Dakar Rally 2018: Blog #5 – The sheer variety

You go to F1 or WRC because you’re a car lover. You go to MotoGP and WSBK because you live and breathe bikes. There’s nothing in Formula 1 or WRC for those who live for two wheels only, and similarly there’s nothing for car enthusiasts in MotoGP and WSBK. And that is perhaps the biggest difference between the Dakar and other motorsport events.

The Dakar has something for everyone. Sure, we’re only interested in our boys who’re competing in the motorcycle category and of course we want to follow the path of people like Nasser al-Attiyah, Sebastian Loeb and Carlos Sainz. We don’t really care for the quads and the 4x4s and the trucks, right?

Well, I didn’t think I would care either. Until I saw them up close and personal as a spectator on the stages. The sight of a rumbling, growling quad bouncing down a massive dune is no less exciting than watching a motorcycle do the same. You can’t help but be stunned when you see those massive Kamaz and Tatra trucks hurtling up impossible climbs, sometimes ahead of the cars!

In that sense, the Dakar Rally is probably one of the most inclusive motorsport events on the planet. There’s something for everyone – every kind of automotive enthusiast will find something to marvel at at the Dakar.

As for me, I came here as a car and bike enthusiast. I wanted to watch Sam Sunderland in action. I wanted to cheer for our boys C S Santosh and Aravind K P. I came here to gape at Sainz, Loeb and Peterhansel. But I go back a motorsport enthusiast, in love with anything that moves ahead and is powered by an engine. It doesn’t matter if it’s a bike, car, quad, 4×4 or truck. Such is the magic of the Dakar.