VIJAY PARMAR
War wreaks havoc on the Dakar grid but Vijay still has favourites to pick for the win
THE DAKAR IS GOING TO BE FLAGGED OFF in a week’s time. YouTube is already reeling under the onslaught of promotional videos as all the teams get ready to travel to Saudi Arabia for a desert fest that has had no equal for the last four decades. This year’s running is going to be strangely anachronistic. While Russia is still at war with Ukraine, Israel and Hamas have similarly proceeded to horrify the world with a three-month purge that has no end in sight. Yemen, and its Iran supported guerillas, continue to harass world shipping lanes with impunity, nipping at passing container carriers with drone and missile attacks! Hopefully, the beautifully crafted machines that are being shipped across the Red Sea to Al-Ula on the Saudi coast, will not fall prey to random Houthi raids! If, for the same reason, ships carrying Rally-Raid machines are rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope, for safety, then quite a few competitors may miss the Scrutiny dates altogether! This logistic nightmare must be giving the lads at the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) sleepless nights!
On the political front Russian and Belarusian teams are faced with either condemning the former country’s invasion of Ukraine, in compliance with FIA policy, or sitting out the race entirely. In a very unsurprising move, KAMAZMaster announced that they have refused to sign the FIA’s documentation, which entailed prohibiting Russo-Belarusian competitors from displaying their nation’s flags, and thereby standing in solidarity with Ukraine.
With the nineteen-time Truck category winners out of the picture, the class will be won by a team besides KAMAZ for the second year, at the 2024 Dakar.
“The participation of Russian athletes at the rally Dakar is conditioned by the necessity of signing the Driver Commitment of the International Automobile Federation (FIA), which condemns the Russian special operation in Ukraine,” reads a team statement. “In our opinion, the content of this document is political and also violates the principles of equal conditions for athletes. We consider it impossible for us to sign such documents and participate in competitions under such conditions.
“Our choice is clear – we are always with our homeland, especially WHEN IT IS IN A DIFfiCULT SITUATION.”
Many Russian entities not involved with Russia’s so-called “special military operation” have declared they would not sign the FIA’s documents and therefore sit out the 2024 Dakar Rally, including Bike rider Anastasiya Nifontova and SSV driver Sergey Kariakin. Conversely, Konstantin Zhiltsov and Denis Krotov agreed to the terms in 2023 and the former competed under an Israeli licence! As Israel joins battle this year against Hamas, that option is also out for Zhiltsov and Krotov, and the Dakar has no Russian or Israeli competitors for the 2024 event!
The homegrown motorcycle team from India – Team Hero – has now upgraded their riders with Ross Branch, Joaquim Rodrigues, Sebastian Buhler and Joan Barreda. No Indian rider graces the team anymore but to call a spade a spade, no Indian rider can match any of the team members that make up Team Hero for the Arabian desert run in 2024. With Joaquim Rodrigues giving Hero its first stage win at the 2022 Dakar, and Ross Branch – the Kalahari Ferrari – following up with another in 2023, the stage seems set for Hero to achieve something bigger in 2024.
Red Bull KTM riders have been hit by a wave of bad luck during their training session in the United States, with Matthias Walkner and Kevin Benavides, both Dakar moto-champions, sustaining leg injuries. Matthias Walkner breaking his tibia, fibula and ankle is out of this year’s battle though Benavides is expected to return to the battleground fully repaired. Toby Price seems in good nick, but with Walkner out, a 1,2,3 finish for KTM is no longer possible!
In other news the underdogs, Kove Moto and Mason Klein are set to disrupt the Dakar 2024 proceedings, with Klein claiming that the Kove 450 X is faster than the Red Bull KTM 450s being ridden by Price and Benavides! Last year the unlikely entry of three bikes by Kove Moto, the Chinese manufacturer, surprised everyone when all three machines arrived at the finish line with Chinese pilots aboard!
The Monster Energy Honda Team for Dakar 2024 is all set for the crown. With no injuries reducing their team, Honda is actually placed at the top for a win. Pablo Quintanilla, Ricky Brabec and the last minute acquisition Skyler Howes, culled from the Husky team, are to be the backbone of the Honda assault. Nacho Cornejo, Adrien Van Beveren and Tosha Schareina form the second line of defense if something were to happen to the leading three. With six riders on board, the Monster Energy Honda Team has thrice the number of competitors that KTM is bringing to the table! The law of averages is on their side.
The Dakar is famous for its unpredictability and that is what we are awaiting, starting from 5th January 2024. ⌧