The Racemakers2

7/30/2019 The Racemakers2

1/5

Castera : Wellsleep anywhereand too bad iftheres no hotwater comingout of theshowers

BLUE NIGHTThe border crossing atCalama, in northern Chile,is the last sign of lifebefore Argentina andthe crossing of theCordillera mountains

2


2/5

Castera is the right-hand man of Etienne Lavigne, the directorof the Dakar. In November 2005, Lavignes predecessor,

Stphane Le Bail, was involved in a scooter accident; the 2006

rally was just two months away. Time was short. They had

to get the road book finished, so Lavigne asked Castera to dojust that. All the work had already been done, Castera says,

modestly. He has been responsible for the making of the

road book ever since. Its a job with many potential pitfalls,like last spring, for example.

We got stuck in the mud in the middle of the Valle de

la Luna [a desert valley in western Chile] at an altitude of3,600m. We didnt have a satellite phone and we were almost

out of food and water. We had to walk 26km to get to the

nearest village, by which time our feet were covered in blood.

We stumbled across a couple of Americans who had come tomake use of the worlds highest vineyards.

Even without telling those kind of stories, Castera has the air

of one of those guys who never gives up. He always has a wordfor everyone, is always thinking ahead. Up at 7am and in bed at

midnight. In between, there is an average of 600km driven over

all sorts of terrain: tracks, dunes, mountains and asphalt. Thats

the rhythm the reconnaissance guys work to on their four pre-race trips. A routine is essential in this work; after all, the safety

of one of the worlds great races is at stake. There are so many

things to think of, says Castera, as he makes notes in a notebook,for use at a later meeting. (Castera drives the route ahead of

Fontenay and Dubois in The Toy; two support cars follow.)

Here, in Calama, an area around the city of the same namein northern Chile, the place is awash with copper mines. The

region is prosperous. After the ups and downs of the Peruvian

dunes, the seventh stage of the Dakar takes the competitors

through the Argentinian province of Jujuy and on to Salta,which means crossing the Andes at the San Pedro de Atacama

border post. It is two days to go until Castera and crew have

You get up at 7am and goto bed at midnight. Inbetween are 600km of

tracks, dunes and asphalt

6th stage, Arica-Calama Jean-Pierre Fontenay isa jack-of-all-trades. Consummate driver, occasional mechanic and,here, camp builder in Chile, after a long day in the sand dunes. On themenu for that nights dinner: red meat, cheese, salad and vino tinto

Castera : EnteringChile will be thecrucial momentfor mostcompetitors

GRAINS OF SANDThe Arica region is namedafter a mystical city oflegendary beauty. The dunesare not conquered easily herein the Atacama Desert: theystand dozens of metres tall

1

76

A C T I O N


3/5

77


4/5

Soaking wet,freezing coldbut full upSometimes youve gotto know when to take

the plunge. The Toyotadives straight in. Lit byThe Toys headlights, thecrew pose for the cameraat an altitude of 4,950m,with temperatures closeto zero (opposite page).After a good hot mealtheyre on their wayagain (below)


5/5

Above, from leftJACKY DUBOIS (63 years old),navigator, author of the road book:Surpassing oneself.

PATRICK JUILLET (46), mechanic:A huge human adventure made upof pitfalls, with a unique atmosphere.In Africa, we used to repair the cars

and bikes in villages we passed.JEAN-PIERRE FONTENAY (55),21 Dakars under his belt, won itin 1998: A 30-year-old humanadventure.

ALBERTO GONALVES (56),night-time head of the coursecommand centre: The chance to liveout my passion for rallying and 4x4s.

ALAIN GROSMAN (51), in charge

of the Paris command centre: The

Dakar is a wonderful way to get

to know yourself. The essence of

it hasnt changed. Thierry Sabine,

the Dakars founder, summed it

up very well back in the day. Its

a race for amateurs where theres

also a place for professionals.FRANCISCO (31, kneeling) and PABLO

(37, not pictured), alias Tic & Tac,

are also involved with guaranteeing

the safety of the 2,500 people who

bivouac every night of the race: We

have been immersed in world rally

since we were kids. Were 100 per cent

devoted to the Dakar. Its unique.

Crews Control

A seven-strong team runs the well-oiled machine that is the recon mission. Twoof them, Fran and Pablo, are the Argentinian reconnaissance men for the AmaurySport Organisation, the French team that runs Dakar. Other local contacts serveas vital staging posts for the organisation in Peru and Chile. Four times a year,the reconnaissance gang do the three-part reconnaissance, work, sleep mission.We asked each of the seven one question: What does the Dakar mean to you?

The argument gets going in earnest. How much did Ari Vatanenor Carlos Sainz get paid to compete in the Dakar? someone

asks, referring to two former winners of the race. A huge sum in

the hundreds of thousands of euros, huffs someone else.

After lunch, the team finds Ruta 40 the longest main road inArgentina, which stretches for 5,500km between Rio Gallegos, a

port on the south-eastern tip of the country and takes it to the

charming little town of Cachi, near its northern endpoint, wherea cosy bed is welcome. Here, bellies are stretched again by delicious

empanadas. Tonight will be a quiet night. In the race proper, many

competitors will be suffering at this point. The seventh stage has400 special stage markers and 200 liaison section markers on

roads 4m wide perched along the top of ravines 4,000m high.

he next day, with the two petrol tanksin each of the convoys four Toyotas

filled, the destination is Crdoba,

in the centre of northern Argentina,700km away. More winding roads,

ravines, rivers and breathtaking

landscapes. This is, without a doubt,

the most beautiful stage of the2013 Dakar. Were in for a treat,

Castera warns us. Hes not wrong.

About 50km into the journey, the Toyotas enter the CalchaquValley, not far from the town of Laguna Brealito. Every view

is beautiful. The French singer Jacques Dutronc sang Lemonde entier est un cactus the whole world is a cactus.

Perhaps he was familiar with this part of South Americabecause it is packed with cacti small and large, long and

twisted, short and fat, together in clumps or all alone.

Every one is fiercely protected by the local authorities.On this, the first day of spring, theres a mechanical

breakdown. The bearing on the front left wheel of one of the

Toyotas, not The Toy, has given up the ghost. Which doesntmatter. Patrick Juillet, the mechanic, gets down to business.He takes the problem area apart, knocks it against his 4x4s

bumper and that is that. In the meantime, in the middle of

nowhere, the team has remembered to eat.With their stomachs full, they enter the Quebrada de las

Flechas valley, crossing the Calchaqu River several times. This

landscape is pure Dante; Castera was right. The road from here,which runs from Cafayate to Crdoba, lets wine lovers take in

the enormity of the local vineyards. Argentina, this country

of pick-up trucks, has given back to the Dakar an air of nobility.ww.dakar.com

a day off. Perched, for the most part, over 4,000m above sea

level, this special stage is amazingly beautiful and amazingly

difficult. After 40 very quick kilometres which pose no real

danger, the toughest part starts: a harsh section with precipicesand villages to negotiate, and all under the watchful gaze of

shepherds and their llamas.

Castera asks a local man, who seems to love chewing cocaleaves, to point out where the road leads. You can try over

there, he is told, and the recon mission sets off in God-knows-

what direction. Soon, huge electricity pylons loom into view,

as does the Tuzgle volcano, which reaches a height of 5,500m,with traces of lava visible on its mountainside.

A little further along, the course passes under the highest

train viaduct in the world, sitting proudly on the horizon ina steep valley. Theres not much oxygen in the air up here, at an

altitude of 4,850m, and so the crew, and therefore their vehicles,

are under some strain. Everyone is very happy to stop for lunch

at the small town of San Antonio de Los Cobres. Fontenay alsotakes advantage of the break to start a debate : Footballers

arent motivated enough when you consider their salaries!

T

Theres not muchoxygen up here andso the crew, and

therefore theirvehicles, are undersome strain

Bring this years Dakar Rally to life in

the free Red Bulletin Tablet App with a specialinteractive map of the course and behind-the-scenespictures of Jean-Pierre Fontenay and Jacky Dubois in action

79

A C T I O N

The Racemakers2

Documents

Transcript of The Racemakers2