Everything seemed ready for Rodrigo Varela's debut in the Dakar. A member of a traditional Brazilian motorsport family, the South American Rally Raid champion was preparing to participate in the biggest rally in the world for the first time, together with co-driver Enio Bozzano, when the project suffered a serious blow.
While spending Christmas with his family in Brazil, Varela received news that the cargo ship carrying his Can-Am UTV to Dakar had been attacked by Houthi pirates in the Red Sea region.
The ship managed to escape the pirates, but to do so it had to divert its course, having to go around the African continent to get to the final destination, which increased the arrival time by 20 days, making the couple's participation in the race impractical .
The case was not isolated. In late 2023, the US government announced an international coalition to protect cargo ships in the region. On December 31, American helicopters engaged in battle with three ships, killing ten crew members.
The Houthis are one of the main forces in the civil war that began in 2012 in Yemen, where they are opposed by forces supported by Saudi Arabia and Iran. Another flag that drives the Houthis is opposition to Israel, due to the war against Hamas.
To avoid the disappointment of not participating in the Dakar, Rodrigo's family began a race against time to find a replacement car. The answer arrived in Portugal.
“We found a Can-Am in Portugal, owned by a driver who had come to Brazil to participate in the Sertões Rally with us,” Varela said. “But we had to make changes and adaptations quickly. Luckily it worked and passed the Dakar inspection.”
Photo by: Motul
#404 Monster Energy Can-Am: Reinaldo Varela, Maykel Justo
But, given that the spare parts were also on the attacked ship, Varela and Bozzano's problems did not end there.
“We don't yet have all the parts we will need during the Dakar, which requires a lot of maintenance. This is why we count on the help of other teams. The Dakar is a mix of racing and adventure. And this makes solidarity one of its most important. People help each other when they can.”
Upon arrival in Saudi Arabia, Rodrigo began the arduous task of finding other equipment to participate in the race, starting with the power generator.
“It will be like this until the end. With the right planning, which we had before the accident, it would have been very difficult to participate in the race. But the Dakar is like this: you have to surpass yourself every day.”
Despite the problems, Varela and Bozzano had a surprising stage in the Prologue, which marked their official Dakar debut. As of late Friday, the duo was in fifth place among the 36 UTVs entered in this year's rally in the T4 category. They took the stage win on Saturday.
“Everything worked. This fifth place is a spectacular result, given all the tribulations the team has had to face in the last ten days. Congratulations to everyone. Thank you for the work, the sleepless nights and for believing that we can do it we would have done it”, said Rodrigo on Friday, after the Prologue.
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