01/05/2007
First Aid in the Desert
Sandy dunes, stony ground and rivers in spate - the Dakar Rally demands exceptionally skilled drivers as well as vehicles and technical equipment able to meet even the toughest requirements. On January 6, 2007 the 29th edition of the marathon rally will start and Henkel will be at the starting line again. For the third time in a row selected products from the Loctite® and Teroson brands will prove their ability to withstand the most extreme conditions, and ensure that more than 500 competitors from 42 nations on their way to Dakar won't be delayed by a loose bolt, worn bearing, leaking seal, broken windshield - or any other unexpected incident.
In addition to the Dakar proven mechanical emergency kit containing a huge selection of useful adhesives and sealants, cleaners and tapes for vehicle maintenance and repair, Henkel offers the competitors a very special personal service: For maximum support at every stage of the race Loctite® and Teroson specialists will accompany the rally to provide each team with technical advice and practical help with any products they may need. The Henkel specialists will work together with the drivers and their teams into the early hours of the morning to find appropriate solutions for the competitors' technical problems.
When in Dakar 2006 the windshield of their Mercedes Unimog race truck 503 was broken on the tricky course to Kayes, Giacomo Vismara and Mario Cambiaghi of the Italian Vismara Sport System team had to act quickly because regulations require all race trucks to have an intact windshield. They got help from the Henkel specialists. Their idea was to exchange the intact windshield of the service truck for the damaged one of the race truck.
An ultra fast direct glazing adhesive from Teroson was used to perform the first windshield replacement done on a race truck right in a rally bivouac. The safe drive-away time of this product is only five hours after bonding the windshield, allowing both the race and the service truck to continue their race the next morning.
At the Dakar Rally unpredictable environmental conditions and high temperatures test the limits of the men and their machines. The demanding racing conditions place particularly the mechanical components of the competing vehicles - cars, bikes and trucks alike - under extreme stresses. The Dakar proven Loctite® und Teroson branded products from the Henkel portfolio have been designed to withstand these conditions, making them ideal partners for the 2007 Euromilhões Dakar Rally. The Dakar is an exceptional adventure which demands optimum performance and maximum perfection from the people involved, the machines used and the materials employed. Henkel is making a vital contribution to make sure that the competitors can meet these challenges.