Video: This is what riding in a Dakar machine does to you

07th January 2019

Ben Miles

If you like motorsport, you've probably heard of Tom Coronel, whether it's for his racing history in the world of Touring Cars, racing at Revival or his liberal attitude to following people on social media.

But he and brother Tim also spend time in the mind-blowing circus that is the Dakar paddock, and have competed in the world's most gruelling rally several times. Neither of them have ever troubled the higher levels of the charts but are now well used to the rigours that a Dakar machine can put through your body.

Which makes this clip even more amazing, as it shows not only how much force goes through a Dakar driver's body at the slightest mistake, but also the difference between reactions from a Dakar winner (and regular rally racer) and a circuit racer. Skip to 3.21 if you want to find the best example. Driver and former Dakar winner Nasser Al-Attiyah is piloting his Toyota Hilux round a shakedown stage at the official Dakar prologue in Europe. Midway through the stage Al-Attiyah gets a jump slightly wrong, sending the Hilux into the ground nose first. Coronel, attempting to hold a camera while being chucked around, is thrown wildly around the cabin (and should be congratulated for managing to catch his camera)... Al-Attiyah on the other hand barely registers a flinch, and actaully ends up grinning at what he's put his passenger through.

The difference between Dakar competitor and Dakar winner.