The 2008 Dakar Experience Tour

Mick was aiming for a top 20 result in 2007. Unfortunately his bike collapsed under the hard ride he gives it and he sadly had to pull out with broken gears.

It was going to be his last Dakar, but he's changed his mind and is going for the 2008 event which is great news ! Again hoping for a top 20 placement aboard his CRF450X Rally Raid bike.

After watching him ride the trails with us in Spain, his speed, ability, dedication and fitness will get him to his goal.

We can arrange airport transfers or you can hire a car to get you to the Redtread Country Mansion from Malaga Airport. Whichever way you choose, it takes approximately 50 minutes to get to us here in Competa. You can also fly to Granada but the transfer is longer, approximately 1½ hours.

Upon arrival, we will show you around the property and its facilities, you may want to detour into our bar for a quick beer, then, we will show you to your room and leave you to settle in.

The whole evening is yours to enjoy.

1st Riding day

In the morning, breakfast is served at 9am. We will go through the safety briefing, get you fully kitted out in your protective riding gear and also talk you through the “sweeper system” used here at Redtread. This will help you to fully understand the benefits of using this technique so you will feel more comfortable riding out with us. We will also demonstrate the basic operation of your motorcycle and show you how to pick the bike up from the floor in case of a spill!

At approximately 10am we will head off for the day and, depending on your level of off-road experience, spend the first ½ of the day providing you with more guidance on technique, general riding tips to help you enjoy your riding experience with Redtread.

If you are already an experienced off-roader, less time will be spent on tuition and more on the actual riding of the trails.

So, we will ride out for approximately 4 hours, give you as much or as little tuition as you want and basically make sure you are having a good time.

At approximately 2pm we will stop for lunch, this is included in the cost of your riding. We will eat in a typically Spanish Restaurant and enjoy a laid back lunch of approximately 1hr of relaxation whilst chatting about the mornings riding.

After lunch, we get back into our gear and head off again back onto the trails for a few more hours riding bikes, normally we land back at base for around 5pm so you have time to relax, enjoy a beer, take a swim, shoot some pool and chill out before heading off into the town for your evening meal.

During the day we will stop at intervals so you can take drinks onboard and we take photos throughout the day, we will also check you’re ok!

Depending on the route we take, expect to cover around 100km.

2nd & 3rd Riding Days

We will meet the Dakar in Malaga Port on the day of its arrival which will be early Jan 2008. Although the 'riding day' and the 'meet the Dakar day' are not certain yet, the details of the day are the same:

For your 2nd and 3rd riding days, breakfast will be served at 9am and we will be away from Redtread straight onto the trails for 10am.

Depending on confidence levels and abilities, today’s route will take us onto open trails, forestry tracks, river crossings and rocky sections but will always be in keeping with the group. You will be challenged, not defeated! Guidance is always on hand for you throughout the days riding.

At approximately 2pm we will stop for lunch, this is included in the cost of your riding. We will eat in another typically Spanish Restaurant and enjoy a laid back lunch of approximately 1hr.

After lunch, we get back into our gear again and head off onto the trails for a few more hours riding bikes, normally we land back at base for around 5.30pm so you have time to relax, enjoy another beer, shoot some pool and chill out before heading off into the town for your evening meal or we can order take away!

During the day we will stop at intervals so you can take drinks onboard and we take photos throughout the day, we will also check you’re ok!

Depending on the routes we take, expect to cover around 120 / 130km on riding days 2 and 3.

"Meet The Dakar Day"

We will leave The Redtread Country Mansion early and head down to Malaga Port in good time to meet the Rally. We will be using the Redtread 12 seater Land Rover 110 Defender so we will look the part too! No pretend 4 wheel drives allowed here!

The whole day will be spent at the Port with lunch included. We will meet up with Redtread's partner in the Dakar, Mick Extance, and will have the opportunity to take photos with him and have your official Dakar cap, which is included in the Tour price, signed by the Dakar Master himself. We will leave Malaga at a pre-arranged time which leaves you with the opportunity to amuse yourself however you please for the rest of the day.

Riding day 4

Breakfast is at 9am, we will leave Redtread at 10am again. Today’s route will be different again, we will take fewer stops and spend more time riding as we have more distance to cover. This route will be more challenging again, as your confidence will have increased by now, just to keep you focused!

At approximately 2pm we will stop for lunch, this is included in the cost of your riding. We will eat in another typically Spanish Restaurant and enjoy a laid back lunch of approximately 1hr.

It is realistic to expect to ride the high mountain trails today which are truly breathtaking. We will ride up to a height of 6050ft; consider that Ben Nevis is 4700ft!

Normally we will be back at base for around 5.30pm so you have time to relax, enjoy another beer, shoot some pool and chill out before heading off into the town for your evening meal or we can order take away if you are really whacked!

We will cover approximately 140km today.

Day 5

Breakfast on day 4 is from 9am – 10am so you can have a little lie in. You’re free to take it easy before heading back to Malaga Airport or maybe do a little sight seeing if you have an evening flight. We don’t put a check out time on our rooms so you’re free to keep the room as long as you like.

What is provided by Redtread :

Meet the Dakar Tour Extras

Equipment

Accommodation

Professional Guides

Personal accident insurance

What's not included:

What you need to provide: