... For the Race to Dakar party
Charley Boorman and his 'Race to Dakar' team-mates are about to embark on the toughest challenge of their lives. They are contesting the 2006 Dakar Rally and BMW Motorrad UK is making it possible for all their fans to wave them off at a stylish Lisbon launch party on Thursday 29 December.
BMW Motorrad UK's exclusive send off party for the team will be held in Lisbon through its customer activity programme the World of BMW. Fans of the Race to Dakar team can share the rider's - Charley Boorman, Simon Pavey and Matt Hall - final carefree moments in the Portuguese capital.
The festivities will commence at 8pm with a welcome cocktail followed by a three-course meal. Partygoers can continue revelries into the small hours. Those wishing to attend are able to book a place by calling World of BMW on 08000 131 282. The cost is £45 per person.
Dakar fans will be in their element in Lisbon. Thousands of enthusiasts will turn out to see the hundreds of race vehicles - motorcycles, quads, cars and trucks - and meet the riders and drivers. The 2006 Dakar Rally will officially start on Saturday 31 December in the centre of Lisbon. Scrutineering will take place on Thursday 29 December and the Rider's Briefing will be held on Friday 30 December.
The three-rider Race to Dakar team has entered the most dangerous motorsport event in the world - the Dakar Rally - and they have every intention of conquering it. They will ride BMW's tough and rally-proven F650 GS Dakar motorcycles.
The Dakar is a hard and punishing event. Competitors will set off from Lisbon in Portugal on 31 December determined to arrive in Dakar on 15 January 2006. If they make it, they will have ridden over 8,500 kilometres, mostly off-road, and overcome some of the planet's most hostile terrain.
The 2006 Dakar Rally will be Charley Boorman's first ever attempt at this type of event. Since his Long Way Round journey, the film star has saturated his life with everything to do with motorcycling. Even at a young age, Charley dreamt of contesting the Dakar Rally and it has taken most of his life and a year of planning and training before being able to turn the dream into reality.
Charley's team-mates are five-time Dakar rally 'veteran' and BMW Off-Road Skills instructor Simon Pavey, and the experienced off-road rider Matt Hall. The entire adventure will be filmed as a television series to be transmitted by Sky, and then released on DVD. The Race to Dakar project and story will also be released next year as a book.
