rally racing Archives

What’s This? Dinaric Rally 2020

September 4, 20201

COVID-19 has all but wiped all European rally races off the calendar this year with the exception of the Hellas Rally Raid in Greece. There’s not much going on until then, though, so when I got news of a new hybrid rally based in Croatia, I decided I’d give it a shot. The Dinaric Rally is seeing its very first edition in Knin, kicking off on the 11th of September. Timed and based on a rally format yet offering GPS tracks instead of roadbook navigation, the Dinaric Rally is a curious new addition to the European rally racing and training scene. Three days of riding in the Dinaric Alps with special stage length averaging 170-200 kilometers, Dinaric sounds like a great warm-up for Hellas, so I’m packing Lucy up and heading to Croatia next week. But it’s not just about the training a

Adventure Travel

What You Need to Race Hellas Rally in Greece

Egle

May 29, 20202

So, you’ve decided you want to go from ADV to rally and race the Hellas Rally Raid in Greece. Awesome! For me, the “why” of getting into rallies was the Dakar and the idea of chasing the impossible – but if your reason is simply to have stupid fun, that totally works, too. Before we dig in, if there’s a TL;DR situation happening, just watch this video, and you should be set… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpyelw3t4Ik&t=105s …but if you’re determined to keep reading, vamos. Why Hellas? Out of all the rally races out there, why should you pick the Hellas Rally Raid as your first rally? For one, because the organization of Hellas Rally truly knows what they're doing. Meletis Stamatis, the heart and soul of Hellas, has been in the rally racing world for over two decades now,

Adventure Travel

Chasing Dakar, Racing Hellas. The Weird and Wonderful World of Rally Racing

Egle

January 13, 20202

Woken up by the roar and rumble of the truck and motorcycle engines, I peeled my eyelids open, still dazed after barely three hours of sleep. My tent was covered in sand and dust inside and out, and, as I crawled out and located my grime-splattered riding boots, I blinked at the rising sun. Day three at the Rally Dakar 2019. It was just past four-thirty in the morning, but there was no time for poetry or scrambled eggs. Exhaust fumes would to for breakfast, and, after scurrying to the portable sinks at the back of the camp to brush my teeth, I quickly packed my tiny nylon abode up, loaded my bike, and wheeled it outside the bivouac gates. I put the packed bike on a side-stand near a lonely wooden bench and set about making coffee as the wind tore into my jacket. Riders were alrea