From this weekend, Colombians will take part in the world’s most dangerous motorcycle race in Saudi Arabia, marked by the health crisis caused by the pandemic, without much resources.
From this Saturday to January 15, the 43rd edition of the Dakar Rally will take place in Saudi Arabia, a race accustomed to tragedies and difficult moments, but never to a pandemic, postponing the event to the last. hours, due to the closure of the borders announced a few weeks ago by the Saudi authorities after the detection of the new strain COVID-19 from the United Kingdom. With the impact of the virus, the world’s most dangerous motorcycle race will have the presence of four Colombians for the 7,500-kilometer route that starts and ends in the city of Jeddah, on the shores of the Red Sea.
There are two Dakar: on the one hand are those who run to win it and on the other are those who fight to finish it. The differential factor? Budget.
Colombians, belonging to the second group, are part of that roster of runners who come together to move forward in the middle of a race made to surrender and hit the red button, so it becomes rather a test of solidarity between them. On the sidelines, the counterpoint between the so-called rally of the rich and of the poor.
Nicolás Robledo, who will drive his fifth Dakar Rally, will be the main Colombian benchmark in the race on board his ATV, but this time he does it in a different category: 4 x 2 ATVs, in which there is more speed and those who fight for the title, as he always has the 4 x 4 quads competition You have the opportunity to make a historical appearance for the country.
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An Antioqueño who has waited several years of his life for a call-up to pursue his profession as a commercial airplane pilot. He never came and from job to job decided to start his own event logistics business. Seven years ago they paid him a debt with a quad bike, and that’s where it all started. From a frustrated airplane pilot, he became a dedicated ATV pilot.
“I am going for the first time in a Quad 4 x 2 in which I thought I would train all year round. I have a lot of lessons in progress, I will have to try and adapt in the race. I just want to finish this Dakar in a quad I don’t know “Robledo said.
And in buggies, a fairly new category, there will be a Colombian duo: Javier Vélez and Mateo Moreno. The first will be the driver and will drive his first Dakar Rally, while the second has already had four entries in the motorcycle category and will be his co-driver. Your task is to interpret the maps, point out where to drive and fix the vehicle.
“Mid-2020, Javier called me and asked me to participate in the Dakar. How are we? Physically very bad, because Nicolás Robledo only eats ice cream and donuts … and I have stuck to all ice creams and donuts “Moreno joked. “We Colombians have helped each other a lot; We can’t help Giordano anymore, whatever he needs from a distance, ”he added.
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And is that Giordano Pacheco, who would ride his third Dakar on his KTM 450 Replica motorcycle in the Originals category, where there is no technical assistance, who apologizes for the roots and purism of the Dakar, also for the lack of large constructions had to get rid of the competition at the last minute. The reason: coronavirus.
A hard blow to him, as in November he had a serious accident that virtually excluded him from the race, but he had a record and an unprecedented recovery that made him ready to compete.
“I prepared for the Dakar all year round. I also had an injury and was able to handle it, but unfortunately COVID-19 beat me and the organization did not give me the green light to participate. I don’t know how I got it. And now I’m locked out, stranded in Arabia, in quarantine and lonelyPacheco said with great disappointment, who had a historic performance for the country in the last edition, finishing in tenth box in Malles Motos, a category that has no technical assistance.
The reality is that the most complicated Dakar that Colombians run is the one that takes place behind the scenes: get the resources and sponsorship. A process that lasts all year round, due to the lack of support and little tradition in the country.
The fourth Colombian in the race – who also has a Chilean heart, the country where he has lived for almost fifteen years – will be John Trejos, mounted on a Husqvarna 450 motorcycle that will carry the number 120. This will be his second Dakar rally as he attended in 2018 but withdrew due to a mechanical failure in the marathon stage in the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia.
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And as for the rich, the main news is the return of the Frenchman Sébastien Loeb to contest his fifth Dakar. The nine-time world champion of meetings he will be behind the wheel of a 4×4 prototype fitted with a nearly 400 hp V6 engine in Bahraini colors, after finishing second in 2017 and third in 2019. “We have to thank that at least we can run “, are the heartfelt words of Nani Roma, winner in motorcycles (2004) and champion in cars in 2014, a category in which he also has two runners-up.
There will also be other common names such as Spanish car title defender Carlos Sainz (Mini); Qatari Nasser Al Attiyah (Toyota) and the Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel (Mini), the man who holds the record of victories (thirteen) in the Dakar.
On motorcycles, American Rick Brabec (Honda) defends the title against men like Australian Toby Price (Red Bull / KTM) and Chilean Pablo Quintanilla (Husqvarna).
So in the midst of a social and health crisis as a result of questions about human rights violations and the problems of the pandemic, the Dakar begins in Saudi Arabia.