Rally Management Services has just become the North American and Australian representative of the Optic Rally. The Optic is a FIM world championship round held over 9 days in late April in Tunisia and (this year) Libya. Most of the top teams compete, and the rally has an excellent reputation for great terrain and smooth organization. Check out www.npo.fr for details, or contact us though www.rallymanagementservices.com. In addition to the full-on racing categories, the Optic has added an "Enduro Cup" category where riders can enter on standard enduro bikes. No big tanks or fairings necessary. Entry fees are much cheaper than the Dakar, but you'll still compete against the best in the world in the amazing Sahara desert. Rally Management Services can ship your bike from the United States, or we can build you a new bike for the event. We also have a few KTM 525 Rally bikes for rent for $4,250 for the event. We can provide you with a mechanic and transportation of spares and tires for $3,500. fun fun Charlie
A little more info regarding the Optic Rally 2008: For the 2008 edition NPO want to increase the popularity of this event around the world and to encourage more competitors, both professional and amateur, so there are several new elements. ENDURO CUP In the "Enduro Cup" class, you can compete on a standard enduro bike/quad, as there will be fuel every 80KMS therefore riders do not have to go the expensive of builing a Rallye bike, also you can compete in this class with two pilots alternating the days, you will still use a road book, and IRITRACK, but any GPS you like. We can help you set up your bike with a roadbook reader, GPS and Iritrack brackets, and odometer. Any decent desert bike with these would be lots of fun in the dunes of the Sahara. AUTO RACE ' CLASS OPEN ' Open to all types of vehicles - suv, buggies, protos 4x4. ALL INCLUSIVE PACKAGE Rental of GPS, Iritrack and Sentinel are now included in the package. LOWER RATES Lower rates for assistance and a preferential rate by registering before Jan the 30th, and a 300 Euro discount for first-timers on this rally. POINTS Tech inspection will be in the port of Marseille, and a night time prologue will mark the start of this exciting race this year. Then its straight across to Tunisia for two days of racing, then into Libya for four stages, with a marathon stage ( !! ) back into Tunisia, where the race will finish. The Rally is likely to cover around 4000KMS, and with the race going into Libya, with its fantastic high dunes, this is all adding up to be a very exciting event for 2008 With the cancelation of the Dakar, places are filling up quickly so please if you want to get the preferintial rate, get your entry forms in ! If you mail me your address, then I can get a brochure off to you, but all the information is on the rally's web-site - www.npo.fr LOGISTICS We will ship some bikes from the West Coast of the US to Marseille in Aprill for this event. We'll have a truck and mechanics in the assistance category. It is possible for US citizens to get Visas for Libya as well as Tunisia and we can help. Please do not hesitate to contact me for any further info. Charlie Rauseo charlie@rallypanam.com
You don't need a big-dollar bike to compete in the Optic. Here's a stock looking TTR 25O with big tank and Acerbis roadbook reader at last year's event. (Many of you in the US already have desert bikes that are better set-up than the average Euro rally bike.) Discounted entry fees are available until January 30, but I may be able to get you an extension if you contact me before then. fun fun Charlie
Nate, Libya should be alright since diplomatic relations were re-established a while back. These links would help get people pointed in the right direction for answers. http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_951.html http://libya.usembassy.gov/index.html
I was just asking because in watching Ewan and Charley's Long Way Down, which I believe was filmed about a year ago, the Americans on the crew were refused visas to Libya and had to fly to Egypt and wait for the guys there. I'd expect rally participation to grease the skids in terms of obtaining the visas, but better to be certain of that ahead of time.
Depends on funding, but we probably won't send our truck to the UAE Desert Challenge. We can arrange a bike and mechanic for anyone who would like to go. It is more likely that we'll go to the Rally Maroc in the fall (www.npo.fr), the Por las Pampas (if it goes this year) and whatever Dakar event happens in January. Whatever rally you'd like to attend, feel free to contact me for leads on logistics, bike rental, shipping, mechanical support, etc. fun fun Charlie
