The Dakar Rally: then and now

Dakar is more than a race—it’s a myth that’s changed over decades. Watch old footage of huge BMW boxers or big twins charging across endless sand and you can’t help asking: Why did they ride those bikes back then—and why would it be unthinkable today? And maybe more importantly: why are so many fans emotionally attached to that era?

Back then: an adventure with a stopwatch

In the early years, Dakar was less “motorsport” in today’s sense and more an extreme adventure. Stages were longer, often faster, far less secured, and barely standardized. Navigation was a paper map andciyvksphumhvuzgsflrdtikvzwokhmtueqwqwirxyhivqldyygqfpxtkpidgfetbnjwuukmali
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