Paris – Dakar: The Circuit of the Baobabs: Africa’s hidden gem
We took the Bridgestone A41 adventure tyre to a triple TTT-challenge. First, we Travelled across Europe to the continent’s west cape in Tarifa, Spain. From there we went Trail riding in Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal, completing a Paris-Dakar trip. But what did the third ‘T’ stand for?
Well, before we left, we knew there was a hidden gem near the capitol of Senegal. Just south of Dakar lies the Circuit of the Baobabs. A true hidden gem, because this is the only FIA approved racetrack in the northern hemisphere of Africa. It was the first permanent racing circuit of West Africa and homologated by the FIA in 2009. The track is used mainly for local races and championships, including the Dakar 6 hours race, organized for the 45th time in 2024. It has 21 corners, a length of 4,7 km and is owned by Paul Libens. The Belgian entrepreneur has always loved Africa, lives there part time and decided to build this track early in the 21st century. Using the old 1000 km race of Dakar as an inspiration and using corner lay outs of famous racetracks to complete this unique Circuit of the Baobabs.
Hard choice
We arrived at the track with our two TTT bikes the day after we reached the Lac Rose. The BMW R 1300 GS and Kawasaki Versys 1000 SE both had Bridgestone A41 tyres that had done 7.000 kilometers on the most challenging surfaces. They were in surprisingly good shape on both bikes. We got permission to use one bike on the track and chose the Japanese inline-four over the German boxer twin.
Look fast
Riding an adventure bike on adventure style road tyres on a racetrack promised to be challenging. But in the end, we had a great time. No other bikes to compete with gave us all the time we needed to get to know the circuit. And there is truth in the saying that if you are alone on a track, you always look fast!
But most of all: we had fun. The Bridgestone A41 performed exceptionally well during the last part of this TTT challenge. In the middle of the Sahel area, one shouldn’t be surprised to find some dust on the track, but after a few laps this was blown away. We had loads of grip and a bike that was surprisingly stable at high speeds. Sure, we had the panniers, but the inline-four and the power of the brakes allowed us to have some serious track fun.
And then there was the view. The architecture of the pit lane, the baobab trees around the track and the African landscape that surrounds the track. What a ride this was.
Why not?
Looking back, this was a perfect end of an amazing experience. We took two bikes on identical tyres through a challenge we will never forget. Using the standard A41 we found out that there is always a choice of roads that is within everybody’s reach. We took a lot of hard pack ‘pistes’ to add to the challenge. But even if you don’t want to ride off road, you can make it from Paris to Dakar. Not sure if you’ll be allowed to ride on the Circuit of the Baobabs once you get there, but Paul Libens is a nice a guy. It’s worth a try! As is the trip from Paris to Dakar. A good bike, a set of A41’s and three weeks of time is all you need. Why not!
