Thanks for that. The Africa Eco Race is much more grassroots than the (false) DAKAR that became more professional and mediatised. That owes a lot to the death of the original promoter of the Paris Dakar Rally; Thierry Sabine. The new promoter took the rally away from Africa to South America first, and now to the Middle East, just keeping the name. Manufacturers ( Toyota, DACIA, Ford, KTM, Honda, etc ...) prefer to enter factory teams in the DAKAR where they get more exposure . The Africa Eco Race is more affordable, and favored by many amateurs with low budgets.
They made mention of the RAID class where the stages aren't timed, but for the experience and for experimental stuff. The one highlight was a fully electric bike. sjd
