ABC of Rally Raid

Bivouac

A camp at the end of each stage where all the teams and participants set up their service area. In addition to the medical centre and the media centre, the bivouac can also have a catering area. At the Dakar, this is the heart of the bivouac, where all the participants – drivers, mechanics, etc. – come together.

Briefing

A briefing is a meeting at which the race director and the organiser provide the crews with additional information. Briefings can be held at the organiser’s discretion. During the Dakar Rally, a briefing is held every evening. At the first meeting of a rally, the participation of at least one crew member is mandatory. All information that in any way affects the route, the timetable or the regulations must be confirmed by a written bulletin.

CP

At this checkpoint, participants must collect a stamp on their time card to prove that they have passed the checkpoint. If a participant misses this checkpoint, they will receive a time penalty.

‘Fast Assistance’

Since only participants are allowed to help each other, many teams use a so-called ‘fast assistance’ at the Dakar Rally. These participants are usually a race truck that competes in the truck category and can provide comprehensive support to other participants in the event of an accident or a technical problem. The truck has spare parts and tools on board. This ‘fast assistance’ is not usually used at other events.

GPS

The GPS is used as a control system in the Dakar Rally. During the special stages, the participants are only allowed to navigate with the help of the road book. The GPS only confirms that the checkpoint has been reached and passed.

Liaison (liaison stage)

The liaison takes the participants to the start and from the finish to the bivouac. It must be completed by the drivers within a certain time. Teams may only work on the vehicles during these sections if the liaison coincides with the service route or a remote service area is designated by the organiser.

Neutralisation

A neutralisation can be embedded in a special stage. In this area, the timing is stopped. It continues after the end of the neutralisation. The team is not allowed to work on the vehicle during this passage.

Parc Fermé

Controlled and monitored area where the racing vehicles must be parked for a certain period of time. During this time, it is strictly forbidden to modify or even touch the vehicles.

PC Course

The race management, responsible for sporting and safety-related aspects as well as for appeals.

Prologue

A prologue is used to determine the starting order for stage 1. In most events, the time does not count towards the final result.

Roadbook

It contains all the important navigation information: distances, dangerous sections and special instructions. The information is presented using arrows, symbols and numbers. For several years now, the electronic roadbook (tablet) has been becoming more and more popular.

Rest day

On this day, at the half-way point of the Dakar, no stage is contested and the participants and vehicles remain in the bivouac. The teams use this day for extensive maintenance work on their vehicles.

Scrutineering

This is where the race and service vehicles are checked to ensure that they comply with the technical regulations before the start of the event.

Sentinel

An acoustic and visual warning system. It warns participants when a faster vehicle is approaching from behind, which should make overtaking easier.

Service route

All service vehicles – i.e. all vehicles except for the participants and the press vehicles – must travel from bivouac to bivouac on this route specified by the organisation.

Special stage

The part of the stage that the participants have to complete in a race against the clock. The time from the start to the finish of the special stage is used to determine the overall position. The overall result is the sum of the times of all the special stages. The length must not exceed 500 km.

Speed zone

Here, participants must adhere to a certain speed limit, which can be 30, 50 or 90 km/h. These zones were introduced to protect potential spectators and the terrain through which the participants drive.

Stage

A stage consists of liaison sections, which take the participants from the bivouac to the start or from the finish to the bivouac, and the special stage.

Time card

This document records the start and end times. In addition, the co-drivers collect the necessary stamps at the checkpoints (CPs).

Trip Master

An electronic measuring system (odometer) is designed to assist the co-driver. It measures the total distance and the individual distances (e.g. between two points in the road book) and can be set by the co-driver.

Vehicle categories

The cross-country rallies are open to vehicles with a maximum total weight of up to 3,500 kg for the Ultimate, Stock, Challenger and SSV groups and over 3,500 kg for the Truck group. Click here for more information.

Waypoint (WP)

A point on the route that is determined by the organisation and that the participants must pass. There are five different types of waypoints: WPV, WPC (control waypoint), WPM (hidden waypoint), WPE (eclipse waypoint), WPS (safety waypoint).