Facts- 24th December – 4 French Tourists shot
- 26th December – 3 Mauritanian soldiers shot
- Thurs 3rd Jan - apparently (although can’t find official confirmation) 7 Mauritanian Soldiers shot as they were setting up a safe area for one of the Dakar Stop-overs
- al-Qa’eda threat to attack the Dakar race – somewhere – not only in Mauritania
With these ASO (the organising committee) felt they could not ensure the safety of the competitors and organisors.
Other Factors which I think may have influenced
- the top teams would have been expressing huge concern as it would be their drivers who were driving in the lead cars. How can they ensure they are protected – Don’t forget these are Rally World Champions like Carlos Sainz. Why should they be taking the risks, after all this is just a job for them.
- For the top teams as well as for everyone else we are taking hundreds of mechanics and helpers into potentially dangerous areas. How can we be responsible for putting these guys lives at risk.
Should it have gone ahead?Could we just have done Portugal, Spain and then 2 laps of Morocco. Maybe. But apparently the al-Qa’eda threat was a blanket threat against the Dakar with no specification that the risk was confined to Mauritania.
BUT what really grates is that there was no Plan B, Plan C or Plan D. The fact is that hundreds of teams have invested millions of pounds and there has to be an alternative. From ASo's perspective that is not acceptable.
I think if you had asked the competitors then it would have gone ahead because:
1. we were all caught up in the excitement of the whole thing (probably not a great reason),
2. the nature of the people who take part in the Dakar is such that they would have taken the risks, and finally
3. we can’t let the terrorists win!
Glad I didn’t have to make the decision BUT allowing the terrorists to win is not the right answer!
