WACKY RACES

Numbers never lie, and some of The Dakar Rally statistics give a clear insight into the punishing nature of the race

182

vehicles attempted the first ever rally in 1977. Only 74 survived the gruelling journey from Paris to Dakar.

Liaison stages

– routes that take competitors to the challenging ‘special stages’ – can be marathons in themselves, with competitors at the 2014 Dakar Rally travelling 629km during one liaison, just to then race on whichever treacherous terrain they’d been transported to.

Over 70

people involved with The Dakar have died in the race’s 45-year history. Over 30 of those fatalities have been racers, with two competitors losing their lives due to ‘local political conflicts’.

In 1995

Marcel Hugueny, a retired surgeon, attempted the race at the age of 81.

The unforgiving landscape can take its toll on both drivers and vehicles