The Dakar doesn’t wait!

Arriving in stormy Rosario yesterday, I’ve quickly learned the slogan of the event: the Dakar doesn’t wait… and while the race still hasn’t started, I can confirm it.

It doesn’t wait to start moving boxes and containers: opening, checking, distributing, organising, packing, cleaning… landing yesterday at 9h in Ezeiza (BsAs’ international airport), I met part I of the Dakar French team to travel by bus to Rosario. We arrived at our hotel at 15h, at 16h we were at it and by 21h30 we finally had diner!

The Dakar doesn’t wait for you to get accustomed to it’s specific terminology where the mix of languages (French, English and Spanish) is peanuts next to its regulation’s glossary.

The first two days have been dedicated to preparing the arrivals of the rest of the Dakar team. Checking supplies and preparing the documents (road books, assistance maps, race maps, feuilles de 50…)which will be handed to the Tangos, Mics, Fox Trots, Indias, CHA, Charlies….

Ooooo so now I’m loosing you….right???? well that’s how I felt yesterday, today, right now and probably tomorrow.

Setting up the Dakar is a mind twisting charade where the organisational chart looks similar to what may look like a military under cover mission of the US when preparing an intervention in some middle eastern country! NO JOKES FALKS! And I’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg.

To give you an idea… the many different operational units have specific names with specific vehicles. The Tangos (there about 14 of them… aka T1, T2, T3…) are the medical cars ready for on road interventions. The medical corpus also has Mics… which are Helicopters. The Fox trots are in charge of closing the SS while the Indias or the CSR take care of security….

I feel like I keep hearing new names for new vehicles; or just new names for the same units! I’ve recently learned that I may spend some nights in Whisky!!! haha not the drink… but a mobile home with bunk beds which will be travelling at night from one city to an other.

Add to the above the slang from the time the Dakar was in Africa (some of the crew still use them!) and you have an atomic coktail which completely fries your brain at the end of the day.

So besides the long and intense working hours (9h to 22h today), I’m struggling learning what the Dakar actually is… The names of the units, vehicles affiliated to them plus the name of all my new colleagues.. I’m lost, super lost… I probably feel as lost as those motor bikers who will be crossing never ending landscaped of dunes.

It’s 1 am… and I am falling asleep in my hotel room… will try to add photos later on. Tomorrow I start at 8h30 and more of the French team is arriving. It’s exciting and I’m really happy! 🙂

Good night,

Charley