The 2014 Dakar rally is about to start. The first stage will be run on January 4, 2014 starting in Argentina. The entry lists are out and many of the familiar competitors are back this year.
In the motorcycle class, it can be expected that the rally will be another head-to-head competition between Cyril Depres on a Yamaha and Marc Coma on a KTM. Typically these competitors are head and shoulders better than the other riders. The competition number and the top motorcycle entrants are listed in the following table along with the make of motorcycle that they will be riding.
2014 Dakar Rally Top Motorcycle Class Entrants List
No. Rider Make
1 |
|
YAMAHA |
2 |
|
KTM |
3 |
|
HONDA |
4 |
|
KTM |
5 |
|
KTM |
6 |
|
YAMAHA |
7 |
|
HONDA |
8 |
|
KTM |
9 |
|
KTM |
10 |
|
HONDA |
There are three American riders in the 2014 Dakar rally, but I think that it would be fair to say that these riders are long shots for a high overall finish, but each could well pull off a good finish on any given day. These riders are Mike Johnson on a Honda, Peter Hardy on a KTM, and Kevin Muggleton on another Honda.
In the Car Class, the story is much the same as in the Motorcycle Class, familiar drivers and car manufacturers are competing in Dakar once again. The final results in the car class are hard to predict. In spite of this difficulty to predict what will happen, I think that Carlos Sainz will be fast in the Buggy and will run very close with Nasser Al Attiya with Stephane Peterhansel steady in third place. Late in the rally Al Attiya will have mechanical issues, with Sainz going on to win and Peterhansel finishing a few minutes behind him in second position. Much as I would like to see Robby Gordon do well, I just don’t think that the rally gods or Dakar rally officials smile on Robby Gordon.
Some of the top drivers entered in the Car Class the 2014 Dakar rally are as follows:
2014 Dakar Rally Top Car Class Entrant List
N° |
Name |
Mark |
300 |
|
MINI |
301 |
|
MINI |
302 |
|
TOYOTA |
303 |
|
BUGGY |
304 |
|
MINI |
305 |
|
HUMMER |
306 |
|
HAVAL |
307 |
|
MINI |
308 |
|
FORD |
309 |
|
MINI |
310 |
|
MITSUBISHI |
311 |
|
HRX |
There are a few North Americans entered in the Car Class, but I suspect that they will have a tough time during the rally and if any of these entrants can just finish the 2014 Dakar rally, then it would be a very great result.
318 |
|
…. |
||
346 |
|
BRENTHEL INDUSTRIES |
||
348 |
|
DODGE |
||
405 |
|
RALLYRAID UK |
||
429 |
|
CAN-AM |
In the USA, the 2014 Dakar rally will be shown on the NBC Sports Network, so check your TV listings for the times in your area. As much as my schedule will permit, I intend to post daily updates on this website, so check back often to keep up with the 2014 Dakar rally.