Dakar Rally - Lisbon Dakar 2008

It will start at January the 5^th 2008 and once more Lisbon (Lisboa - capital of my country) have been chosen to be the starting point of the major and toughest rally in the world.

The event will end in Dakar, Senegal, by the 20 ^th after crossing south Portugal, Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal.

Year after year the competition it is getting better and the number of participants is growing bigger. The reason for that must be the beauty of the desert and the personal achievement of reaching the end of the rally!

This rally has 28 years of history, it began back in 1978 after Thierry Sabine almost get lost in the Libyan desert while riding his motorcycle (1977). After this Thierry decided that he was going to show the world the beauty of the desert sands.

After all this time people from all over come to race against them selfs and others in one of the 3 types of vehicles allowed: motorbikes, cars and trucks.

It is great that after several editions it were wars and other political problems who have troubled the good relations between the rally and the African populations. I`m glad to see that this 28 years old relationship has now mature and it is now a great partnership.

The same rally where professionals race them selfs it is the one where you can find "normal" people trying to arrive Dakar but with much less prepared vehicles.

I suppose this is what made the rally became this enormous event.

• Dakar 2008 canceled

What is going to happen to the most famous rally in the future?

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I grew up watching this Rally and dreaming I was there riding a motorbike or even driving a rally car. Unfortunately I have never had that chance. Who knows maybe I will some day...

Parallel to the rally has born the idea to make the same but using bicycles (Bike Dreams - Paris/Dakar by Bike).

You may think they are crazy but it is probably the best way to contemplate the great beauties of Africa Nature.