Anyone can do rally-raid!
And even though the race, adrenaline, and the challenge of the clock often drive the riders, it’s important to know your limits and choose the right category to truly enjoy this technical discipline.
Rally-raid, as a reminder, is a competition: an off-road race format with a timed stage, a ranking, and, most importantly, navigation using a roadbook.
There are more and more rally-raids, ranging from rounds of the World Rally-Raid Championship, including the legendary Dakar, to amateur rally-raids.
These amateur rally-raids are more accessible, both in terms of budget and categories. They are particularly open to the Raid category and twin-cylinder bikes.
Which rally-raids are accessible for twin-cylinder bikes?
Overall, all amateur rally-raids have now integrated a new category allowing twin-cylinder bikes to take part in the race.
But three legendary amateur rally-raids stand out:
Africa Eco Race
The Africa Eco Race is like the Dakar for amateurs. Following in the footsteps of the Paris-Dakar, this rally is a return to the roots with a 6,000 km route. Starting from Monaco, participants cross Morocco, Mauritania, and Senegal, finishing at the legendary Lake Rose.
It’s a demanding rally-raid consisting of 12 stages, where the main enemy is fatigue. Proper preparation is essential, both for the bike and the rider!
Carta Rallye
A more accessible challenge than the Africa Eco Race, the Carta Rally is a rally-raid in Morocco, offering a great challenge with 2,000 km over 7 stages .The navigation is tight with the roadbook, promising an interesting challenge.
Starting from Plage Blanche, the route heads north and ends around Merzouga. This rally-raid is often chosen as preparation for a future participation in the Africa Eco Race.
TransAnatolia
The third rally-raid in this selection, with a different destination: Turkey! It’s a demanding rally-raid, but more accessible due to its terrain. Here, there’s no sand or dunes, but a tough, endurance-testing terrain, perfect for a complete change of scenery in a mountainous environment.
With its 2,800 km, this rally-raid combines speed and navigation challenges.
The advantage of these three rally-raids?
They are accessible to everyone and for all levels thanks to the Raid category.
How to choose your category in rally-raid?
How to know if you should register in the Raid or Racing category?
Here are the factors to consider to guide your choice:
- In Racing, navigation is done exclusively using a roadbook. Therefore, it is essential to master this technique in order to register in this category.
- In Raid, navigation is optional: with GPX tracks or a roadbook.
- The second difference between the two categories is the ranking and the timing.In Raid, navigation is optional: with GPX tracks or a roadbook.
Ultimately, the Raid category is about adventure and travel, with a bit of challenge at the heart of a race environment. Additionally, you can benefit from the support of an official team if you choose to embark on the adventure with us!
How to learn to read a roadbook for a rally-raid?
Here are our three tips:
- Understand how the roadbook works and the direction for reading the information.
- Familiarize yourself with the list of symbols in the roadbook.
- Practice! For this, video game enthusiasts can start with the Dakar game, which is a great way to get familiar with the basics.
And finally, for practical training, nothing beats coming to practice with Loïc Minaudier for a roadbook initiation in Aveyron!
