Notes:
1. Stage shortened due to intense sandstorms.
2. Timbuctou cancelled; rerouted to Néma
3rd and 4th January 2007 - Administrative checks and
scrutineering
5th January 2007 AM - Administrative checks and scrutineering
5th January 2007 PM - Briefing Assistance
5th January 2007 evening - Competitors Briefing
From 6th to 20th January 2007 - Crossing of Portugal, Spain, Morocco,
Mauritania, Mali and Senegal
21st January 2007 - Finish – Prize giving – Evening party
David Casteu in the sand in Stage 1. Photographer: J. van Oers
Photos and text courtesy of
KTM
Motorcycles. Edited by webBikeWorld.
THE ROUTE
Portugal & Spain
The joint history between the Dakar and Portugal is quite recent, and yet
already they seem to know each other like old friends. The welcome the
participants received for the last event convinced everyone right away just
as much sincerity was felt there as enthusiasm. In the depths of Winter,
the mildness and liveliness of Lisbon meant everyone was able to set off on
the rally in the best of spirits.
A maximum of concentration, and yet
relaxed by just the right amount. But any “visitors” who might be aspiring
to repay their hosts’ kindness by trying to beat them on the first specials
should be forewarned by the experience of 2006. On these stages, the
Portuguese are unbeatable. Over these routes that can catch you out, sheer
driving skill is going to be very much to the fore.
STAGE 1 - 06/01/2007
Lisboa > Portimão
Connection: 115 km | Special: 117 km | Connection: 232 km
Total: 464 km
Sand already
The first stage, and the first surprise – this is still only Europe, yet we
can already see sand, without even going to the beach. The start of the
special promises a few not too serious mishaps… just a foretaste of Africa. Then the technicians will be free to snatch back a few seconds in the bends
through the forests of pines and corks. Going after the scratch time,
trajectories are worked out to the nearest millimeter.
STAGE 2 - 07/01/2007
Portimão > Málaga
Connection: 15 km | Special: 67 km | Connection: 463 km
Total: 545 km
Warning: ravines!
This terrain could lend itself to trekking or a heat of the world
mountain-bike championships: welcome to the mountains! The course is
tortuous, the ground quite hard. Drivers will prudently slow the pace, just
in case the course may be glistening wet. One false move on this “WRC type”
route, and the drop can be a severe one. Safer to err on the slower side.
After the long liaison to Málaga, tired bodies will benefit from the night
of the crossing.
Marocco
On entering the African continent, the rally becomes a long-distance trek.
All those ingredients that go to make the Dakar difficult are there, and in
respectable quantities already. The competitors have still got their
freshness, but the less experienced run the risk of not keeping it for long. The subtleties of navigation can soon make your head spin, and good
dune-climbing technique is already indispensable. One little extra for 2007:
a sporting visit to the Atlas Mountains.
STAGE 3 - 08/01/2007
Nador > Er Rachidia
Connection: 205 km | Special: 252 km | Connection: 191 km
Total: 648 km
Head-spinning
The start of the business is very serious, particularly in terms of
navigation. On the first part of the special, there are very many navigation
changes. This is a real maze of tracks. But even once out of this labyrinth,
no lapses of attention will be tolerated. And though the rocky trails seem
ideal for speed, the many wades will soon bring the drivers back to reality. Take care!
STAGE 4 - 09/01/2007
Er Rachidia > Ouarzazate
Connection: 96 km | Special: 405 km | Connection: 178 km
Total: 679 km
Dunes all round the horizon
A first lesson in endurance. The second Moroccan special is a long one, and
above all very varied -- just like the whole of the Dakar 2007. For the
novices, this is where the full-scale apprenticeship starts as they discover
the dunes and experience their first thrills. This is also the moment to
confronter the multiple traps in Africa. The priority of the moment: don’t
get carried away.
A “private” bivouac will be set up for motorcycle racers approximately 100
kilometers from Ouarzazate. Assistance vehicles will not be allowed to enter
the working park, as this will be an area where only competitors can work on
their motorcycles.
STAGE 5 - 10/01/2007
Ouarzazate > Tan Tan
Connection: 164 km | Special: 325 km | Connection: 289 km
Total: 768 km
The wheels in the Atlas Mountains
Dakar regulars will have rallied from Ouarzazate to Tan Tan on three
occasions in recent. Yet despite this, they’ll never have taken the 2007
route on a long-distance trek before. On this special, the drivers are going
to be getting a taste of the Atlas Mountains, a feast for the eyes that
means the trucks will have to take a slightly different route, a few
kilometers shorter. On average, the scenery is dramatic, lunar: for the
connoisseurs, a mixture of the Ventoux and the Izoard.
Mauritania
National specialties: sand, pebbles, dunes. Crossing Mauritania will be a
determining factor for the result in the hierarchy of the rally. Those who
arrive here in full possession of all their faculties have every chance of
shining here, but here is where you can also lose everything. This kingdom
of dunes and off-roading in the heart of the Sahara is the spot if ever
there was one where the navigators can make their mark.
STAGE 6 - 11/01/2007
Tan Tan > Zouérat
Connection: 414 km | Special: 394 km | Connection: 9 km
Total: 817 km
Navigation by heading
Here’s the longest stage of the rally -- by the end of the day, almost a
thousand kilometers will have been clocked up! To set off on this long
preliminary liaison leading to the Mauritanian border, you have to get up
extremely early in the morning. Then you need to apply yourself to
navigation by heading and off-road, yet more techniques for drivers and
co-drivers to get to grips with again. At this stage in the rally, just one
piece of advice: play for economy.
STAGE 7 - 12/01/2007
Zouérat > Atâr
Connection: 4 km | Special: 542 km | Connection: 34 km
Total: 580 km
Keeping on top
A particularly full day’s program, over 600 kilometers. No-one is likely
to be left unmoved by this series of tracks, off-road sections, and dunes. This is where you find out just what “crossing the erg” means. And here too,
the hierarchy can be thrown radically into disorder. After six days of
racing, those who haven’t managed to avoid problems begin to feel the
fatigue. Now, those moments of tiredness can cost you dear. Everybody’s
going to be glad of the much-needed rest day.
REST DAY - 13/01/2007
Atâr
This is a moment for taking stock. Many have proved themselves steadfast,
though some will have already returned home. If the competitors are holding
up, and the vehicle is still in one piece, there’s still plenty of room for
optimism. Right in the middle of the Sahara, the setting is ideal to stock
up with energy and to get yourself really psyched-up for what remains. It’s
still 4,201 kilometers to Dakar.
STAGE 8 - 14/01/2007
Atâr > Tichit
Connection: 35 km | Special: 589 km | Connection: 2 km
Total: 626 km
En route for the oasis
This special has several facets. The course is quite well-marked, with stony
tracks at the beginning of the course; then the enthusiasts will be entitled
to a dose of sand in the middle of their day. Patience will be the drivers’
best ally for finding the oasis: the final track has no hidden traps, just
so long as you keep your eyes peeled. The panorama that awaits the
competitors is more than worth it. Backup vehicles are not allowed in Tichit.
STAGE 9 - 15/01/2007
Tichit > Néma
Connection: 0 km | Special: 494 km | Connection: 3 km
Total: 497 km
Searching for the route
This big chunk of desert may seen hard to swallow. Here we are on one of the
great classics of the Dakar, revisited and improved for the occasion. Landmarks are extremely few and far between – the finest navigators are
going to have their say. For the less inspired, Plan B involves picking the
right tire-tracks to follow. Reaching Nema in daylight is a victory in
itself, for after nightfall, everything seems to take twice as long.
Mali
No longer the same colors or materials, no longer the same demands. On
leaving the Sahara and its strings of dunes, there’s a very noticeable
increase in the average speed. In the savannah now, you can start putting
away the shovels and waffle-boards. But watch out -- after visiting Timbuktu
there’s going to be another outing in Mauritania.
STAGE 10 - 16/01/2007
Néma > Néma
Connection: 10 km | Special: 366 km | Connection: 24 km
Total: 400 km
This stage is replacing the Néma-Timbuktu stage initially planned
STAGE 11 - 17/01/2007
Néma > Ayoun
Connection: 280 km
Total: 280 km
This stage is replacing the Timbuktu-Néma stage initially planned
STAGE 12 - 18/01/2007
Ayoun > Kayes
Connection: 110 km | Special: 257 km | Connection: 117 km
Total: 484 km
This stage is replacing the Néma-Kayes stage initially planned
Senegal
Senegal brings the euphoria of deliverance for those competitors who reach
it. It’s also a lesson in humility and patience. You mustn’t allow the
relief at having overcome the principal obstacles to make you lower your
guard. Amongst the leaders, reversals of situation are still possible, right
up till the end of the 14th stage, where the victors in the various classes
will be declared. The day at Lac Rose will be devoted to celebration and
spectacle.
STAGE 13 - 19/01/2007
Kayes > Tambacounda
Connection: 180 km | Special: 260 km | Connection: 18 km
Total: 458 km
Skittering along
Expert skidders are going to have the times of their lives here! On these
tracks over laterite, the aim of the game is all about controlling your
machine. The team-work between drivers and navigators is also one of the big
issues today. To make it to Tambakunda, you’ll also need to think about
slowing down and finding the right pace to thread between the baobabs.
STAGE 14 - 20/01/2007
Tambacounda > Dakar
Connection: 124 km | Special: 225 km | Connection: 227 km
Total: 576 km
Finding Dakar!
It’s usually said that the game is over once you’ve crossed the Senegal
border. But that’s to be unaware of the possibilities on offer from now on
right up till the last day for regaining positions in the general. Those who
did the last-but-one stage in 2006 are all too aware of how easy it is to
get caught out and lose your bearings here.
STAGE 15 - 21/01/2007
Dakar > Dakar
Connection: 36 km | Special: 16 km | Connection: 41 km
Total: 93 km
Salt water and champagne
The possibility to grasp a handful of seconds, or maybe even advance one or
two places -- this makes up the challenge (and excitement!) of the final
stage. But although this last timed stage gives everyone a chance to become
the hero of the day, the most significant aspect of the Rose Lake special is
actually something else. Indeed, it marks the end of the great adventure
started in Lisbon. And the obstacles overcome along the way merit at least a
photo shoot.
