David Castera: Electronic roadbooks “more than sufficient” despite Morocco mishap

Many bike riders were suddenly left perplexed with little time to react when their electronic roadbooks malfunctioned during the Rallye du Maroc in October. This forced the competitors to scroll through the roadbook manually by hand while riding, a doable but inconvenient task especially among those jockeying for the World Rally-Raid Championship or using the race to prepare for the Dakar Rally.

“After 120 kilometres, my tablet completely shut down,” recalled Rally2 rider Dušan Drdaj, whose roadbook failed in Stage #4. “The screen went black and I was just following the tracks. When we took it [off the bike], it was rattling.”

Developed by ERTF, the digital roadbook is intended to be a replacement for paper. Electronic roadbooks present advantages such as not using up as much paper while organisers can make necessary adjustments automatically, though others prefer paper if they feel the digital screens are too difficult to view in sunlight or the system is susceptible to glitches as was the case in Morocco.

ERTF has two global positioning systems for W2RC competition: the Unik 2, which can be used in tandem with a paper roadbook, and the Unik 4, a fully digital system. The Unik 2 is present in the top-level RallyGP class and among Rally2 riders who are competing for W2RC points, whereas Quad riders and non-championship Rally2 competitors can only install Unik 4 on their vehicles.

David Castera, director of the Dakar Rally and Amaury Sport Organisation, released a letter to all riders on Thursday hoping to “silence the rumours aimed at slowing down the roll-out of this electronic tablet.” Digital roadbooks are already mandated for drivers and co-drivers in the FIA categories, all of which utilise the Unik 4 system.

“All developments generate criticism and bring together sceptics. But criticism must remain constructive, and that’s what I expect from all of you,” Castera wrote.

“We recognise that the scroll button malfunctioned during the Rallye du Maroc. This problem has now been resolved. ERTF, the supplier of the tablet, will contact all competitors who are in possession of the old version to give them instructions on how to proceed. Apart from this point, the tablet has worked very well.

“I’d like to reassure any amateur riders who have received bad feedback: the screen is easy to see in 95% of situations and is more than sufficient for anyone who isn’t here to win the Dakar. Most of what you read or hear is disinformation.

“True to our way of working, we are continuing with ERTF to integrate a new and brighter screen, which will be deployed shortly and will put an end to the paper road book for everyone.

“Thank you for your attention, for taking part in this Dakar and for being open to change, to the necessary evolution of our sport.”

The 2024 Dakar Rally begins on 5 January.