Budapest-Bamako
The Budapest-Bamako or Great African Run is a charity car race in Europe and Africa, and the largest amateur rally in the world.
It passes through Hungary, Austria or Slovenia, Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, Mauritania and Mali.
After first envisioning a direct drive through the Sahara in Tunisia, Libya, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali he opted for a safer and more scenic route around the Western rim of Africa.
Among the more unusual vehicles were a 1961 Velorex, an Ikarus 435 articulated bus, an ice cream truck, a Dacia, a Wartburg and a Polish Fiat 126.
In 2010 edition of the rally was directed by four time Budapest-Bamako veterans, Andras Polgar and his brother Tamas.
Less than 36 hours before the start, the Mauritanian and Mali stages were cancelled after the Hungarian Foreign Ministry warned the Polgars of potential terror threats in Mauritania.
[7] Despite the changes in the official finish line 41 teams and over 25 tons of aid arrived in Bamako without incident after on February 1, 2010.
[12] Even though Mali become Ebola free just days before the rally started, the 2015 edition saw a record number of cancellations.
Two months prior to the start, on Nov 20, 2015 Islamist militants took 170 people hostage in a hotel in Mali.
Because of the large number of cancellations, breakdowns and continued fears only 68 teams finished out of the 120 who entered the rally.
[14] During the intermediate years the team will produce a series of road rallies and adventure trips on the Bamako-Adventures umbrella.
[15] Some teams continue traveling independently after reaching Bamako, either driving back to Europe, or to other places in Africa.
Citing organizational complexities and difficulties with making arrangements in Africa, the organizers announced in January 2016 that the rally would henceforth be held every other year.
During the intermediate years they would organize a similar charity rally, road trip or community adventure to another part of the world.
Teams lined up for the start ceremony in Budapest before a four-day super marathon stage, west across Europe and then on to Midelt in Morocco.
The competition was won by the Jatekshop.hu Team of Hamza Péter, Felméri László, Nagy Zoltán, and Heksh Kálmán in a Nissan Patrol.
[18][19] This run hosted the first Tesla to cross the Sahara[20][21] and continued the charity mission, delivering a school bus, aid, multiple vehicle donations and digging a well in a village outside JanJanBureh, The Gambia.
[25] Unlike in previous years the drivers had to cross the Sahara in October where daytime temperatures sometimes reached 50 degrees Celsius.
The oldest participant was 70-year-old Polish driver Julian Obricki, who returned to Africa for the first time since the 1988 Dakar Rally.
Julius Maada Bio and members of the Sierra Leone government welcomed the finishers in Freetown on November 8.
[27] During the finish line ceremony, organizing team member Szabolcs Petery died of a heart attack.
A second group called, Budapest-Bamako Adventure Extra set out two and a half weeks after the original rally from Fez, Morocco.
The first group was on high alert and had to change bivouacs in Senegal due to nationwide protests amid President Macky Sall postponing elections.
[29] For the second group the Guinean border was temporarily sealed after Mamady Doumbouya dissolved the government of Guinea.
This edition aimed to replicate the original 2005 route as closely as possible, though the rally concluded in Banjul, the capital of Gambia, instead of Bamako.
The Budapest-Bamako is primarily a charity event, that brings direct donations to communities in Mali and Mauritania.
The Bayer Red Cross donated a minivan for the Institute for the Blind in Bamako after it was driven from Europe.
Since 2007, British cable and satellite broadcaster, Travel Channel airs the Budapest To Bamako series.
