OZ ATV :: The Australian ATV Forum

[Postie]

The 2008 Dakar rally has been cancelled over security concerns, particularly over direct "terrorist" threats to the race, organisers announced Friday.
LISBON (AFP) — The Dakar, a gruelling car and motorcycle race, had been due to start in Lisbon on Saturday but the murder of four French tourists in Mauritania on Dec. 24 led the French government to advise against any travel to the country.
Nine of the rally's stages were due to pass through Mauritania en route for Dakar and the scheduled finish on Jan. 20.

"Following several consultations with the French government — in particular the ministry of foreign affairs — and taking into account its firm recommendations, the organisers of the Dakar have taken the decision to cancel the 2008 edition of the rally scheduled for Jan. 5-20 between Lisbon and the Senegalese capital," the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) said in a statement.

The ASO said there had been "direct threats against the race issued by terrorist groups". Authorities have blamed a terror "sleeper cell" linked to the Algeria-based al-Qaida in Islamic north Africa.

"ASO's prime responsibility is to ensure the security of everyone involved," the statement said, adding that organisers would never take any risks with safety matters.

"The terrorist menace has wiped out a year's hard work carried out with conviction and passion by the participants and all those involved," it said.

It was the first time in its turbulent 30-year history that the controversial race has failed to go ahead. The cancellation will cast doubts over future editions.

Scores of competitors in cars, motorbikes and lorries had already arrived in Lisbon for the customary technical checks ahead of Saturday's start.

But following the killing of four French tourists in Mauritania on Dec. 24, the French government advised all its nationals, including the Dakar participants, that the country was unsafe for travel.

The rally was due to pass through Mauritanian territory for nine days from Jan. 11-19 before finishing in Dakar on Jan. 20.

Rally organisers and competitors were initially defiant, saying they were willing to take the risk, but the pressure increased early Friday with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner adding his voice of warning.

"We are warning them it is dangerous," Kouchner said. "I hope that they have understood, but it's their business, they are a private organisation.

Apart from the deaths of the four French tourists there have been concerns that an al Qaeda group is active in northern Africa and could target the high-profile race.

The Mauritanian government said the shooting of the French tourists and a separate attack on a military base that left three soldiers dead were isolated incidents and that claims of an al Qaeda plot had yet to be substantiated.

Mali has already been excluded from the race for security reasons.

The Dakar Rally has been held uninterrupted since 1979 although there have been regular calls for its cancellation over security fears and the danger that the fast-travelling vehicles pose to local populations.

Despite the decision to cancel this year's race, organisers insisted that future editions would go ahead.

"The Dakar is a symbol and nothing can destroy such symbols," the ASO statement said. "The cancellation of the 2008 race does not threaten the future of the Dakar."

What do YOU believe?

[cowchaser]

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS WHAT A JOKE HOW CAN THEY CANCEL A RACE LIKE THIS 24HRS BEFORE THE START!!!!!! TEAMS HAVE BEEN PREPARING FOR THIS FOR 12 MONTHS.
WHAT ABOUT THE POOR PRIVATEER THAT WAS ABOUT TO LIVE HIS DAKAR DREAM THOSE GUYS MUST BE SHATTERED, HELL I AM AND THATS JUSTS BECAUSE I CANT WATCH IT.

POOR FORM DAKAR ORGANIZERS, CANCELLING IT THIS CLOSE TO THE START BECAUSE OF WHAT HAPPENED TO SOME FRENCH TOURIST IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE BEFORE CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Smitty

[baja 68]

I'm with you on that smitty, i look forward 2 this race every year

[HondaGrant]

BUGGER I had my been bag infront of the TV ready to go .
Surely they could have run a few stages in areas that don't have the security risk
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If a Quad is a Quad Bike,
Is a Trike a Trike Bike ????? ....

[cowchaser]

I just read this
"Now there are rumors that the (French) Foreign Ministry recommendation to cancel the race is nothing more than a cover for the insurance companies; apparently they pulled out and told the organizers they won't cover the thousands of people here if they'll be entering high-risk countries," said Cohen

But of course these rumors will be coming out everywhere
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Smitty

[Postie]

It's a conspiracy i tell's you The world had nearly forgotton about bloody terroists. They have been dodging around wars over there ever since Dakar begun but they never cancel the race .
Score 1 win to Bin

[TasRaptor700]

Gone are the days when we can plan ahead, do they not think that these things get prepared for overnight, I am all for security but this is a bloody joke....
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Andrew

[Linc]

I am devastated!!!!!!!!............

According to ADVRider (with confirmation from the ASO) they uncovered a plot to kidnap and kill as many enterants as possible.

Linc

[PC]

This is a major bummer.
Maybe they should give all the riders AK47's and give extra time deductions for every Terrorist they knock off. Now that would be an extreme sport.
Lisbon - Dakar Tour of duty.
They could at least run a Tank class.

[Wadey]

Does it make you realize how lucky [ and insulated to a point ] we are to live in Oz. Feel sorry for the poor guys [ and girls ] that have devoted so much time and money for a Dakar dream just have the rug pulled out at the 12th hour.

[feralkid]

PC wrote:

This is a major bummer. Maybe they should give all the riders AK47's and give extra time deductions for every Terrorist they knock off. Now that would be an extreme sport. Lisbon - Dakar Tour of duty. They could at least run a Tank class.

I would go in it then. Not to race but to have fun dropping terrorists. Only if I get to keep the AK47 thought. Would be dynamite when I go rabbit & fox shooting.
_________________
"If in doubt go flat out"
"Nothing worth having is easy to get"

[ozquad44]

Makes all those cartoons and computer games seem not so unrealistice now eh,

500 competitors, all equipt with machine guns and rocket launchers on highpowered vehicles. All in a race against time and Deaaath.

Dakar terrorist run...... 2008.

Run down a terrorist now before he gets you.
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State governments give us REC rego + area to ride ATVs legaly! State Status: VIC-No (Nazi's) QLD-Yes(no place to ride tho) NT-? NSW-Yes, Stockton. TAS-Yes, Areas for ATVs + ATV rego, Go Tazzie . WA-Yes, 2 top places within 1hr of Perth. ACT-? SA-No

[John Mags]

It is a sad, sad day for off road motorsports.
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When I'm racing I'm living..... everything else is just waiting.

[bigjon]

Below link has a short video on the cancellation of Dakar '08.

http://programs.sbs.com.au/dakar/

Feel sorry for the amateurs, they spent a lot of their own money preparing for this. I've read where some re-mortgage their homes for this opportunity.

I'm surprised they didn't work out an alternative route.
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Don't close your eyes during the crash, you'll miss the best part

[Postie]

definatly the amateurs are the hardest hit , I hear its about $100000 aud to fully prepare , poor buggers
This will touch more countries at a personal level than knocking down the Twin Towers [RIP] , clever terror tactics

[bullet]

Hearing the Dakar is cancelled reminds me of the fottage of those air-liners flying through the twin trade centre buildings.
In both cases when I heard the news I thought... No way, you can't be serious, that can't happen.
The worst thing is because this terrorism crap is so real these days, we're starting to believe it more and more easily.
It shouldn't even be in our vocabulary.

I hope they redirect the race somewhere.
Another country with bags of money should throw it on somewhere else.
Just so the terrorists don't win.
Bugger the cost, redirecting would probably be cheaper than one nuke anyway (and more effective).

Sad times.
And just when I have been starting to think Dakar myself.

And to the people that entered... your still legends for committing yourselves.
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Can-Am X Team
Bullet #Y12. MrsB #Y18.

[Linc]

I've been on about South America for a while......dunes the size of the Sahara up to the Andes mountains and highest man made roads in the world......sand & snow on the same day. cool.



Dakar set to move to South America

By Toby Moody Tuesday, January 15th 2008, 09:53 GMT


After the cancellation of the 2008 Dakar Rally following terrorist threats, it appears that the route for 2009 will be completely new, moving continents from Africa to South America.

Autosport.com understands that ASO, the organisers of the event, have signed a deal with a promotion company in Argentina to have a fresh start, therefore distancing themselves to the terrorist problems that eventually stopped the 2008 edition earlier this month.

A return to the traditional January 1st start date looks to be on the cards, with the rally taking over the former Rally Raid World Cup event in Argentina, The Pampas Rally. The route looks to go to Chile and back.

Other routes that have been investigated include Dubai, but this may be too short. Paris-Beijing was favoured by Mitsubishi and KTM, but the conditions may be too cold for a January running.

Paris-Beijing is being run this year by former Dakar winner Rene Metge, but concerns of high costs reportedly were problematic. Australia has also been looked at too, but it seems Africa is out of the running for a while.

ASO had discussed running the event in 2008 just in Morocco, but intelligence ruled that out with terrorists close to the Mauritanian border.

It also has become apparent that the terrorist threats made directly to ASO following the murder of four French tourists near Nouakchott, Mauritania were specific towards the rally, and made by groups that intelligence sources say were heavily armed and organized.

With a bivouac at night of upwards of 1500 people, the consequences could have been unthinkable.

There was to be a bivouac in Nouakchott for two nights as it was to be the venue for the rest day, meaning that people would naturally wander off into the town from the bivouac, potentially putting themselves in danger.

Autosport

[cowchaser]

So when are the entry forms out?
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Smitty

[bigjon]

That would be fantastic.
It would also give the middle finger salute to these terrorists.

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=337933
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Don't close your eyes during the crash, you'll miss the best part