US Dakar Rally Teams Intends to Win

U.S. Dakar 2005 Car Team Vanguard Racing Announces Intentions To Win The Treacherous 7,000 Mile/16-Day Off Road Challenge

Vanguard Racing, the only U.S. car team brave enough to test their physical and emotional stamina in the world’s longest and most challenging off road race, is committed to winning the 7,000-mile, 16-day race from Barcelona, Spain to Dakar, Senegal beginning on January 1st, 2005.

The team will be co-piloted by computer security industry guru, Ronn Bailey, CEO and president of Vanguard Integrity Professionals – Nevada and Baja Road Race veteran Steve Myers. Bailey is investing nearly $1 million of his personal fortune as an amateur heading a professional team in the world’s harshest off-road venture, fulfilling a lifelong dream to compete in this “unbelievable” event.

Dakar, now in its 27th year, is third only to the Soccer World Cup and the Olympic Games in worldwide popularity and “nearly a million people turned out to watch the 2004 start.” This desert road race will feature numerous navigational, course and crossing challenges as cars, trucks and motorcycle competitors wind through Spain, Morocco, Mauritania, Mali and finally Senegal.

Team Vanguard Three separate vehicles will be involved in the Team Vanguard Dakar configuration. The racecar itself, known as T2; the chase car, called T4; and a large support vehicle, the T5. Ronn Bailey and Steve Myers will occupy the T2 race vehicle as Pilot and Co-Pilot, respectively. Members of the team in the other vehicles will all be off-road racing professionals with solid credentials, years of off-road racing experience, specific strengths, and strong inter-personal skills. The racecar is being built from scratch in a few months.

Steve Myers is a second-generation off-road racer. Along with his father, he was part of the Toyota Motors Factory Team for off-road racing for several years. He has won the Nevada 2000 and the Baja 2000 once and the famous Baja 1000 twice. Today, he is the top off road race series (SCORE) points holder in 2004 before the last race, the Baja 1000 (November 18th-20th). If he wins it, Steve will be inducted into the Off-Road Hall of Fame. Myers says, “there is no doubt in my mind that with the right equipment and an experience crew – both of which we have - that we can win in Dakar.”

Although an amateur in the sport of off-road racing, Bailey is fueled by an unshakable passion for victory. According to Bailey, “Just to enter Dakar is an experience of a lifetime. To finish Dakar is to be a champion. To win Dakar is to become an instant legend.”

Bailey is not new to the off-road experience, as he has ridden his motorcycle into the Artic Circle, engineered a trip into the Mayan jungle, and driven through terrain with no roads to reach the Sea of Cortez. Although he will compete in the three-day Baja Road Race, that’s barely a warm-up for this grueling duel of man and machine.

Vanguard Integrity Professionals As CEO and CTO of Vanguard Integrity Professionals, Bailey is a leader in information security technology, a sterling reputation he’s earned over 30-year period. Bailey and Vanguard has worked with government agencies and Fortune 1,000 companies internationally. During his career, Ronn Bailey has advised the governments of Australia, Brazil, Japan and the United States on matters related to Critical Infrastructure Security. He has also provided guidance and direction on securing America’s critical information infrastructure to President Bush and his Critical Information Protection Board, Foreign Intelligence Committee, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Now, Bailey is applying his passion and determination on the world stage in the 2005 Dakar rally with the same focus that has made his business successful around the globe.

Given the increasing interest in asphalt racing, and expanding coverage of off-road Baja races, the worldwide interest and excitement for the Dakar may soon spread to the U.S., particularly as the all American Team Vanguard speeds closer to the finish line.

From the "official" rally website:

The Dakar from the beginning

1977, Thierry Sabine gets lost in the Libyan desert whilst participating in the Abidjan- Nice Rally. Found in extremis he returns to France subjugated by the desert. He vows to share this passion with a maximum of people and has one objective in mind: to transport everyone into this immensity of sand.

He imagines a route starting in Europe, crossing the most mythical deserts and finishing in Dakar. The project takes shape quickly. The Paris-Dakar opens upon an unknown world in which Thierry Sabine appears like a real pioneer. Son credo is: “A challenge for those who go. A dream for those who stay behind.” Africa remains one of the continents people dream most about and which is multifaceted.

The first year

On the 26th of December 1978 Thierry Sabine sees his dream come true and it is from the Place du Trocadéro that the first Paris-Dakar sets off. 170 competitors are at the start and set off on an adventure for a 10 000 kilometre race over the routes of Algeria, Niger, Mali, Haute-Volta and Senegal. The most widely covered race of the end of the 80' years is launched. It's particularity lies in it's contrasts: a civilisation of traditional villages with dried mud walls, opens out for an instant on a modern world.

The first motorbike winner is a young man named Cyril Neveu (Yamaha). As yet still unknown, he will from this moment on continue to accumulate sporting performances. Moreover he recognises with hindsight: “I was 21 years old, I already had experience of Africa through the Abidjan-Nice. I was like all the others, a novice behind the handlebars of his 500 XT. Without the leather saddlebags…”. For this first experience, the sporting exploit, the self discovery and the surpassing of one's own limits are already on the first ground. This first Dakar definitely changed the life of every competitor.

It is to be noted that from the very first edition Hubert Auriol, is present. Through this race, he hopes to experience powerful moments; it is a real interior adventure; his interest for the rally is furthermore doubled as not only is Hubert Auriol a motorbike enthusiast, but having lived there for 12 years, Africa also holds for him a special attraction.

NB: This history is unfortunately not exhaustive. For further information, please contact the Press Department.

Shorter, more intense

Offer to competitors a shorter, more intense course, with varied stages and a balance between the difficulties, was the way we have worked for the 2005 edition. With two stages and hundreds kilometres less than last year, this 27th edition of the Telefonica-Dakar is shorter in length, particularly the itinerary for assistance vehicles which has been reduced by approximately 40%. On the ground, the best will show their worth via their navigating ability rather than by the performance of their vehicles.

The flavour of the 2005 edition

Key Sporting Details of the Race

• 3 stages in Spain
• 2 stages in Morocco
• 6 stages in Mauritania
• 2 stages in Mali
• 3 stages in Senegal

• The longest stage: Barcelone > Grenade (919 km)
• The shortest stage: Barcelone > Barcelone (18 km)
• The longest special: Zouérat > Tichit (660 km)
• The shortest special: Barcelone > Barcelone (4 km)

• 2 marathon-stages
Zouérat > Tichit
Kiffa > Bamako
On each of these stages, vehicles will be placed in a parc fermé and assistance vehicles will not be present at the bivouac.
• GPS points: Most stages will focus on the competitors navigation skills. Only GPS points of CP and the end of the special will be indicated.

• A total 8956 km including 5431 km of special and 3525 km of liaison.

Super-Special: in Barcelona on the 31st December
• Start of the first motorcycle competitor from the Parc Fermé at 10h45.
• Start of the Super Special at 11h15. For this Super Special, motorcycle competitors will start in reverse number order but car and truck competitors will start in order of their numbers.
The last competitor should arrive at approximately 16h30.

Start: Place d’Espagne in Barcelona on the 1st January
• From 10h00 for the first motorcycle.
• Motorcycle competitors will start in reverse number order but cars and trucks will start in order of their numbers.

Special: in Granada on the 2nd January
• Motorcycle competitors will start in the reverse order of the classification of the Super Special in Barcelona.
• Cars and trucks will start in the order of the classification of the Super Special in Barcelona.

Rest day: in Atâr on the 9th January

Finish: Lac Rose in Dakar on the 16th January
• Finish, podium, prize-giving at Lac Rose.
• An evening of celebrating at the Club Med for all rally “followers” will close this 27th edition of the Dakar.

Mitsubishi announces Dakar lineup
Racing series CCR
Date 2004-12-07

Mitsubishi Motors Repsol Ats Studios Team Bids For Fifth Successive Dakar Rally Victory With Strong Five-Car Team

Defending champion Peterhansel and two times winner Masuoka on track
2004 Dakar Bike winner Roma and Frenchman Alphand join the team
Support role for German lady driver Mayer and her new co-driver Polato

Tokyo, December 7, 2004 -- The Mitsubishi Motors Repsol ATS Studios Team has entered five cars in the 2005 Dakar Rally, as it bids to become the first team in history to win five successive Dakar rallies and clinch a record-breaking 10 overall victories.

The Mitsubishi Motors team has not been beaten on the gruelling African event since the Millennium and has entered a team of four Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero Evolutions and a single Mitsubishi L200 Pick-Up for the 16-day event, starting in Barcelona, Spain, on New Year's Day and finishing in Dakar, Senegal, on January 16th, 2005.

Mitsubishi Motors Repsol ATS Studios Team presentation: the team members pose. Photo by Mitsubishi Motors Corporation.

Spearheading the team's challenge are the defending champion Stephane Peterhansel and the Japanese twice former winner Hiroshi Masuoka. Peterhansel teams up with regular co-driver Jean-Paul Cottret, while Masuoka is reunited with Germany's Andreas Schulz, with whom he won the event in 2003.

Completing the official team line-up are the Spanish newcomers Joan 'Nani' Roma, Frenchman Luc Alphand along with Germany's Andrea Mayer, and their respective co-drivers Henri Magne, Gilles Picard and Jean-Michel Polato.

Peterhansel won no less than six Dakar titles during an illustrious career as a motorcycle rider, also became only the second individual in the 27-year history of the event to win outright on both two and four wheels last January. Masuoka won outright in 2002 and 2003 and finished as the runner-up last year.

"We have carried out a lot of testing with the car since the last Dakar Rally," said Peterhansel. "I won both the Tunisia and Morocco rallies with the Pajero/Montero Evolution MPR10 and we were delighted with the performance of the new MPR11 during the recent competitive test in the UAE Desert Challenge. The revised car is more stable in the dunes and over fast ground, has more torque than the MPR10 and should be more competitive on this year's Dakar."

"It has been a quiet year for me in terms of competition since the Dakar Rally," said Masuoka. "One of my goals was to win the UAE Desert Challenge and I achieved that at my sixth attempt in October. That was a great result for my confidence. The team has tested the revised car in Morocco and there have been some marked improvements. I am confident that I can take my third Dakar victory.

Team newcomer Joan Roma won the 2004 Dakar Rally at the helm of a factory KTM motorcycle. He joins the Mitsubishi Motors team for the first time with Andorra-based Henri Magne, one of the most experienced of all the cross-country co-drivers and the winner of last year's FIA World Cup and this year's FIA European Baja Cup.

Roma drove a Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero Evolution for the first time in September during the Morocco test and additionally after the UAE Desert Challenge also testing in the Middle East. At the end of November he will enter the Qatar Baja driving the Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero to gain as much pre-event experience as possible. He has entered the Dakar on numerous occasions on a motorcycle. The start in Barcelona will mark only his second event with the Mitsubishi Motors team and his first behind the wheel of a Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero Evolution.

"This is an incredibly exciting opportunity for me to join Mitsubishi Motors for the Dakar," said Roma. "I have witnessed the successful transition that Stephane and Andrea have made from motorcycle riding to rallying on four wheels and hope that I can repay the team with a good result."

Luc Alphand was a World Downhill skiiing champion, before he became involved in cross-country rallying. The Frenchman was the first driver in history to win a stage of the Dakar in a diesel-engined car and joins Mitsubishi Motors for his team premiere after taking victories last year on the Baja Spain and Baja Germany events. He finished fourth overall in the 2004 Dakar Rally with co-driver Henri Magne.

"Mitsubishi Motors was always the team that I was trying to beat on rounds of the World Cup and the Dakar," said Alphand. "I am proud to be a part of the team now and feel confident that I can be one of the front-runners in the Dakar."

German lady Andrea Mayer joined the official Mitsubishi Motors factory team in 2003 and finished the 2004 Dakar Rally fifth overall in a Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero. She tackled the recent UAE Desert Challenge in a Ralliart customer development car and she returns for the Dakar at the wheel of the L200 Pick-Up in which she finished 10th overall in June's Rally of Morocco.

Mayer teams up with Frenchman Jean-Michel Polato for the first time. Polato co-drove in the Mitsubishi Motors Portugal team during 2001 Dakar Rally for Carlos Sousa. He partnered Ralliart customer Nicolas Misslin during the 2003 Tunisia and Morocco rallies in a Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero MPR9.

"It has been an excellent learning year for me," said Mayer. "I was running as high as fifth overall in the recent UAE Desert Challenge and have worked with the team throughout the 2004 season. The L200 Pick-Up is a competitive car and I hope to achieve a good result on the Dakar. I have a crucial support role to play for the team and that is the most important factor."

"We have worked tirelessly to ensure that the revised Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero Evolution stays at the forefront of development and competitiveness," said MMSP's Team Director Dominique Serieys. "We have put together a team for the Dakar, which offers a balance of experience and speed and I am confident that we can fulfil the goal of a 10th Dakar win and continue the overall winning streak we started in 2001."

"I was impressed with the professionalism of the entire team when I saw everyone working in extreme conditions in the UAE Desert Challenge for the first time in October," said Isao Torii, the new President of MMSP. "I am confident that they can deliver the goals we are looking for and wish everyone every success for the Dakar."

Spain will play host to the Dakar Rally for the fourth time - the event started from Granada in 1995, 1996 and 1999. The starting venue will be Spain's second city Barcelona. The major conurbation in Catalunya also witnessed the passing of the Dakar Rally in 1987 and 1989.

Scruitineering and documentation take place in Barcelona on December 28th-29th, before a Prologue stage on New Year's Eve. On New Year's Day the event gets underway from the Plaza de Espana and heads south for two timed sections en route to Granada.

Over the following 16 days the capacity entry heads into Morocco, through the Sahel and into the depths of the Mauritanian Sahara, before a rest day at the town of Atar. From there the planned route heads across the Mauritanian wilderness en route to the Republic of Mali and a traditional finish beside Lac Rose, near Dakar, in Senegal on January 16th 2005.

There will be only limited GPS points made available to competitors, one or more stages without GPS and two Marathon stages where service assistance is not permitted.

MITSUBISHI MOTORS REPSOL ATS STUDIOS TEAM - 2005 DAKAR RALLY ENTRIES:

Stephane Peterhansel (F)/Jean-Paul Cottret (F) Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero Evolution

Hiroshi Masuoka (J)/Andreas Schulz (D) Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero Evolution

Luc Alphand (F)/Gilles Picard (F) Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero Evolution

Joan Roma (E)/Henri Magne (F) Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero Evolution

Andrea Mayer (D)/Jean-Michel Polato (F) Mitsubishi L200 Pick-Up

-mitsubishi-

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