The 2011 Dakar will get harder and harder

Spread over a total of 9000 kilometers, the 2011 Dakar promises a fierce battle for victory. For the third time in a row, the route will pass through Argentina and Chile, in landscapes that are as grandiose as they are tricky. The difficulty will be increased, even if the beginning of the test will be less difficult than the end.

“It’s a Dakar that we wanted to crescendo in three sections,” comments Etienne Lavigne, the director of the event, to 20minutes.fr. “We wanted the first three days to warm up even if it was already accomplished from the start. Then we get to the heart of the matter with the Atacama Desert. Lots of dunes, navigation, stages of 400 – 600 km. We are at the heart of the difficulty. The return to the Argentinian part will not be easier since until two days from the end, we will have stages of 500 km. »

The selected route still promises to mix the beauty of the landscapes with the difficulty of the roads. “We are going to touch the borders, discover Western landscapes with glowing canyons and we are happy to have found these new land opportunities,” said Etienne Lavigne. “The conditions are arid, it’s dust, dunes, very tough. Brittle for the material. You can spend dozens of hours looking for your way. »

The 2011 regulation planned to reduce navigation assistance, by activating GPS only 800 meters from crossing points, compared to three kilometers previously. “The goal is to return the race to what makes it interesting. The Dakar is above all a race for men, with human qualities, with their fatigue and their navigation skills. What we want to see are the best navigators, the smartest people. There are navigation leaders who are not good at pure speed. And they will be able to better express their talent. »