Hockey has the Stanley Cup. Soccer has the World Cup. And motor sports has the annual Dakar rally, which kicks off Jan. 1.
It's the ultimate off-road endurance race attracting more than 350 entrants mounting motorcycles, quads, cars and trucks.
Only a handful of elite racers with manufacturer support vie for a podium spot. Most are amateurs chasing the quixotic dream of trying to be among the two in five starters who finish.
In the 32-year history of the race, only six Canadians have ever finished. These are the three who are trying this year – one on a motorcycle, and two in a car.
Don Hatton has completed more motorcycle endurance rallies than any other Canadian, but he has yet to achieve his lifelong dream and finish the ultimate rally of all: The Dakar.
So the 53-year-old former insurance broker and bike-shop owner from Duncan, B.C., has fixed up the motorcycle he crashed out on in 2009, reassured his wife, and is back for a fourth try.
The first time you attempted the Dakar, it was cancelled because of terrorist threats. The second time, you nearly died in a 140 km/h crash. The third time, you broke your hand in training and contacted H1N1 before the race, nearly lost your motorcycle at the start when the one next to yours went up in flames, and rode through food poisoning only to have fuel problems end your race on the third day. This is your fourth attempt. Why do you keep coming back for more?
It gets into your soul and because I haven’t finished, it becomes an obsession to get to the end. I just can’t seem to let it go. Believe me, I’ve tried to say, “I’m not going” and I end up going anyways. I tell myself at the end of the Dakar that I’m not going to go back, and then a couple months go by and I start thinking “Man, I can do it.”
So, what’s gone wrong already this year?
The Dakar seems cursed for me. This year I had sponsorship from Yamaha, but then we shut down our motorbike shop [in Duncan, B.C.] and I couldn’t very well take their bike. The economy also makes raising money more difficult.
And my wife’s enthusiasm for the race isn’t where it was five years ago. We’ve lost friends, and good friends have been injured really bad. Her fear is that I might not be so lucky this time.
You’ve finished just about every other major motorcycle rally in the world. Why do you think a Dakar finish eludes you?
I think it’s just a curse.
The Dakar is not that challenging. It’s long, but I’ve been in rallies that are 100 times harder, and I have no problem finishing those. Everything has to go your way in the Dakar, and if one ingredient is missing, you’re not going to make it.
How did the Dakar become your passion?
Years ago, Wide World of Sports covered the first Dakar, and I thought, “Man, I could do that.” For the past 30 years, every January when the Dakar was on, I’d say to anyone who would listen, “One day I’m going to do this race.” About six years ago my wife said “you’ve been talking about it for so long. Why don’t you do it.” And since then I’ve done more rallies than any other Canadian.
People have lost their marriages, their homes and more chasing a Dakar finish. What are some of the sacrifices you’ve made?
There’s a lot of money that goes into it. We gave away our retirement to chase my dream.
How much does it cost to attempt the Dakar?
You couldn’t do it for under $100,000. The first year we did it was probably closer to a quarter of a million dollars.
