Pirates nearly prevented Brazilian rider from taking part in Dakar
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Brazilian Rodrigo Varela competes in the traditional Dakar Rally, which started on January 6 in Saudi Arabia, in a rented car after the ship carrying his original car had to change route to escape pirates in the Red Sea, delaying the car’s arrival for more than 20 days.
Varela, who was informed of a change in delivery dates on December 25, 2023, was forced to find a replacement for his Can-Am UTV with the help of his father, former rally driver and Dakar champion Reynaldo Varela.
“We found a Can-Am in Portugal that belonged to a driver who came to Brazil to race with us. But we had to make modifications and adaptations in a hurry. Fortunately, it worked and passed the inspection of the Dakar organizing committee.
However, we still don’t have all the parts we’ll need for the Dakar, which is a long race and requires a lot of maintenance. To do this, we count on the help of other teams.
Dakar is a mixture of racing and adventure. And this makes solidarity one of its most prominent characteristics. People help each other when I can,” Rodrigo said in an interview. with the Brazilian UOL.
The 46th edition of the rally, which is being held in Saudi Arabia for the fifth time, consists of a prologue and 12 stages stretching 7,891 kilometers from Alula in the north to Yanbu on the Red Sea.
The competition began on Friday 5 January with a 27km prologue race won by Audi’s Matthias Ekström to determine the starting order for Saturday. Varela and teammate Enio Bozzano Jr. finished 63rd.
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