After three years of planning, training and racing, Dakar 2010: Argentina - Chile has now come and gone. Rick Hatswell  is one of very few Canadians to have ever attempted Dakar. Please join me in congratulating Rick on a successful race!

Along with Craftsman Collision, BASF, Jim Pattison Lease & The Jim Pattison Auto Group, I am proud to be a founding sponsor of Rick Hatswell and the “Road to the Rally” racing team which competed in the 2010 edition of the prestigious Dakar - a 15 day, 10,000KM rally race across Argentina and Chile.

Dakar is an annual rally type, off-road race organized by the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO). Most events since the inception in 1978 were from Paris, France to Dakar, Senegal. Due to political instability in Africa, the 2009 and 2010 editions of Dakar were raced in South America - the first time the race has occurred outside of Europe and Africa. The race is open to amateur and professional entries.

Most of the competitive special sections are off-road, crossing dunes, mud, camel grass, rocks among others. The distance of each stage varies from short distances up to as much as 800–900 kilometers per day.

To prepare for this challenge, Rick was suported locally and in the USA by Rally Management Services. He also competed in the 2009 Shamrock Rally of Morocco in late October. Please enjoy the following video featuring highlights of this years race: