BMW and the 2006 Dakar Rally

BMW X3, X5 and F650 GS Dakar motorbikes are set to play a starring role in the
2006 Dakar Rally when 750 participants set off on 31 December, 2005, from
Lisbon, Portugal, to race to Senegal.

Now in its 28th year, the Dakar Rally is widely regarded as one of the most
physically and emotionally demanding motor sport events known to man with
around half the starters not making the finish. BMW (UK) Ltd is supporting the
efforts of the Race to Dakar team headed by Charley Boorman, star of the Long
Way Round television series. Boorman will be attempting to complete the rally
on a BMW F650 GS Dakar bike. BMW Off-Road Skills instructor and six-times Dakar
competitor Simon Pavey and fellow rider Matt Hall will accompany Boorman in his
quest, with the entire trip being filmed for a new television series.

Providing the backbone of the Race to Dakar team is a specially prepared BMW
X5. The 218hp BMW X5 3.0d Sport has proved to be one of the most popular and
reliable premium Sports Utility Vehicles currently on sale. Its unique xDrive
four-wheel-drive system, a set-up that provides near instantaneous power
delivery between front and rear wheels depending on grip, should equip it well
for the rigours of Africa. For the Dakar Rally, rally-raid specialists from
UK-based Scorpion Racing have fitted the vehicle with a host of safety
equipment such as a roll cage and fire extinguishers, long-range fuel tanks and
under body protection to safeguard against mechanical damage. The support
vehicle will be driven by a team led by Russ Malkin, producer of the Long Way
Round and Race to Dakar sagas.

Boorman, Pavey and Hall will be part of a 22 motorbike and car assault on the
Dakar Rally by BMW-powered machinery. A factory supported team run by X-raid
GmbH based in Trebur, Germany, will also be contesting the rally in three BMW
X3's and an X5. All four vehicles will be powered by a modified version of the
twin-turbo 3.0d engine that debuted in the BMW 535d in December, 2004.

The trio will race through Portugal and Spain before moving on to tackle the
more extreme terrain of Morocco, Mauritania, Mali and Guinea before arriving 15
days later in Senegal. During the race competitors only have use of a road book
for navigational purposes, which is only given to them at the start of each
day. Unlike car or truck competitors with co-drivers, motorcyclists are
completely dependent on the handlebar-mounted road book to find their way to
the next destination. One wrong turn can spell disaster. Riders can end up lost
in the desert with just themselves, their bike and one day's worth of food
rations to get by.

As part of his Dakar Rally preparations, Boorman has competed in several races
in the UK, including various club races, a round of the British Enduro
Championship and even lined up with world championship riders in the UK round
of the World Enduro Championship. He has also attended BMW's Great African GS
Challenge in South Africa and spent numerous days training at BMW's Off-Road
Skills centre in Wales to build up his stamina.

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