PAVEY BEATS ODDS AND STRIVES FOR DAKAR FINISH
10 January 2005 - BMW Motorrad GB

Honorary Brit and BMW’s Off-Road Skills instructor Simon Pavey had his first day of rest yesterday after battling some of the toughest conditions in this year’s 2005 Telefònica Dakar Rally.

The most difficult stage to date was on Thursday for the seventh stage, which took competitors from Zauerat to Tichit in Africa. It included a 660km special with large sand dunes and hundreds of kilometres of camel grass. To add to the already difficult stage, a massive sand storm kicked up and made conditions almost impossible for competitors.

Many competitors – motorcycles, cars and trucks – failed to reach the bivouac at the end of the day, including Pavey. In the pitch black of night, they either camped out in the freezing cold conditions or continued to race, hoping to make it back to the final check point.

Friday’s 520km special stage was cancelled because so many competitors had not reached the Dakar base camp. Instead, a massive clean up was the highlight that day. Many competitors had run out of fuel or lost their way, and the infamous Dakar sweeper trucks began picking up competitors to return them to base.

BMW’s Off-Road Skills instructor had no intention of waiting for help and giving up his dream of finishing this year’s Telefònica Dakar Rally. Simon rode on and managed to start and complete Saturday’s ninth stage in 78th position and is 89th overall.

On Sunday’s rest day in Atar, Team DOME BMW rider Simon Pavey was able to call in and describe his gruelling three-day experience: “It has been complete madness and all of the days seem to have blended together.

“On Thursday the subframe on my bike broke 200km into the special stage. It took me two hours to patch it up, using zip ties and BMW straps, and I even had to abandon the rear fuel tank. Then it got dark, but I managed to see loads of competitors and I rode with a group for a while.

“It was almost impossible to ride over the sand dunes in the dark. You couldn’t see anything. I tried 15 times to get over one dune and kept hitting lumps of camel grass and then I was catapulted over the handlebars of my bike. I eventually got over the sand dune and found 15 to 20 competitors camped out on the other side. One of the top riders was there [number 13, Frenchman Luc Pagnon] who said that Friday’s stage would definitely be cancelled because so many riders were still out in the desert.

“Therefore I decided to camp with the others, knowing that if I continued in the conditions I would probably get lost or fall and be injured. We all tried to sleep but the wind was so strong and the sand storm was bad. I wrapped myself in my riding kit and silver blanket and tried to get warm and sleep for a few hours.

“The next day we started again at dawn, but the sand storm was still raging. The conditions were really bad and I could hardly see where I was going. It was actually quite scary. I rode with a Canadian guy and we later met up with an Irish guy and helped fix his bike.

“I believe it was the hardest stage of any rally that I have ever competed in [Simon has competed in four Dakar rallies – 1998, 1999, 2003 and 2004]. We just kept riding and finally reached Tichit [the destination that competitors were scheduled to arrive on Thursday evening] at 2pm on Friday.

“I didn’t stay there long. I managed to have some food and then I began my ride towards Tidjikja [the location for the campsite that night],” said an exhausted Pavey. “Although 40kms on, the fan on my bike broke and then the bike overheated. I stopped and let it cool down and it seemed okay. But then, another 10km on, it did it again. I had to stop several times on the way and finally arrived at 10:30pm on Friday night.”

Many competitors had fallen victim to the severe weather conditions, which included strong winds, sand storms and non-stop rain. Many support vehicles were also stranded in the African desert.

“My support crew hadn’t made it back to Tidjikja, so I worked on the bike. I fixed the fan and checked the subframe and I was content that the BMW would be ready for Saturday’s ninth stage.

“Saturday’s stage was beautiful,” said the delighted Pavey. “It was very technical and there were plenty of second and third gear sections. It was rocky and it also had big sand dunes. I loved every minute of it. It was pretty physical, but flowed nicely and was really good fun.”

After racing through Saturday’s 361km special, competitors had a 35km liaison before arriving at Atar. “In the liaison I finally got to appreciate the spectacular African scenery. I was riding through a beautiful gorge. It was amazing and one of the most magnificent places I have ever been.”

Pavey finally met his support crew in Atar on Saturday evening and after a good night’s sleep the team mended the bike so that Pavey could continue his Dakar dream.

Monday’s tenth stage, with a 483km special, rally starts and finishes in Atar and promises to be the toughest of this year’s event. There are only 276 remaining competitors (129 bikes, 99 cars, 48 trucks).

Frenchman Cyril Despres continues to lead the Dakar, followed by Marc Coma and then South Africa’s Alfie Cox.

Highlights of the 2005 Telefònica Dakar Rally can be seen on Eurosport. See your local guide for details.

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