Show of power and perseverance sets pulse racing

THE ACTION HAS BEGUN AND WE RUSH FROM ONE SAND DUNE TO ANOTHER TO GET A BETTER VIEW OF THE PARTICIPANTS

UYUNI, BOLIVIA: The faint sound of the massive KTM 450 engine hits you as the powerful bike announces its arrival at the waypoint. Excitement starts building at the makeshift camp, set up by the Dakar organisers 60km from Uyuni, for a few diehard freaks from across the world.

As the faint sound turns into a roar, the diehards scamper towards a sand dune to witness the speed demon chart its course towards the waypoint before the Dakar 2017 crosses into Argentina, inching closer to the finish on January 14 at Buenos Aires.

Unfortunately for them, the first rider misses them by half-akilometer as he charts his course to the waypoint. As the diehards curse their luck --- and envy the fortune of the lazy ones who did not budge from the camp and still saw the rider scream past them --there is also the satisfaction of seeing some action in the Dakar.

At once, the weariness of our four-hour ‘mini Dakar’ to the waypoint early in the morning amid inclement weather, and driving through slush and temporary water bodies in extremely low temperatures, is forgotten.

The action has begun and we rush from one sand dune to another to get a better view of the participants as they chart a zigzag course on the dunes. Bikes, quads, cars and UTVs zoom past, sliding and slithering in the sand and negotiating water puddles.

The biggest ovation is reserved for trucks as they hurtle past the camp. Drivers honk, warning spectators at a distance to move out of harm’s way even as they dexterously negotiate their 1000 horsepower monsters towards Salta. A spectacular show of power and perseverance has just unfolded in front of our eyes. As the last truck roars past and the convoy of diehards follows them on way towards the town of Uyuni, reality hits them that they had commenced their journey at 1.30 in the morning and would get the much-needed rest at Santa Cruz late in the evening.

Our sojourn in Bolivia for the world’s toughest endurance race might be over, but for the riders and drivers, it’s still a long journey.