Merzouga Rally – Dakar’s training ground…

For off-road and adventure riders around the globe, competing in the Dakar is the holy grail of rally riding. The two-week race in South America is the big one – it’s the Isle of Man TT of the road racing world and the one everyone wants to compete in and ultimately win.

But how do the world rally riders prepare for the gruelling event? How do the factories develop their bikes and how do the riders get strong enough both physically and mentally to master the challenges of Dakar? They take on the gruelling the Merzouga Rally, which kicks off this weekend…

Run by ASO, the same organisers of Dakar, the Merzouga Rally has established itself as a seriously challenging event run with the same ethos as Dakar itself – long days, big dunes, extreme temperatures, difficult navigation and even a marathon stage where the riders do not return to the bivouac so do not have any support from their teams.

 

Merzouga Rally in numbers

• Riders entered– 86
• Nationalities – 19
• Factory teams in attendance – 6 (KTM, Yamaha, HRC, Husqvarna, Sherco, Hero)
• Dakar winners entered – 3 (Matthias Walkner, Sam Sunderland, Toby Price)
• Stages – 5
• Total distance – 1200km
• Marathon stages – 1

 

Such is the significance of the Merzouga race, the factory teams will compete in it and as a result miss the second round of the world championship in Qatar.

In 2018 the winner will almost certainly be another member of the rally world elite as highlighting the importance of the race all of the official factory rally teams will be in attendance as they are at Dakar – KTM, HRC, Husqvarna, Yamaha, Hero and Sherco.

It’s a big deal and like all big rallys, it’s too long and gruelling a race to be able to accurately predict a winner. Can Sam Sunderland return to his winning ways following his Dakar injury or will it be the turn of this year’s Dakar winner Matthias Walkner or previous Dakar winner Toby Price? Plus no one is forgetting HRC’s huge effort and its star riders Kevin Benavides and Joan Barreda. There is also the small matter of two time-rally world champion Pablo Quintanilla onboard his factory Husqvarna.

But while there will undoubtedly be intense competition up front, there is also a lot at stake and a lot to be gained for riders further down the field. To encourage and facilitate the development of the next generation of Dakar riders, the five-day Merzouga Rally is perfect preparation.

For any rider that finishes the race without penalties, they are guaranteed an entry in Dakar, making it a simple and cost effective route to the big event. The winner of the race will get a free entry to Dakar with the same prize for the top rookie – the highest place finisher at Merzouga who hasn’t ever competed in a Dakar.

To keep up with the race action, click here to go to the organiser’s website where there will be loads of updates and race action.