Target reached! Stretch target: £21,000
We've done it! The basics cost of our project is covered and we're going to be able ...
We've done it! The basics cost of our project is covered and we're going to be able ...
Aim: We're setting out to make a short film, replicating a slice of the insanity of the original Dakar, doing everything the way they did in 1979
Dakar in 1979 was different.
Before Dakar was a race dominated by big brands, money and slick organisation it was a raw adventure. A test of survival, toughness and endurance that motorsports had never seen before. 10,000km across the Sahara with a map, a compass and a dream.
The tales of immense character and braveness in the early years captured the hearts and minds of the motorsport world and gave birth to the race we know and love today. Like everything in life though, Dakar has changed.
It is still tough, gruelling, dangerous and a test of character, but it is a race first and foremost. GPS has made it easier to navigate, the machines have improved immeasurably and desert camps have been replaced with motorhomes.
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The Film Outline
I was fortunate enough to finish the Dakar in 2015. It was an unforgettable experience. Remote, self reliant and self affirming. But, it was a different sport to the events of the early years.
Navigating in the open Sahara with just a map and a compass that doesn’t work near your bike is whole different game. Pre GPS. Pre Sat phone. Pre on-site field hospital. Pre everything we take for granted in 2024.
The entire plan is to recreate that feeling of the early years and film the entire experience. To return to North Africa on original era bikes, and ride long days in an original era way. We're planning to take 2x XT 500's and document the experience of riding rally stages using hand written notes, the trip meter on the bike and a handheld compass. To carry what we can, sleep under the stars and appreciate just how scary, wild and insane those original years were.
It’s a story of respect, understanding and nostalgia. To remember and recreate the incredible stories and icon shots of the early adventurers who paved the way for riders like myself.
Rewards
Tier One - Prologue Hero
£10
Getting through the prologue is the first real Dakar hurdle. Big crowds, big pressure and the point a surprising amount of people fail. You've done it, even if you did fall in the Icy January French Mud Bath of a stage.
Now you're on the motorway toward North Africa and the real Dakar! Congratulations.
Perks:
Tier Two - Rest Day Superstar
£30
Making the rest day is more than 50% of the challenge. The end feels in reach. You've got the race figured out, you're in the rhythm but it's not done yet.
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Tier Three - Dakar Finisher
£120
The ultimate reward. A tiny bronze medal, a decade of memories in two weeks and a destroyed body. Welcome to Dakar!
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Tier Four - Malle Moto Superstar
£250
There is no tougher way. No mechanic. Just you, your 'malle' and the desert. The ultimate test of a person in the Dakar rally. How it was done in the early years and how the gnarliest people get their kicks now.
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Tier Five - Dakar Legend
£2500
To be a Dakar legend you need 10 starts to your name. It is a wild feat of repeated hardiness and stupidity. Legend is the correct word and having that title puts you in a very exclusive club.
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