BC rider ready for Dakar

By John Hopkins

When the 2009 edition of the Dakar rally begins on Saturday Duncan, BC's Don Hatton will be the lone Canadian in the field.

The 50-year-old will be making his first appearance in the legendary event aboard a KTM 525. Hatton was scheduled to take part in the 2008 edition, which was cancelled at the last minute due to security concerns. That led to the relocation of the rally from its traditional African home to South America. The competition starts from Buenos Aires this weekend and concludes in the Argentine capital on Jan. 18 after covering 9,574km of South American terrain.

"All indications are that it will be harder than Africa," said Hatton earlier this month. "I think it will be much more challenging, there will be tons of sand. The organizers are out to prove that it's still a tough event. Nobody has ever done the route so they don't know what to expect. They had Africa down pat. That makes me a little nervous."

When the 2008 Dakar was cancelled at the last minute Hatton thought the realization of a 30-year dream had slipped through his fingers.

"They called an extraordinary meeting at 12:00 on the Friday afternoon," he recalled. "I had moved out of my hotel room. I was ready to go. Mentally I had started the rally. There were about 1,500-2,000 people in the meeting and you could have heard a pin drop. When they made the announcement it felt like I had been punched in the stomach."

Hatton now admits that the cancellation was probably a blessing in disguise, as he had never done an African rally prior to that event. He has since competed in two desert events, the Rally Morocco and the UAE Desert Challenge in Dubai, finishing both.

"Dubai was shocking," Hatton said. "It was constant sand and intense heat -- 63 degrees in the dune bowls and 53 degrees throughout, and it didn't cool down at night. That event was probably the closest to the Dakar format."

Hatton was due to leave for Argentina last weekend to begin his final preparations for the 2009 Dakar.