Off-Road Warrior Dream Tour Beijing Off-Road Team Dakar Journey Starts!
On Saturday, January 1, 2022, Beijing time, the World Racing Event Dakar Rally, known as "Brave's Game", began in Saudi Arabia and began the first official race stage. From Beijing, China, the Beijing off-road team, which competed in the Dakar Rally for the second time, sent the "double universe combination" Zhang Guoyu / Pan Hongyu to drive the No. 213 BJ40 car to compete.
14 days 8375 km 2022 New route to Dakar
From 1 January to 14 January, there will be a day off in between, and this year's Dakar Rally will compete in 12 special stages. Beijing Off-Road Racing's No. 213 car will depart Jeddah with the participating troops, pass through Khail and Riyadh before returning to Jeddah at Stage 12. The total length is 8,375 km, the special stage is 4,258 km, and the special stage over 400 km includes Stage 4\6\7.
"Shuangyu Combination" Zhang Guoyu / Pan Hongyu
Last year, Zhang Guoyu and Pan Hongyu of the Beijing Cross-Country Team represented the No. 352 and No. 343 cars to participate in the Dakar Rally and both broke into the top three of the rookie group; they fought with the same team many times, allowing them to develop a good tacit understanding. This year, Zhang Guoyu, the best driver of China Racing 2019 Golden Champagne, and Pan Hongyu, the gold medal pilot, combined to interpret the story of the 213th racing car in pursuit of the supreme dream.
In fact, in order to better prepare for the new year's World Series, the team has made a comprehensive upgrade for the 213 car. Although the lineup affected by the epidemic has been reduced compared with last year, the technical teams and logistics teams such as computer engineers and chassis engineers that should be equipped have already been in place, and in December, the two drivers were tuned to train and intensive pre-race training.
Prepare for a long time To start your dream journey on New Year's Day
After quarantine, multiple nucleic acid tests and pre-race test sessions, the Beijing off-road team began its official final day on January 1, the first day of the new year. This is the first half of Stage 1, which we can colloquially understand as a "super short track" for racing cars, as the race is only 19 kilometers. However, in order to get to the beginning of the stage, the team drivers began to depart from Jeddah in the early morning, driving more than 800 kilometers to reach the beginning of the stage.
As the organisers arranged for the seeded players belonging to the FIA cross-country rally to start first, the no. 213 drivers Zhang Guoyu / Pan Hongyu were in the back seat. The 19-kilometer race once encountered a slow car, so Zhang Guoyu abandoned the plan of the first sprint and completed the first half of the S1 with a steady and steady pace.
To this end, driver Zhang Guoyu said that being able to start the first day of the new year with a race in the Dakar Rally is also the start of the driver's life! At the same time, he also looked forward: "I hope to be able to successfully complete the whole race, and then the results are higher than last year, which is my biggest goal!" ”
"It's a challenge for those who attend; it's a dream for those who don't."
This is what Thierry Sabine, the founder of the Dakar Rally, said. The Dakar Rally, known as the brave man's game, is the toughest rally in the world. As the toughest and most adventurous motorsport, it is known all over the world and receives the keen attention of more than 500 million people around the world. Therefore, being able to come to Dakar to compete on the spot is already something that the drivers feel worthy and proud of. And how to conquer, it will depend on the next 13 days of formal competition!
Tomorrow, 2 January 2022, the Dakar Rally will compete for the second half of the S1, with a special stage of 333 km. Let's look forward to the wonderful performance of the 213 race car together!