With 4 days until the 2010 Dakar Rally, we sit back wait for one of the most amazing motorsport events to take place. With the DTM, ALMS and other series ending in late October, it gives us a nice break and a great kick-off to the new year’s racing season. Read on for a nice list of historical facts and figures.
At the turn of the New Year the Dakar Rally spellbinds millions of people around the planet. From 1 January 2010 when the Volkswagen factory drivers Carlos Sainz, Giniel de Villiers, Mark Miller, Nasser Al-Attiyah and Maurício Neves attempt to defend the first historical diesel victory from last year during the marathon event in Argentina and Chile they set off on a magnificent journey. Interesting figures about the “Dakar”.
- 8:59 minutes was the winning margin of Volkswagen factory driver Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz as they celebrated the first ever victory for a diesel prototype in the “Dakar” in 2009. Second place went to their team mates Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford
- 10 of a possible 13 stage victories were credited to Volkswagen in 2009
- 12 overall victories in 28 rally events were celebrated by the Volkswagen Race Touareg 2
- 14 day long stages are on the “Dakar” agenda between 2 and 16 January 2010
- 32 events held – the “Dakar” is a genuine motorsport classic
- 50 tonnes of material are required by the Volkswagen team for the “Dakar” – from bolts and hand tools via spare wheels to packet soup
- 80 people travel with 23 service vehicles through Argentina and Chile in the Volkswagen armada to support the five works cars – from mechanics the Team Manager to physiotherapist
- 100 times drier than Death Valley – this is the Atacama Desert through which four of the 14 daily stages are held. Several weather stations there have never recorded rain
- 138 teams are registered car in the category. Including five factory supported Volkswagen Race Touareg 2. Also on the road: 50 competitors in the truck classification and 184 motorbikes and quads
- 190 countries broadcast television reports covering the Dakar Rally
- 300 hp is produced by the TDI diesel engine in the Volkswagen Race Touareg 2
- 600 kilometres is the longest competitive stage held on 9 January, the shortest still amounts to 182 kilometre
- 4,726 metres above sea level is the highest point along the rally route – the San Francisco Pass in the Andes
- 5,000 single parts are required to assemble each of the five Volkswagen Race Touareg – the powerful 300 hp TDI power plant is not included in this figure
- 9,030 kilometre is the overall distance of the 2010 “Dakar” – this includes 4,810 kilometres covered in the 14 competitive stages
- Volkswagen Motorsport
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