Communique 11 - Niamey, Niger
Sunday 16 January 2000

Dakar 2000 Ready To Roll Again

Living up to its reputation for adventure and challenge, the Paris-Dakar-Cairo Rally is once again ready to roll after five days of enforced "rest" while three giant Antonov 124 aircraft crossed the skies 20 times airlifting the entire event, including 318 vehicles, from Niamey, Niger, to the restart venue at Sabha, Libya.

The airlift now complete and to schedule, the Dakar 2000 is to begin again tomorrow with a challenging, sandy desert stage to Waw el Kebir, crossing the fabulous 100km long Erg de Timsah with its 40 metre high sand dunes. Towards the finish, the stage becomes bumpy, twisty and rock-strewn as the competitors are forced to travel from valley to valley following dry riverbeds. This is the first time the Dakar Rally has entered Libya since 1993.

The organisers are obviously delighted that all went to plan after the French Foreign Ministry advised them not to proceed through Niger with warnings of possible terrorist activity. The three Antonovs effectively rescued the event, with their 73 metre wingspans they were capable of lifting 85 tonnes of vehicles and equipment in the heat of the day, and 100 tonnes at night when the air was cooler. The airlift went almost flawlessly, the only worrying moment came when one of the Russian aircraft destroyed its brake discs while braking hard on landing with a full payload at the end of the airstrip at Sabha.

Team Nisseki Mitsubishi Ralliart driver Kenjiro Shinozuka will lead the remaining cars away from the start tomorrow as mid-point rally leader in his Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero.

OVERALL CLASSIFICATION IN NIAMEY