McRae confined by having to play sweeper role

MOTOR SPORT DAKAR RALLY: THE UNIQUE and rather bizarre nature of the Dakar rally - which starts today - can be summed up by the fact the route will go nowhere near the capital of Senegal. The 15-day event will not even enter Africa after terrorist threats in Mauritania caused the last-minute cancellation of the 2008 race and this year's switch to South America.

The location may be different but the challenge remains the same, as competitors using cars, trucks, buggies and motorbikes tackle deserts and mountain ranges on the 5,950-mile circular route south from Buenos Aires, across the Andes and north to Valparaiso before returning via Cordoba to the Argentinian capital.

Retired grand prix drivers and former world rally champions join the privateers who make up the majority of the 500 entries willing to risk financial as well as physical hardship. In three decades, the rally has rarely been completed without a fatality or serious injury.

This year's British contingent is headed by Alister McRae, the former British rally champion making a late entry in a McRae Enduro, one of four such diesel-powered vehicles designed specifically for the event. "I'm here to provide back-up for our three customers . . .," McRae said. "But it's a great opportunity to see what the Dakar is all about . . . While I've got to act as a sweeper and hold back for our customer cars, it's going to be hard to tame the competitive streak in me."

A former grand prix driver, Eliseo Salazar, is one of McRae's customers. Carlos Sainz, the two-time world rally champion, leads the Dakar entry list today in a Volkswagen Touareg. Mitsubishi are the defending champions and we will see one of the toughest Dakars in the history of the event.

The longest but not the most difficult day is tomorrow as the 520 miles between Santa Rosa and Puerto Madryn include 147 special-stage miles against the clock. The loop to and from Copiapo on January 13th is likely to be the most demanding with to a 413-mile special stage in the heat and sand dunes of the Atacama region in northern Chile. The mileage that day alone will vastly exceed the distance covered in an entire round of the World Rally Championship.