Dakar 08 Canceled

Author: jawapro
Date: Mon 07/01/2008 08:47 AM




 

This is not a good way to start the year...

There are only a few sporting events in a year that can get me excited. And chief among them in the Dakar Rally.

It's a gruelling rally from France (or Spain sometimes) to Dakar in Africa. Motorsport rarely gets better than watching these cars, bikes, and trucks charging through the African deserts.

But this year the winner has been declared early - terrorists.

Yes, the Dakar has been canceled this year.

Apparently the race directors have received terrorist threats against the rally - and had no choice but to cancel the event.

SBS has a news story about it here - http://programs.sbs.com.au/dakar/. The story includes a video that not only shows the officals reading the announcement, but also some of the competitors responces.

Unfourtuantly in this case, there are only losers. The big teams can survive ok - but it's the others that are the real losers.

The privateers have spent a great deal of time and money getting ready for the race - and a lot of that money will have come from sponsers. The sponsers have a condition that the person will start the rally. But with no rally to start - they might all have to pay the money back, money which has already been spent getting them that far.

The Dakar itself is also a loser. If it's been canceled this year, what will happen next year? The organizers have vowed to return next year - but will it be canceled again? Will the privateers risk the lose of money, or stay away?

The African countries will also lose out. The Dakar gives quite a financial boost as it goes through, but it also organizes a lot of charity work in the remote villages in the area it travels through. While this wont end with the lack of a race this year, if this is the doom of the Dakar as we know it, then it stands to reason that the charity work will be doomed too.

So it's a very sad way to start the year. I dont have any reason to rush home by 6 each night anymore. Sigh....



Comments: 6

 

Comment: 1

Author: LittleSis
Date: Mon 07/01/2008 10:24 AM




My deepest condolences

 

Comment: 2

Author: turkeybrain
Date: Mon 07/01/2008 09:27 PM




:SNIFF!!!:

 

Comment: 3

Author: mlipsy
Date: Wed 09/01/2008 08:43 PM




Hey Rob - sorry about your disappointment there. Random question: could you possibly get an RSS feed going from your site? I like using Google reader to check up on all my friends' blogs but an RSS feed is necessary. Otherwise I forget to check the blog for awhile and miss the American jabs and snide comments till months afterward, when there's no point in responding... if there is one to begin with. :)

 

Comment: 4

Author: jawapro
Date: Wed 09/01/2008 08:56 PM




There werent any American jabs in this particular post were there?

I could look into it - as I wrote this site myself it means I'll have to learn how to make one from scratch - but I guess it's worth it. I'll add it to my list and get to it sometime.

 

Comment: 5

Author: jawapro
Date: Wed 09/01/2008 09:00 PM




You can choose to recieve emails whenever I make a new post - thats close to as good isnt it? It's in the Email Options page (when you're logged in)

 

Comment: 6

Author: mlipsy
Date: Sat 12/01/2008 09:19 PM




Not this particular one.... no. But I know enough to be on the look-out. :)