When a race gets too dangerous: the 2000 Dakar airlift

The 2000 Dakar rally saw the single most incredible motorsport rescue operation ever. With almost 400 cars and over 1000 people stuck in the middle of Africa, bold risks had to be taken to ensure the continuation of the event. Watch as the biggest rally in the world gets saved by one of the biggest airplanes in the world.
#dakar #rally #airlift #mitsubishi #offroad #ktm #bmw #buggy #antonov #motorsport #racing

[@henryjohn2218]

they should make a movie. it will be a huge hit.

[@stijnpaspont]

I was actually toying with the idea of making a "great escape" style movie poster as a thumbnail.

[@mo0kthechef]

We all know who should make it...

[@aaronrockefeller5077]

@@mo0kthechef michael bay

[@KepleroGT]

Many Dakars could be made into a movie. Like that time Thatcher's son got lost in the desert and they had to call the RAF to find him

[@henryjohn2218]

@@KepleroGT what's name of that movie

[@Katana2097]

Intelligence: "There's gonna be a terrorist attack around here and you're the target." Race organizers: "We should take Dakar Rally, and fly it somewhere else!"

[@jonasf1275]

My dad was there. Also one time somebody died because he raced over a mine. Dakar is carzy.

[@jdcp8976]

A fucking land mine? Holy shit

[@jonasf1275]

@@jdcp8976 yeah, a big one on top. A real tank killer.

[@jdcp8976]

@@jonasf1275 thats crazy as hell! Those should have been scary races indeed, a cold but good way to understand why they dont race on those dangerous routes.

[@jonasf1275]

@@jdcp8976 yeah they even changed continents because there were problems with terrorists like ISIS oder Boko Haram.

[@christopherc7075]

That's one of my early TV memories, since I liked watching racing as a little kid, hearing that a car hit a mine...

[@noellundstrom7447]

I love finding out about new motorsport disciplines and the stories it has to tell, good video!

[@stijnpaspont]

thanks! glad i could be of service.

[@somerandoonline5852]

Thanks for working on this vid. Anytime i see an antonov doing its thing, it puts a smile on my face.

[@idontknowwhattocallmychann3535]

They will return to their former glory soon. Slava Ukraine 🇺🇦

[@georgeknights8444]

​@@idontknowwhattocallmychann3535 💪🇺🇦

[@Kyle-yp5wb]

Hold on, dakar is known for weird and wonderful vehicles. Yet I saw in briefly a Renault kangoo van with wide arches. That has got to be a cool story in itself right there, make a video about that. A small FWD van, designed to navigate tight European cities modified for dakar.

[@dovydasgrigas441]

From what I could find it was a Kangoo 4x4, run by Luc Alphand as part of the Schlesser team.

[@Kyle-yp5wb]

@@dovydasgrigas441 I can't find much info on it, but it has a 3.5l V6. This definitely needs a deep dive.

[@DiegoRuiz1991]

A few facts overlooked by OP: · Jacky Ickx was driving a Toyota LandCruiser after getting mad at how only Mitsubishi took advantage of the 4x4 regulations of the time (similar to Group A in WRC) since they were the only ones that ever built a special homologation car (the Pajero Evo). · Peterhansel was driving a re-engineered Pajero Evo done by Aixam, a French company actually specialized in microcars. Thankfully, all the mechanic pieces were from Mitsubishi. · In the motorbike class BMW was the 1st brand to bring back a 2-cylinder bike (2 years after Peterhansel left and 3 since someone had ever sold one). BMW left rally-raid after its immediate success to focus mostly on F1. · The stages in Niger promised to be rather entertaining and one supposedly included the competitors going up and down a volcano. · Weirdly enough, the first 3D game about the Dakar Rally is about this very edition. Instead of following the number of real stages, it gives you 10 four-phase stages (like 40 stages of a normal rallying game) based on the different biomes the competitors should've been coming across.

[@Oscar97o]

Aixam also built the Mega Track, a weird gigantic supercar with an adjustable suspension, which also let it drive off road.

[@mooiboyace]

So Jacky was mad at Mitsubishi for using 4x4 in the desert so he chose to race for Toyota?

[@DiegoRuiz1991]

@@mooiboyace - Nope, he was mad that only Mitsubishi was using the available special homologation rule - He wanted to motivate Toyota to make a special LandCruiser/4Runner/HiLux so he tried to show the potential of their normal car. Some French guy I forget about tried the same with Nissan to no avail either. Mitsubishi was so OP back then that the top4 best 4x4 cars you could pick to race in rally-raid were the Pajero Evo (2-seater), the Pajero (normal 3-door), the L200 (pick-up truck) and the Challenger (5-door SUV)

[@mooiboyace]

@@DiegoRuiz1991 I see! Thank you for explaining. I wonder what the homologation rule gave for bonuses on the racing models.

[@DiegoRuiz1991]

@@mooiboyace - Think about the differences between a Celica GT-Four on the street and the one driven by Carlos Sainz... only in the shape of Mitsubishi's 3-door Pajero and its 3500cc V6 engine

[@theoverloader5110]

This would make an awesome movie idea, or maybe even a series. So well grounded yet so spectacular, action, a big race, drama, cars and big planes.

[@77936fief]

i watch the dakar religiously. ...the privateers have the balls of steel.those guys are my heroes

[@gathel8574]

Antonov not just larger plane but also most useful cargo plane ever cuz how big the plane is. A great savior from the East

[@oadka]

Not to mention it was designed from the get go to land on unpaved surfaces!

[@martinfreund6737]

Man, ace combat soundtracks really fit the theme of the video

[@stijnpaspont]

The theme you hear during the antonov section is called "juggernaut". Its just meant to be.

[@martinfreund6737]

@@stijnpaspont Oh damn, so that's the name of that song!

[@motodan2812]

@@stijnpaspont i don't think i need to guess you're a huge ace combat fan like me

[@bunta_wrx5851]

thats the most 2000s thing i've ever heard of

[@kerstas10]

Motorsport at its peak. Now dakar isnt the same

[@hectormaluenda]

Still a good one, a lot more organized and safe, for spectators and drivers

[@Floris_VI]

Yeah idk dakar is so boring to me these days

[@Juihi2]

Idk, this years one looked insanely tough!! Mad respect for anyone that undertakes it

[@sham_wow_guy]

They made a movie about Ford beating Ferrari at Le Mans, they should make a movie about this as well.

[@random_evo_guy9120]

They should have continue the race but instead of calling it Dakar they should have call Escape from Dakar

[@matteomoretto7074]

the ace combat soundtrack is perfect fot this video 😂

[@jenesaislerouge]

The way you narrate these videos makes it so engaging. Love it!

[@JInfinity7]

One hell of bill from Antanov probably...would love to see the invoice

[@Dat-Mudkip]

It still annoys me it's being the Dakar Rally when Dakar isn't even close to the actual rally location.

[@AdamTheMan1993]

It'll still be a long time before the Dakar rally returns to Africa

[@redbullsauberpetronas]

Nothing we can do they keep warring there

[@YOUENNNN]

But that thells you how big this event is, it survived its location's death and had a new birth in South America and then Saoudi Arabia

[@nameinvalid69]

Antonov, absolute legend of a machine. Sad it lost to the war 😥

[@AbrahamArthemius]

The one that got destroyed was the An-225. The plane Dakar organizers used was the slightly smaller An-124. The easiest way to know which one is which is by looking at the number of engines the plane uses. An-124 uses 4 engines, while the bigger An-225 uses 6 engines.

[@mars7357]

When humanity came together and restored my faith 🙏

[@weddellseal8414]

the ace combat music caught me off guard

[@coopers1716]

I'd never heard of this, what an awesome story! Thank you Stijn!

[@santi3991]

I love they managed to finish the rally instead of canceling the whole event and by doing that they made those terrorist look like cucks

[@The_Dude99]

Wow, what a crazy story. Great video!

[@danielescobar7618]

The golden days. I won't support anything of the Sauds except Toyota Camry sandal drifting.

[@AshLilburne]

'Not letting the terrorists win' doesn't sound very cost effective

[@metallicarabbit]

its the principal, if you let a terrorist cause terror and cancel, it shows them they have power and they will take further action on other things because you have set precedent that you will bow down to them. standing up to bullies and doing the thing they are trying to interrupt is a giant middle finger to a terrorist group who gets power through fear

[@danverss6176]

@@metallicarabbit okay i understand now why the first abu dhabi gp wasn't cancelled

[@oswurth8774]

All this for a rally. God I love motorsport

[@s70driver2005]

And to save people from getting hurt/killed.

[@PUDRETE919]

0:59 Dakar is in Senegal not Cape Verde, great video :)

[@grzegorzkusa7541]

It is, but Cap-Vert, or the Cape Verde Peninsula, is a peninsula in Senegal and the westernmost point of the continent of Africa and of the Afro-Eurasia mainland. Portuguese explorers called it Cabo Verde or "Green Cape". The Cape Verde islands, 570 kilometres (350 mi) further west, are named after the cape.

[@Lixycon]

5:48 if you turn the plane upside Down it looks like doctor eggman

[@ag3ntgt]

How did you notice that?

[@vektorr4]

Great video and I love the Ace Combat music too

[@fredrikdavidsen6128]

I was going crazy trying to figure out why my brain knew this music!

[@fuschia4827]

its amazing to see a video this high in quality for rally raid, great job pal!

[@stijnpaspont]

Thanks! Yeah F1 gets all the attention. So i try to mix it up a little

[@chlievcinema]

Cost cap was a unknown word in 2000s :D . RIP Antonov :(

[@ZeZeBatata69]

Those 3 planes aren't the one destroyed in Kyiv

[@chlievcinema]

@ZeZeBatata69 you are right, they destroyed only one plane, the only 225. Still sad.

[@chimchim2_]

Right, the last surviving one was destroy during the invasion.

[@VeraTheTabbynx]

​@@chimchim2_These are AN-124s. The one destroyed was the AN-225 Mriya, of which only one was ever built for the soviet space program and refurbished years later as the world's largest cargo plane. There are still plenty of Antonovs out there, including the 3 used here.

[@ElParteDiscotecas]

This would be the last place where I would hope to find a song from Ace Combat, but it's welcome surprise nonetheless!

[@danielescobar7618]

My stepdad took us all to see an antonov parked for tours (they really just let you walk around and touch whatever you wanted) in the early 90s after the soviets fell. It was at the Newark NJ airport

[@buffalo182]

The cost mustve been monumental omg

[@effisjens1776]

I think i have an old Michel Vaillant comic about the Dakar that featured this moment in the dakar. No idea if i still have it.

[@stijnpaspont]

I have the exact same one. And it was the inspiration for this video.

[@WEC_Connoiseur]

The Ace Combat 5 music surprised me

[@Tommuniqo123]

Ah I see I wasn't the only person recommended this video😅

[@IbrahemAlbanawi]

You are an amazing story teller keep up the good work mate and the antonov plane is such a badass way to transport the cars and the Dakar drivers did do not give in to the threats shows how brave they are

[@stijnpaspont]

Thanks!

[@brahadeeshsuresh500]

Dakar is underrated!!

[@nationalist3227]

ok

[@dorientjewoller113]

The Dakar should be held as before ... from Paris to Dakar. Till then it remain underrated. What we have now isn't the Dakar.

[@jonywalabi2647]

Nice ace combat music dude, great vid

[@DustyVisorMotorcycles]

I wonder who paid for the airlift? Surely the cost would have broken the PD company????

[@RodrigoRodriguezowl]

just found your channel, great videos and amazing stories, this is why motorsports is the best keep it up greetings from Venezuela

[@alessiobonamini1792]

Amazing story, footage, editing and commentary. I really enjoy these kind of video researches, especially when they're put togheter like a docu-film like this one; if I have one complaint, though, it's that it felt like a bit too short for the story it wanted to tell. You got the talent and the skills to make it happen, so try longer videos next time! 💪

[@staffy8832]

Honestly dude, Im still drunk after watching the Daytona 500, and the whole ace combat music sucked me in here. Now I'm curious as to what the hell the Dakar rally is

[@matthewcaughey8898]

Once they called it “ the pinnacle of endurance Motorsport”

[@forgonenapster8888]

Welcome to the right side of Motorsport brother.

[@466rudy6]

Incredible logistics feat. I've flown into Niamey many times and getting anything done there can be a nightmare. They were able to achieve all of this without any support from the locals.

[@Rosweld76]

This just hit my recommended front page and I see why!! Awesome video documentary sir! Well done! Your English is very good and the edit was perfect!

[@evoSieg]

That's an auto-like for the 3 AN-124s

[@noahboat580]

Imagine racing in your racing KAMAZ (which i was unaware they have racing vehicles for those soviet vehicles) and you get ambushed by alleged terrorists Edit: and that sidecar duo being apart of this! Thats crazy, rip sidecar guy's legs

[@muhammadarekat3384]

0:55 Dakar is in Senegal, not Cape Verde... rookie mistake

[@CLOYO]

Ooofff it sure is.

[@grzegorzkusa7541]

Also wanted to point out this mistake. It's a mistake, but it's not as rookie as it seems: Cap-Vert, or the Cape Verde Peninsula, is a peninsula in Senegal and the westernmost point of the continent of Africa and of the Afro-Eurasia mainland. Portuguese explorers called it Cabo Verde or "Green Cape". The Cape Verde islands, 570 kilometres (350 mi) further west, are named after the cape.

[@DB.KOOPER]

I remember that race... hard ot believe it was 23 years ago. I don't feel that old.

[@este_marco]

that's some motorstorm storyline right there

[@jefjanssens5952]

I was wonderding the whole time: what weird accent is he talking in. And then you said 'rick deprez en geert devolder' and I was like: right, same as mine xD great video man

[@NuclearHeadshot]

The channel name gives it away instantly. Only the dutch would spell a name like that.

[@Rens243]

@@NuclearHeadshot *Flemish

[@fpsdovah2572]

They should've got a photo of everything the antinovs transported next to them haha amazing Ukraine saved their asses how cool!

[@christopherc7075]

You know, looking back at Motorstorm and how much it is already inspired by Dakar, the in-game lore of drivers parachuting their cars onto to Island in Pacific Rift might be partially inspired by this event...

[@Naneychevelu]

Thank you for making historic racing exciting, and to shed light on unsung parts of it ✊❤️

[@theworkshopwhisperer.5902]

While I can't confirm this I've seen some sources claiming that the looming cancellation of the race went all the way up Kamaz team and company (And it's alleged) there was a connection between the higher ups of Kamaz and Antonov that enabled a $5 million dollar airlift. If you're wondering that comes out closer to $8 million to in today's money. I can't seem to work out who paid for it though.

[@cmacdhon]

Interesting... Thanks for the info.

[@e2rqey]

I wouldnt be surprised if their was a connection between the two, seeing as both companies did a significant amount of business with the Soviet/Russian military

[@gijsjoep1]

Yo Stijn, mad respect voor jouw, je content en je channel!!

[@mekiebro]

Dakar is a city in Senegal, not in Cape Verdel!! Cape Verde is an archipelago in the central Atlantic Ocean, west from Senegal.

[@TST0475]

I can understand the confusion though, Dakar is on the Cap-Vert/Cape Verde peninsula in Senegal, which indeed is a different place then Cape Verde itself, but the similar names might have caused the confusion

[@simulacionx3242]

background music really reminds me to Ace Combat Games great video :D

[@flyingstump2938]

It is Ace Combat music

[@simulacionx3242]

@@flyingstump2938 yeah i was watching some more of his videos and recognized AC5 songs on a few

[@mattheisen77]

Ace combat music!

[@super_satvrn]

holy fuck, you are the best documentary channel i've ever watched, and I binge watch hundreds. the ace combat music is perfect keep doing what you're doing

[@marciocarvalho8975]

Seriously? What about the narrator mencion Dakar in Cape Verde?

[@super_satvrn]

@@marciocarvalho8975 no

[@petertimowreef9085]

They... they went dakar rallying with a renault Kangoo?! hahaha

[@WLS_Churchill]

Yvan Tcherniavsky did it on a Vespa P200E in the 80's (finished but not before the official rally end), Thierry De Montcorgé did it in a Rolls-Royce Corniche, disualified for illegal repair, in 2007 the Marques brothers did it in a 1963 Citröen 2CV... There's always a goofy one...

[@WLS_Churchill]

@CannedCoochie Just being there is good PR, the first timeRoby Gordon came with a Hummer, it was the only thing french journos were talking about... Instant recognition for Gordon and the Hummer, t'was hard to see one before, saw 5 in my town the next month !

[@ducedevlstear2471]

For me the best era was the South America years. A lot more colourful interesting routes. And the people had true passion for the sport down there.

[@stijnpaspont]

South america provided some unique backdrops. There's some great footage out there of vw testing their dakar touareg before the race in the french alps. It was to get used to some of the south american mountain stages they'd have to race on.

[@mooiboyace]

You have a fantastic voice for commentating, great video too!

[@aojracing4885]

Nice, some Dakar coverage! I don't like them racing at Saudi Arabia very much but I'm still hyped for this year's edition. December 31st!

[@dailydrifter01]

Under-rated page Subbed!

[@PedroFetter]

Same here!

[@NineEleven1]

echt een zot verhaal. Goed bezig Stijn!

[@jt-hb8lh]

Hang on. Is that a Renault Kangoo at the 1:57 mark. I've never seen this before.

[@tbrowniscool]

Hehe I just noticed that too! What beast of a machine! :)

[@DiegoRuiz1991]

@@tbrowniscool - It was a full-blown piece of shit - Ex-skier Luc Alphand was the driver while ex-F1 driver Jean-Luc Schlesser was the team principal (and driver of a much better Renault-powered RWD buggy) · The 4x4 Kangoo died after like 2 stages in Africa, didn't even go through Morocco · Then a couple of years later, Luc Alphand won the Dakar Rally as a factory Mitsubishi driver in one of the Pajero 2+2 prototypes

[@tbrowniscool]

@@DiegoRuiz1991 Nice Info thanks!

[@alessandrocampisi-4263]

Ne vlaming verdoeme, great video!

[@evofreak1304]

Really like your video's bro ! you speak very clearly.

[@total360AMC]

Wow what an undertaking!

[@ClaudioVolkatina]

Great video!!

[@mountainmandale1587]

I was there. What a nightmare and complete disaster it was. Nothing was done right.

[@j.yossarian6852]

How so?

[@ALVIRAMDANI]

its basically mad max fury road in real life

[@abomala1607]

Aixam is company making mainly no licence ultra light vehicule. not race car for ice ;) really good video. Remind me good time when watched that on TV. Forgot was in 92

[@Will_M600]

absolutely love your channel, the ace combat ost is a nice touch. I'm debating trying for the dakar on a motorcycle, its a dream of mine

[@skojuzija]

Daamn this is such a cool story. But also I am sure I must have costed a lots of cash to do such thing

[@zorzerother]

Great soundtrack!

[@j.celgoog3275]

I remember a TV news that shown the arrival of the An-124 with the theme of Terminator running :D

[@zorzerother]

@@j.celgoog3275 Amazing!

[@christopherc7075]

Ace Combat has some amazing songs :D

[@MADmidway]

This was an amazing story. It would make a great movie

[@fenf777]

The narrator is cousin of Arnold Schwarzenegger

[@David-tr8xq]

Arnie is austrian, the narrator is either Dutch or Belgian.

[@fenf777]

Won't mind, just another cousin who migrate

[@mageanast]

Such a cool story it's insane

[@fpsdovah2572]

What a damn cool story, unbelievable that they just flew over the warring country and carried on lol

[@MrWolfSnack]

its like a videogame mission

[@dancearoundtheworld5360]

i searched dakar full send and this was done full throttle

[@B4R0N.]

Dakar's in Senegal, not Cap Verde. And it's the capital city of Senegal at that.

[@NavF1]

I also got weirded out when he said that but turns out the cape on which Dakar is located is called the Cap-Vert. Still, he obviously should have just said Senegal

[@minibus9]

awesome video

[@gvishal9571]

Incredible story!

[@shamaldev]

the great antonov

[@martinsennitis670]

Destroyed by Russian "denazifiers"

[@jacka4484]

Gonna be honest, thought the thumbnail said “Dakar’oo”

[@erikkuehne97]

So?

[@jacka4484]

@@erikkuehne97 so I was very confused

[@wawa-tw5ji]

great stuff

[@esatd34]

Seems to be a good type of content here! Lets see

[@vont911]

Great video, very entertaining to watch! Can you tell me where did you get this clean footage from tho?

[@walterwhite9409]

I cant take you fr with that pfp 💀💀

[@TheUKNutter]

Eurosport

[@djporsche3922]

I bet if they wouldnt have the planes theyd strap some mgs on top of the trucks and cars and continued the race lmao

[@wiskyop466]

This is what can achived when the are 0 politic and 100% passion and all hands on deck.

[@snatchgrip]

And a shitload of cash

[@ciswhitebigot]

all caused by an entire country of wE wUz kAnGz

[@Masternaldo]

@@ciswhitebigot French??

[@JohnField-cr6tv]

Wonderful commentator voice

[@Thomas-yz7lv]

Africa Eco Race is the Original Dakar still. Dakar is somewhere else except dakar

[@grandhomme4183]

It is called the Paris-Dakar. Not the Dakar

[@clubpenguin274]

It is not. The only paris Dakar race that exists now is the “Africa eco race”

[@charlespring5296]

I thought football was traditionally played with the feet

[@PedroKing19]

Please put the songs you use in the description because I always forget their names!

[@lol2496]

The songs come from the soundtracks of ace combat usually ace combat 4 and 5

[@PedroKing19]

@@lol2496 im aware, but others may not! And it can be hard to find if you can't remember from which game it is from.

[@lol2496]

@@PedroKing19 may as well reccomended the whole soundtrack lol its all really good

[@miiko0866]

Take notes, F1

[@santhoshsenan2928]

how f1 is not on a open track or do you want to what like race another type of vehicle on the same track or do you want to drop the f1 cars from the sky like nascar like what are they suppose to take notes from this i truly dont understand and you call me idiot if you want cuz and neither a expert on both so

[@maskedcaballo9355]

Average opinion in india