During the Dakar, you get up in the middle of the night, ride out for several hours in the freezing cold and dark - on and off public roads - and that only gets you to the start of the stage. Then you go hell for leather against the clock; across sand, mud, rocks, and desert with only the roadbook (map) and compass as company.
“Then at the end of the timed stage - that’s the part of the stage you are scored on - you’ve still got somewhere between two- and four-hours worth of riding to do before you get back to your team. During stage eight this year, I clocked just over 12 hours in the saddle. It was absolutely insane. You’ve got to keep this pace up for two weeks, with only one single day in the middle of the fortnight to grab some rest. It’s more than just a race. The Dakar is a way of life.”
Not our words, but those spoken by a five-time veteran of the legendary endurance event. Hero Motorsport factory rider, Ross Branch. The 36-year-old’s sentiment on the realities of competing in the world’s premier off-road race resonates throughout the entire paddock - or Bivouac - as it’s known in ‘Dakar speak’.
Case in point, the Bivouac itself spans some 50 acres, and acts as the base for over 3,000 competitors and staff; including 1,400 race vehicles, 15 helicopters, and 100 support trucks fielded by the Dakar’s organizing body; the Amaury Sport Organisation. In the center of the Bivouac, sits a giant marquee - which more closely resembles an aircraft hangar - serving upwards of 8,000 meals a day.
Every aspect of the Dakar Rally is a brilliantly organized and choreographed chaos focused on motorsport and adventure, totally unique in every imaginable sense.
CAMBODIA: GENERATION HOPE.
American writer and Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck concluded,“People don’t take trips… trips take people.
A TIME TO DIE...
The venerable Aston Martin DBS makes a shock exit
CHEESE-BURGER & SALAD
The latest Vette has split personalities with a performance overlap
TARGET. DESTROYED.
AUDI’S R8 HITS ITS HEADY RED-LINE FOR THE LAST TIME
THE LAST MOTORSPORT FRONTIER THE DAKAR RALLY
“It’s absolutely f***ing wild… you train all year for it… you need to totally dedicate yourself to it; and that’s if you just want to finish.
THE ART OF BEING UNCOMFORTABLE WITH MATT BROMLEY
It’s a bright Monday morning at Long Beach in Kommetjie, a small coastal village located in Cape Town on the southern tip of South Africa. The water is bustling with a crowd of surfers jockeying for the playful waves breaking over ash-white sand.
ACTRESS BRINDA DIXIT'S SECRETS
ON HOW TO LAND YOURSELF A LEADING LADY!
BRO'MANCE! THE BEST CO-OP GAMES TO PLAY
Put away your single-player RPGs cause these eight co-op video games are perfect for jamming with your man!
THE SIX WORST GAMES-TO-MOVIE ADAPTATIONS EVER!
With the recent release of The Last of Us, the shackles of bad video game to live action adaptations has been firmly shattered, proving that in the right hands a great video game can become a great series or movie. However, this is a very rare case indeed, as numerous attempts to bring a video game to the screen have been attempted and most of them have failed spectacularly. Here are six of the worst offenders when it comes to bad video game adaptations.
SCREEN TIME WHAT TO WATCH THIS MONTH
Take a break, sit back, put your feet up and enjoy some of our latest entertainment choices to help you escape the everyday things! Come on, you know you want to!
