First Canadian Team to Complete Dakar - Does It For CANFAR!

February 16, 2012 by Margot T.

9000 km. 14 days. 3 countries. 2 oceans. 1 continent. 1 cause.

On January 14, 2012 ALDO’s David Bensadoun, Navigator, Patrick Beaule and Crew Chief Yves Turcotte, became the first Canadian racing team to complete the legendary Dakar Rally. For those who are unfamiliar with the race, it is a unique off road endurance rally race in which both professional long-distance rally drivers and amateurs drive over extremely difficult dessert terrain. Fouded in 1978 by Thierry Sabine, the race was originally from Paris to Dakar, but since 2009 it has been held in South America in the spirit of conquering new extreme environments. This year the Dakar started on the Atlantic coast in Mar del Plata, Argentina and finished by the Pacific coast in Lima, Peru.

It has always been a grueling and admirable competition. To even qualify for this race is a feat in itself, as only 150 car entrants are accepted. Of the qualified entrants, fewer than half make it across the finish line. What made it especially admirable to us was David’s pledge of donations raised from their participation in the Dakar to CANFAR.

We are immensely proud of David and the ALDO team for their successful completion of the Dakar. It is truly an amazing achievement. It can not be said too many times how grateful we are that you chose CANFAR as your beneficiary and that ALDO continues to be such a strong supporter in the fight against AIDS. Thank you!

And if we haven't convinced you yet on how cool this was, check out what David had to say before the rally:

“Racing at DAKAR is something I've been dreaming of since I was a teenager. Now that the moment is finally here, it felt strange not to use it for a higher purpose. I chose to devote my race to ALDO Fights AIDS because it's a cause that's important to our company and it's a cause that needs to be talked about. While we‘ve made notable advancements in prevention and medication, the fact remains that there is still no cure for AIDS. CANFAR is an amazing organization and they are well deserving of our support. They were the first AIDS organization we gave money to in 1987 and so with this we continue our support. It could be said that symbolically we hope to finish the rally as much as we hope for an end to AIDS.”

To view more pictures of the ALDO team in the DAKAR see our Facebook page!