Follow the Dakar in South America with GlobeBusters!
The Dakar Rally will be a very different adventure in 2009. While the spirit and values of the legendary Dakar remain unchanged, its location very definitely will. The 2008 Dakar Rally through North and West Africa was cancelled on 4 January 2008 amidst fears of a terrorist attack. So in 2009, the Dakar Rally is being held for the first time in Argentina and Chile from 3-18 January.
Experience the enormity of the South American continent by joining the Dakar tour in January
Starting from Buenos Aires, the organizers have put together a large loop of 9,000 kilometers, including around 6,000 kilometers of specials. Riders will first head south towards the landscapes of Patagonia and will then have to cross the Andes Mountains before enjoying a rest day at Valparaiso on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. The return trip to Buenos Aires will then take them to the Atacama Desert and notably to the Argentinean provinces of Catamarca, Rioja and Cordoba.
The tour is being led by GlobeBusters founder and BMW Motorrad UK's Rider Training Director, Kevin Sanders
To join in with the excitement, the World of BMW activity travel partner, GlobeBusters Motorcycle Expeditions has put together an extraordinary motorcycling adventure tour to watch the historic 2009 Dakar Rally in South America. This tour is led by GlobeBusters founder and BMW Motorrad UK's Rider Training Director, Kevin Sanders and is also planned to support Simon Pavey, the UK Director for BMW Off Road Skills. Simon is a Dakar veteran who will be racing in his seventh Dakar Rally, and his knowledge of the rally will provide a unique insight for tour participants.
The Dakar South America tour commences in the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires. After collecting their personal bikes, which are air freighted into Buenos Aires, participants will have time to see this beautiful city, celebrate the New Year with Kevin Sanders and Simon Pavey, and take in the Dakar 'scrutineering' process. They will then line the Dakar Rally route on the first day to support Simon as he sets off for the first time to race in South America.
On the salt flats in northern Argentina
The Dakar South America tour will first head south, touching Patagonia, before heading west into the Andes, riding some breathtaking remote mountain passes into Chile among shimmering salt flats and dormant volcanoes. Riders get to see special stages in the Rally and will experience some wilderness camping near the bivouacs to soak up the intensity of the race at close quarters.
Pavey commented: "It will be very exciting to have the Dakar run somewhere totally new and unexplored. It really will make it an incredible competition, as no one knows just what to expect. I can’t wait to get out there and race."
The Dakar South America trip runs from 28 December 2008 to 22 January 2009 and costs £4,995. Taking part is surprisingly simple; there are no visa requirements for EU nationals – you just need a valid passport – and the only paperwork you need for your bike to be freighted across is your original title or registration document. GlobeBusters will then organize the rest! Return flights to Buenos Aires (from London) over the Christmas and New Year period start from approximately £1,200 (with Air Comet via Madrid), but that as time goes by, these prices have a tendency to rise quickly, so it's another reason to book sooner rather than later!
No other motorcycle adventure company knows South America with the depth of knowledge than the team at GlobeBusters and combined with insight of the race provided first hand by Dakar veteran, Simon Pavey, this will make a fantastic experience for riders. There are still some places left to be a part in this truly historic event, so for more information, visit www.globebusters.com or call 08452 304015 with any questions.
The lunar landscape in northern Chile.