Plymouth - Dakar Rally
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| Plymouth Dakar Rally |
Since the inauguration in 2003 a motley crew take part in this low budget alternative rally, which passes through Spain as part of its official route. The rally takes place around New Year and there is usually a regrouping in Sotogrande. Most of the cars that take part will have been purchased for less than 100 GBP and will be sold in the Gambia. The event is more of a gathering than a rally. It is totally unsupported and most of the cars do not start in Plymouth but anywhere in Europe and finish at Banjul in the Gambia rather than Dakar.
You can find complete information regarding the rules for the Plymouth Dakar Rally, as well as the challenges faced by drivers, at the event's website. There is also full information about the charities that are benefited by this rally. The rally provided and excellent website where competitors text (SMS) their news and position for others to follow.
Andalucia.com supported a car alongside the rally in 2004. Starting from Sotogrande on January 2nd and reaching Dakar on January 10th. The car was a Mercedes 300 (1989) with a straight 6 cylinder diesel engine. This was relative luxury compared to most of the vehicles in the rally. With this extra power we were able to complete the journey in a much accelerated time.
A gallery of photographs of the Andalucia.com sponsored car alongside the 2004 event can be viewed by clicking on the links below.
Southern Morocco Photo gallery
Mauritania - Crossing the Sahara Photo gallery - Part 1
Mauritania - Crossing the Sahara Photo gallery - Part 2
Senegal - San Louis to Dakar Photo gallery
In January 2004 the Andalucia.com Rally car drove from Marbella to Dakar in Senegal.
In January 2005 the Andalucia.com Rally car drove from Marbella to Banjul in the Gambia.
In January 2006 the Andalucia.com Rally Car drove from Sotogrande to Timbucktu in Mali.
In 2007 Andalucia.com car drove from Marbella to Ghana.
