Dakar Rally 2010 In South America

American Volkswagen Factory Driver to Tweet Live from the Dakar Rally

When it comes to off-road racing, the Dakar Rally is the Super Bowl of events, and the kickoff is set for January 1. When Volkswagen American factory driver, Mark Miller straps in to his Volkswagen Race Touareg for the 17-day journey across South America, he’ll be taking Twitter users along for the ride. Fans can follow Miller at www.twitter.com/MarkMillerDakar.

The 32nd edition of the Dakar Rally begins in Buenos Aires, Argentina and spans 17 days and 9,000 km from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans across some of the most rugged terrain in Argentina and Chile. During the race, five pairs of Volkswagen drivers will battle against other competitors in Volkswagen Race Touaregs powered by 280 hp clean diesel, TDI engines. The 2010 campaign is Miller’s fourth try at the legendary race and his third as a Volkswagen factory driver.

In 2009, Volkswagen scored a 1-2 victory in the Dakar Rally with its Race Touaregs in the car class. The German duo of Giniel de Villiers and Dirk von Zitzewitz took the win with Miller and teammate Ralph Pitchford (New Zealand) coming in second. With this finish, Miller, a Carefree, Arizona native, became the highest finishing American driver in the history of the race. The 2009 race was also significant, as it marked the first Dakar win for a diesel-powered car.

“I have been participating in off-road racing of various forms for most of my life, and there’s not a more prestigious or challenging race anywhere than the Dakar Rally,” Miller said. “Volkswagen’s 1-2 finish last year was one of the proudest moments in my racing career, but this year, I’m hoping to land on top and take that feeling of accomplishment to the next level. Thanks to modern technology, I’ll be able to give Twitter followers an inside look at my adventure. I’ll be sharing commentary and photos on our experience, and it’s going to be a great ride!”

Miller has been competing in off-road racing for more than 20 years. In 2005, Volkswagen recognized him as one of the top talents in the world and signed him as a factory driver for its off-road team based in Hanover, Germany. In 2006 and 2007, he finished fifth and fourth in the Dakar Rally driving a Race Touareg. Miller also serves as a driving instructor for the SCCA Pro Racing Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup in the U.S.

Volkswagen has a storied off-road racing history dating back to the 1950’s. The German auto manufacturer’s participation in the Dakar Rally began in 1980 when the team won with the Iltis in the second year of the race. Since 2003, this discipline has become the central part of the Volkswagen off-road motorsports program with the TDI-powered Race Touareg.

KTM’s Coma and Despres Race 2010 Dakar

Racing fans worried about KTM withdrawing its support at the Dakar Rally need not fear, as the Orange Crush will continue to dominate the entry roster. Headlining the list of “private riders” competing in the 2010 rally are KTM Dakar studs Marc Coma and Cyril Despres. Former champions, Coma and Despres will compete aboard KTM’s LC4 with air restrictors limiting engine performance due to new 2010 rally rules.

The KTM/Dakar troubles began last year, when ASO, the organizers of the now South American-based rally, announced a limitation of 450cc for the 2010 event. KTM then promised it would withdraw factory support of the rally, as the rule change clearly seeks to reduce the Austrian firm’s dominance of the series with its 690cc LC4. KTM softened its stance and announced official rider support with a service truck, after ASO relented, somewhat, by not enforcing the cc restrictions for amateurs and allowing the 690 with air restrictors lowering the power to parity with the 450s. ASO promises the 450cc cap with be enforced for the 2012 rally.

In spite of the tinkering to his dominating machinery and new “private KTM rider” status, Frenchman Despres is ready for a successful rally:

“They might be able to limit the air intake of our KTM 690 rally engines with performance-limiting restrictors, but they cannot put a limit on our experience, our professionalism or our drive. We want to win!”

Of course, Coma and Despres will bear little resemblance to a true privateer effort. While KTM specifically states in its most recent press release “the absence of an official KTM presence at the 2010 Dakar Rally”, it would seem the two front-runners are factory status in everything but name only – a release regarding the manufacturer’s service truck referring to the two as “factory supported”.

Whatever the semantics, KTM wants to make sure its bikes continue to lead the way at Dakar for 2010:

“KTM has shaped the world of rally sport in a way that no other company even comes close,” said KTM’s Stefan Pierer. “The design and construction of the KTM 690 Rally perfectly embraces our ‘Ready to Race’ philosophy. The fact that so many lead riders and private riders alike continue to put their trust in KTM and the service we provide only serves to confirm our beliefs”.

The 2010 Dakar Rally will kick off on New Year’s Day in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This year’s route stretches 5600 miles through 15 stages. A full 83 of the slated 161 riders will compete aboard KTM machinery.

Dakar Rally 2010: Trucks: Who Can Counter Kamaz?

Real title collectors with seven out of the last eight editions of the Dakar won by one of theirs, the Kamaz drivers also tend to be vulnerable when over confident. A steering wheel virtuoso, Vladimir Chagin never hesitates to push his truck to its limits. But his appetite for speed and show sometimes drives him to commit mistakes. His track upsets probably cost him victory on three editions of the Dakar (2005, 2007, 2009).

The frequent hiccups on behalf of Chagin could even invite some to think that the number two position is maybe more favourable in the Kamaz structure! Firdaus Kabirov, who made the best of that in 2005 and in 2009 indeed remains on a success that fell from the truck of Chagin during the first edition of the Silk Way Rally last September.

This year, the Tsar is hoping for a sign from destiny to clinch a sixth title that would allow him to equal Karel Loprais on the record list of the event. In the right seat will indeed be a navigator who took part in the first (2000) and last triumph (2006) of Chagin. Semen Yakubov, team manager of Kamaz, will indeed be back in the cabin, going for the win.

The three blue trucks registered won’t be clear from their own euphoria on the 9000 kms of the very demanding course that awaits them. They will mostly have to keep a close eye on the eagerness of Ales Loprais who intends on being a rival of Kamaz in Argentina and Chile. The repetitive mechanical upsets witnessed in 2009 in his Tatra truck seem to be sorted out. The nephew of Karel, 3rd of the Silk Way could make the best of this year’s specific context: Gerard De Rooy who usually is the most serious rival for the Russians is indeed treating an injury that hit him in Turkmenistan during the last stage of the Silk Way. In such conditions, several outsiders could climb up the standings or add their names to the list of Dakar stage winners. It could be the hours of André de Azevedo (Tatra), or Wulfert Van Ginkel (Ginaf) or even of a member of the Sugawara family (Hino).