Rallye Dakar Classic
The real heroes
Rallye Dakar Classic Yamaha YFM 700 Quad
© press-inform – the press office
The Dakar Rally challenges man and machine to the extreme. While the top teams with a whole armada of mechanics take on the fight in the desert, the participants of the Dakar Classic dare to venture into the sand in historic vehicles.
The “Red Baron” is the pride of the Ruppert family. A Mercedes GE 280, built in 1980, is casual enough, but this off-road vehicle is something very special. “With a car like this, Jacky Ickx won the Paris Dakar Rally in 1983,” says Christian Ruppert proudly. The commercial consultant actually wanted to start with a Mitsubishi Pajero. However, the number of Japanese classics in the field is already high, and since there were significantly more applicants than the 148 starting places, something special was needed. This car found grace in the eyes of the strict officials of the French organizer Amaury Sport Organization (ASO).
“With this we are fulfilling a lifelong dream”, beamed Christian Ruppert, who dared the Dakar adventure together with his wife Ursula. “When I came up with the suggestion to drive the Dakar, my wife just said,” You’re crazy, “and she said yes at the same time,” laughs Christian Ruppert. The couple has been involved in motocross racing for a number of years and are therefore no rabbits this year. However, the desert rally is a different story than the speed spinning on asphalt. Behind every dune there can be lurking. After the fourth stage from Al Qaysumah to Riyadh, the “Red Baron’s” tank leaked. That meant a screwdriver night shift for the two mechanics, son Matias and Rudi Weich. Where entire mechanic companies at Audi and Toyota are working on the high-tech racing car, the real heroes of the Dakar Rally still lend a hand themselves. In the following fifth stage, the fuel came from the additional tank, the two screwdrivers had to run once more in the followingnoon.
The people of Upper Palatinate are not alone with such challenges. Tinkering with the veterans on four wheels is the order of the day, especially since only cars built before the year 2000 are allowed to participate. In its second year, the Classic has become a real crowd-pleaser. No wonder, some classics take part in the traditional variant. When a Dakar Porsche in the legendary Rothmans livery whistles through the sand, the locals cheer “Germany (with a German G) Number One,” Porsche Number One! That is not the end of the list of applauded classics: a Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution has a hot duel with a Peugeot 205 T16 in the dunes.Mohammed whistles and cheers.
It almost goes without saying that a Lada Niva plows through the snow. But otherwise it is sometimes quite adventurous which vehicles scramble up the dunes. Surfing a Citroën CX, a Volkswagen Coccinelle (a Beetle SUV) or a Peugeot 504 Coupé with long legs between Ha ‘il and Ryad across the dunes seems more like an episode from a new Mad Max film adaptation. As with the end times saga, the teams spend months tinkering with their vehicles to get them ready for the Dakar. The whole range of tuning options is exhausted. Cages, raised bodies and reinforced wishbones. Everything is in there.
The Mercedes-Benz 280 GE Proto Koro from 1983 is a real rarity. “Germany?” Asks Mohammed. The affirmative nod and “Mercedes” are followed by “Mercedes Number One!”. Wherever a Mercedes G-Class can be seen, a Land Rover Defender Series 2 is not far. The Toyota Toyota BJ 73 and Nissan Patrol GR Y61 are also part of the classics. What the quad artists pull off on their four wheels is also pretty crazy. In contrast, a truck like the MAN KAT 1 6×6 is a brute tank.
Anyone who thinks that young and old timers are only handled with kid gloves is mistaken. The Dakar Classic runs parallel to the “normal” Dakar with twelve stages that are between 300 and 500 kilometers long. The tests are not regarding speed, but regarding navigation skills and smoothness. Some teams of copilots work with two satellite-supported tablets and programs, others like the Rupperts rely on the stopwatch. If you keep in mind that even the full professionals get lost in the gigantic sandpit, that’s challenge enough. A In addition, there are the mentioned regularity tests, in which a section of the route must be completed in a given time. These special tests are tailored to the age and performance of the respective vehicle class.
