Last year about this time, we told you about the re-formulated Dakar Rally, moved from Africa to South America to address concerns about terrorism and other safety issues. That rally (won by Spaniard Marc Coma in a field of 235 riders) was a big success, with the rally organizers (the same outfit that puts on the Tour de France) claiming 2.2 billion TV viewers in 189 countries. This year, it’s back bigger than ever, but it’s still missing one element: a big American presence.
Of the 161 motorcycles entered, just three are from the USA. But one of them is among the top competitors and has global name recognition. Jonah Street, a top competitor in many international off-road events such as the SCORE Baja 1000, the 24-Hour Off-Road Endurance World Championship and the Australian Safari Rally, garnered attention from the global media with his strong showing in the 2009 Dakar. There, he edged ahead of the field with a second-place finish in the first four stages and a win in the fifth stage before he bowed out with a re-injured wrist on the eight stage.
The 2010 rally launched from Buenos Aires on January 2, watched by a crowd of thousands, some of them yelling out Jonah’s name. (Unfortunately, there was a sour note to the rally’s kick-off when one of the four-by-four trucks veered off the course and struck a group of spectators in an unauthorized viewing area, killing a young woman.) Our man Street had a disappointing 14th-place finish in the first stage, but he rose to 10th place on the second stage and 5th on stage 3. Street is riding a heavily modified KTM 690 Rally against other KTMs as well as smaller 450s, but his displacement advantage is negated by new rules that require motors larger than 450cc be restricted to 450 power. The new rules may open the field up to an event that has historically been dominated by KTMs, and riders mounted on brands such as Aprilia and Sherco (a Spanish firm known for its trials bikes).
Street is being supported by Team Rally Pan-Am, based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The team’s founder, Charlie Rauseo, is himself a Dakar veteran, having competed in three of the rallies, but now he’s content training and supporting other competitors. You can support the Team’s efforts by joining the Riff-Raff fan club.
To follow the rest of the race, fire up your DVR and tune it to the Versus network (digital or HD) and have it record the highlights from each day’s action. You can also follow the events on the info-packed (yet confusing and kludgey) official Dakar site. You can also subscribe to Team Rally PanAm’s Twitter feed to get the latest word.
