I broke both my arms two days before the finish while I was in 23rd place. I
had decided to stop for various reasons. I consider that riding a bike when
you're over fourty is fun but too stressful. There's a time for everything.
Driving a car is cooler and better for our families who feel reassured. It's an
other kind of motivation. I've see all the Dakar rally finishes. When I was
younger I would take of from Dakar with a 20litre gasoline barril and head
to Algeria to meet with the rally. I had no assistance, nothing. I love riding
and still do quite a few rally raids in Senegal with friends. Some like
crossing seas, others like climbing mountains. I don't want to cross seas or
go up mountains. I like huge spaces, the bush and driving."
-aso-
