Dakar Terminology
1) Bulletin
The Official bulletin is an integral part of the Regulations and is intended to modify, clarify or complete them.
2) Assistance (Service)
Service shall be defined as unrestricted work on a competing machine, or one of its elements, even when dismounted
3) Bivouac
a) Zone situated between the Time Controls at the finish of one Leg and the start of the next, where all competitors regroup; this zone is located in the road book. In the bivouac, servicing is free between the competitors still in the race and with vehicles and/or people registered in the assistance category. It is an area freely accessible to all those accredited by the organisers.
b) The Organisers will set up bivouacs with regulated servicing, for which the procedure is described in the present Regulations (Art 3P).
4) Briefing
The briefing will be given by the Organisers’ delegate and the participation of the pilot is compulsory for the first meeting and recommended for the following briefings. The Clerk of the Course will attend the briefing. The information regarding safety and the route (amendments to the road book), dated and signed by the Clerk of the Course will be posted on the official notice board, before or at the latest during the briefings.
5) Time Card
Document intended for the stamps, in chronological order, of the different control points scheduled on the itinerary.
6) CH (TC)
Time Control (see art. 22P).
7) Competitor
Physical or legal entity used for the physical or legal person who has entered the machine.
Manufacturer
A Manufacturer is one who manufactures machines which are homologated by the FIM, bear that manufacturer’s name, and are on sale to the public. Manufacturers may enter machines bearing their name for competition purposes directly under their own management or contracted to an associated company.
9) PC (Passage control)
A control zone where the time card must be stamped by the marshals and which must be a WPM or a WPE.
10) Disqualification
Sanction decided by the International Jury, further to a severe infringement.
11) Duration of an Event
The Event starts with the administrative checks or technical scrutineering (including, if applicable, checks on the spare parts of the machine) and ends upon the expiry of one of the following time limits, whichever is the later:
- time limit for protests or appeals or at the end of any hearings by the stewards;
- end of the administrative checking and post-event scrutineering carried out in accordance with the Code;
- end of the prize-giving.
12) DZ
The start of a speed control zone and, when possible, marked by a precise reference marker and a waypoint (WPM or WPE) in the road book. In case of discrepancy between the two, the waypoint will be binding.
13) Leg
Each part of the Event that is separated from the next by a bivouac stopping time of at least 6 hours. After a driving time of between 12 and 20 hours, a halt of at least 6 hours is compulsory.
14) FMN : National Motorcycle Federation
FMNR : National organising Motorcycle Federation
15) FZ
The end of a speed control zone, marked by a WPE.
16) Pulse signal (speed control zone)
Following the permanent functioning of the GPS, a pulse signal is recorded in the GPS approximately every 150 m and any speeding is displayed on the speed page of the GPS “SPD”. At the finish of the Special stage and/or on arrival at the bivouac, the control technician notes all displayed speedings, point them out and makes them sign to the pilot.
17) Infringement (speed control zone)
An infringement consists of one or more displayed speedings in one and the same speed control zone, defined by a DZ and an FZ. A second infringement will come about when one or more speedings have been displayed inside a new speed control zone.
18) Official itinerary
This is represented by the passage through each waypoint featured in the road book (WPV, WPM, WPE, WPS, DZ, FZ, CP).
19) Neutralisation
Time during which the pilots are stopped by the Race Direction.
20) Information note
This is information given by the Organisers and/or Race Control to the pilots who, after reading it, must confirm this by signature. This note will be made available to the competitors as soon as possible. An information note cannot amend any regulations.
21) Parc Fermé
Area in which no assistance, preparation, presence of intervention is possible, except in the case of art. 27P2
22) Route
This is defined by the official road book of the Event, confirmed by the pilot of the opening car. The route is divided into legs consisting of one or more timed Selective Sections linked by road sections.
23) PCO / PC Course (Race HQ)
Race control (sporting and safety) and management of interventions.
24) Fixed penalty
A fixed penalty has been created to replace certain sanctions leading to disqualification for failing to respect certain clauses of the Regulations. It allows the penalised competitor to continue the Event in normal competition conditions, although being severely sanctioned. (+ see art. 4P3)
25) Sporting penalty
A sporting penalty means a penalty imposed for: speeding, missing a PC, or Waypoint, or unsporting conduct, or other violation committed on a Selective Section.
26) Neutralisation Period
This is the time during which the pilots are stopped by Race Control (Parc Fermé conditions).
27) Regrouping (Parc Fermé conditions)
a) A halt scheduled by the Organisers to enable the theoretical times to be observed on the one hand and, on the other, to regroup the pilots still racing. The regrouping time may vary according to the pilots.
b) The new start will be given according to the order of arrival of competitors at the entrance of the regrouping Time Control. The first ten pilots that arrive will start at 2-minute intervals.
28) Road Book
Each pilot shall receive a road book, size A5, comprising a maximum of 5 horizontal lines of distances, drawings and information, containing characteristic notes and/or the compulsory waypoints, which they must observe on pain of penalties which may go as far as disqualification.
29) Road Section
Section of itinerary with a target time between two successive Time Controls.
30) Selective Section
Speed test in real time. Selective Sections may be run over a course exclusively reserved for the competitors in the Event. Starts of Selective Sections are preceded by or twinned with a Time Control for the starts, and followed by a Time Control after the finish.
31) Team Manager
Person duly authorised in writing to represent a team entered with at least 2 machines, all under the same competitor’s licence. (+ see article 18P5)
32) Estimated time
Time estimated by the Organiser to cover a Selective Section.
33) Target time
a) Each Road Section will be covered within a target time, which the competitors must respect.
b) Any difference in this target time will lead to a penalty of one minute per minute or fraction of minute. (art. 22P1.9).
34) Maximum time allowed
Maximum time given to each Selective Section. Any pilot exceeding this time, without any tolerance, will receive a penalty ranging from the fixed penalty to disqualification. At that moment the control is said to be closed for the competitor concerned.
35) Real time
This is the time actually taken to cover the route of a Special Stage.
36) GPS Point – Waypoint (WPT)
A GPS point is a geographical point defined by coordinates of longitude and latitude. There are 4 types of GPS points: WPV, WPM, WPE, WPS. Each waypoint noted on the road book is a compulsory passage point.
37) WPE (Eclipse waypoint)
A compulsory passage point memorised in the GPS and indicated in the road book, and the coordinates of which are not revealed to the competitors. A point towards which the GPS directs the competitor once the waypoint preceding this WPE has been validated, whatever the distance between the waypoint and the WPE. It works in the same way between several successive WPE’s.
38) WPM (hidden waypoint)
A compulsory passage point memorised in the GPS and indicated in the road book, and the coordinates of which are not revealed to the competitors. The GPS directs the competitor towards this point only once he has come within a 3-km radius of it.
39) WPS (Way point safety)
A compulsory passage point, for safety reasons, memorised in the GPS and indicated in the road book, and the coordinates of which are not revealed to the competitors. It can be linked to a danger 3 (!!!), crossings of roads, gaz pipelines, railways etc. The GPS directs the competitor towards this point only once he has come within a 3-km radius of it. Its validation radius is 90 meters.
40) WPV (Visible waypoint)
A point the coordinates of which are given to the competitors by the road book and memorised into the “GPS”. Towards a visible way point, all available information is displayed on the screen of the “GPS”.
Official Dakar terms are maintained at www.dakar.com
