Australia's 'Sultan of Sand' ready for Dakar

motoring.com.au caught up with Aussie off-road racer Bruce Garland near Newcastle yesterday for some last-minute practice in the dunes of Stockton Beach.

Mr Garland, three-time participant in the infamous Dakar Rally, and long-time co-driver Harry Suzuki spent the day testing tyres and polishing their skills ahead of the trek to participate in the world’s most infamous desert race.

Stockton’s famed dunes offered Mr Garland and Mr Suzuki the perfect chance to reacquaint themselves with the art of ‘reading’ the shape of the dunes. Though Mr Garland admits these pale into insignificance when compared to the 1400 metre-high monsters the duo will encounter during Dakar.

The NSW location also gave the Isuzu D-MAX team time to master their excavation skills, a time-saving exercise certain to come in handy when tackling South America’s notorious ‘fesh-fesh’ (the equivalent of Australian bulldust).

“After three previous runs at this event, we know what to expect in terms of heat and altitude, but you can never be too careful,” said Mr Garland.

“We have been specifically training for both, and we will do some more work when we get there. We’ve also ordered some oxygen bottles. Next year’s event takes us up to nearly 5000 metres, much higher than the previous races, and for a longer period of time. If you’re not properly prepared for those conditions, things can get pretty nasty, pretty quickly.”

As well as high altitudes, endless dust, flour-like sand and unexpected flooding, Mr Garland will also be competing against his own health. Quoting his age as “54, but 18 in the brain” the 2013 event will be the team’s first run at the Dakar since Mr Garland suffered a fractured vertebra while landing heavily over a sand dune during the 2011 event. Two months after returning from hospital in Chile, he had a heart attack while on holidays in Melbourne and had five coronary bypasses at MonashHeart.

“They gave me my life back! Without the team at MonashHeart, I wouldn’t be able to have another crack at it. I really feel I have unfinished business over there,” Mr Garland reflected.

“Our best result so far was eleventh outright, and first diesel ute home, back in 2009. We were doing well in 2010 until a freak incident – the spare wheel came loose and smashed the radiator – put us out, and then we had the crash in 2011. We are aiming for a top-ten finish this time around – no ifs, buts or maybes about it!”

This time around, Mr Garland and Mr Suzuki will not be going it alone. They have prepared a second Isuzu D-MAX to be crewed by West Australian driver, Adrian Di Lallo, and Melbourne’s Steve Riley. Mr Riley, a highly experienced off-road racer is more accustomed to being in the driver’s seat, but will this year serve as navigator for Mr Di Lallo.

The fortnight-long event is a trial of not only man and machine, but money as well. Mr Garland said each team member was faced with a 10,000 Euro entry fee, and that’s before factoring the costs of the vehicle, freight, fuel, flights, medical evacuation and insurance charges.

“Dakar is the ultimate challenge for an off-road racer. It’s like Mt Everest for a mountain climber. Everyone that lives, dies. But not everyone who dies has lived, and you haven't felt the power of living until you have done the Dakar!” philosophised Mr Garland.

“We’ll be working together as a team, sharing parts and service crew, and if one vehicle strikes trouble, it will be up to the others to fly the flag. Adrian’s a rookie to this event, but he knows what he is doing and Steve does too. All of us are champing at the bit now, to get over there and give it a shot.”

The Isuzu Motorsports team leaves Sydney for South America on December 27 to do their final preparations. A total of 459 vehicles (comprising bikes, quads, cars and trucks), representing a new record of 53 different countries, will be on the start line in Peru on January 5. It’s the fifth time the South American continent has hosted the event since terrorist threats forced its relocation from its traditional home.

The 35th running of the Dakar Rally will end in Santiago, Chile, on January 20.