Friday, August 09, 2013

Race to Dakar (2006) - Documentary



I came across this while reading an article on “Top 10 Auto Racing Movies” and what a fantastic TV Series this one turns out to be. Shot and made in 2006, still it feels as if made yesterday – one hell of a story of a biker Charley Boorman’s journey to Dakar with his team. It is 7 episodes of 45 minutes each – I almost saw it back to back as couldn’t simply resist what happens next and trust me – it was mind-blowing stuff. No less than a perfect thriller, if you love riding / driving and have gone to a dream distance on your bike or car – you are simply going to love this. Race to Dakar is one dream on almost every drivers mind – a majority of them will never even dream to do one day – let alone trying for it. How and what they do is totally amazing – out of this world thing. Starting from the preparation to practice to finally going for it and doing it – I had no idea as I never read about this one before watching it – so if you plan to see it – read no further – go ahead – get a copy and you will be stunned to see how they do it and how actually it turns out to be. It was amazing to see so many girls doing it as well and this one had the first British Woman to complete the race in 2006 whereas her eager husband awaits her arrival at finish line. The Race to Dakar starts from Lisbon, Portugal, and passed through Spain, Morocco, Mali, Mauritania, Guinea, before finishing in Senegal (Dakar). Every year a number of people participate on their bikes, cars and trucks – only 40% make it to the finish. This year they even had an accident and a rider died on the spot, which too is captured in the documentary. Its commendable to see the preparations and checks done by organizers – they already tell everybody how dangerous it is – still the excitement is such that the turnout is huge – even people standing on the sides to see the racers is simply amazing. It’s a must watch for even those who do not ride or drive – I will rate it a fantastic 5/5 and will definitely keep a copy for future viewings too.

No comments: