| Genre: | Documentary |
| Creator: | Charley Boorman Russ Malkin |
| Presenter: | Charley Boorman |
| Starring: | Charley Boorman Simon Pavey Matt Hall |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
| Num Episodes: | 7 |
| Producer: | Russ Malkin |
| Executive Producer: | Russ Malkin Charley Boorman |
| Location: | 2006 Dakar Rally |
| Camera: | Multi-camera |
| Runtime: | 45 minutes per episode (approx.) |
| Network: | Sky Two |
| Theme Music Composer: | Jim Penfold and the Hollywood Killers |
| Opentheme: | Race To Dakar |
| Related: | Long Way Round Long Way Down By Any Means By Any Means 2 Extreme Frontiers Long Way Up |
Race to Dakar is a documentary series following actor and keen motorcyclist Charley Boorman's entry into the 2006 Dakar Rally from Lisbon to Dakar. First aired on Sky Two and ABC Television (Australia) during 2006, it was also released as a book.[1]
One of Boorman's lifelong dreams had been to enter the Dakar Rally, which he had discussed with the publishers of the Long Way Round book. Having publicly committed to it, Boorman felt he had to do the rally and proposed the idea to Russ Malkin, one of the producers of Long Way Round, who liked the idea. Malkin was concerned that Boorman might not finish the rally should he enter alone, so Boorman approached Simon Pavey to see if he was interested in making the documentary and also training him. A third rider, Matt Hall, was chosen to film their participation and, if necessary, allow his bike to be used for parts if anything happened to Boorman's or Pavey's. They entered the rally riding BMW F650RR rally bikes.The team went out to Dubai to train on the dunes so they'd be used to riding on the sand, but Boorman broke his collar bone early on in the trip, and had to return home ahead of schedule.
During the rally, Boorman crashed and broke bones in one hand, and dislocated the thumb in the other when he fell and tried to push his bike up and off his body. There is a lot of interesting focus on the mental and emotional battles during which Boorman tries to rationalize his failure.[1] He rode on to the end of the stage and chose to withdraw. Hall and Pavey rode on, but Hall gave up and quit the stage[1] where he spent two days and was eventually picked up by the camion balais sweeper truck. Pavey was able to finish the event. The team were met at Dakar by their spouses and girlfriends, as well as Charley's best friend Ewan McGregor, who flew out to congratulate them.
Fellow British motorcycle riders Nick Plumb and Patsy Quick appear repeatedly during the programme. The accidental death of rider Andy Caldecott is covered briefly.