The Dakar, how does it work?
As in rallying, the drivers and crews do not all leave at the same time, the departures, in each category, are spaced a few minutes apart and they take place in the order of the classification of the special of the previous stage (the winner of step 3 will therefore open the road, which is a disadvantage, in step 4). And as in rallying, if you do not show up at the start at the indicated time, you receive a penalty.
Then, on the route, the details of which are kept secret until the start of each stage, the competitors must pass through checkpoints indicated in the route book. Here too, missing a checkpoint results in a penalty. For their navigation, they are helped by their GPS, their road book, and can also follow the tracks of other pilots. The classification is based on the accumulation of times achieved in the special stages and any penalties received. Before the start of the special, and after its arrival, there is an untimed connection from and to the bivouac, the nerve center of the rally.
Morocco
