Dakar: Team Vanguard state 12 report

Philippe Gache Completes Stage 12

Gache easily negotiates the 368 kilometer special from Bamako to Labe finishing in 5 hours and 29 minutes. The first Guinean special took the drivers into highly varied conditions. There was both wet and dry terrain with heavy foliage. This was a marathon stage, which mean there were no assistance vehicles on the track. A brake down could stop you cold. At this time roughly 245 drivers (motorcycles, buggies, and T4 trucks) have dropped out of the grueling race. Leaving about 230 competitors to run the last three stages of the Dakar rally.

Elsewhere Ronn Bailey spends time with his Pens-for-Kids-to-Learn™ campaign. "The idea for this campaign started from my experiences during Dakar 2005. At the end of each day we set camp near a village and we always received a warm welcome from the residents. What impressed me most were the children. Often times, the children would say to me "BIC, BIC, BIC." I wasn't sure what they meant, particularly in light of the language barrier on my part. I discovered they were asking me for pens. It turns out pens are in very short supply in this part of Africa and children are in dire need of pens for their education. [12_2.jpg] That's when I decided to create this program. I want to give these kids the tools they need to learn. It may not sound like much, one pen in the hand of a child. However, if the pen is truly mightier than the sword, just think what the possibilities are with 20,000 pens in the hands of 20,000 children," stated Bailey.

Stage 13 begins Friday the 13th. A 348 kilometer special from Labe to Tambacounda. The course will run up to 1,000 meters in elevations and feature narrow dusty conditions. Passing will be difficult.

-vanguard-