This is the Statt Mann Baby. It's time to Scatt a little bit.

By mid-summer we’ll be up to our eyebrows in hype about some stock car driver or another who’ll be complaining about some reporter, or a track that’s too smooth or races that are too long or come on the calendar too often.

It happens every year. There’s no reason to suspect we won’t be hearing it again this year.

It’s hilarious to think about that tedium while watching The Dakar Rally.

The teams had a rest day Sunday after battling their way from the Atlantic Coast of Argentina to the Pacific Coast of Chile this week.

On the way they traversed one of the highest roads in the world. They would have competed over the Paso San Francisco’s near 16,000 foot summit border crossing into Chile if it hadn’t been for the two days of bad weather that hammered the road this week.

Now they’ll contend with the world’s driest desert. Scientists compare it to Mars. It’s where Dakar resumes Monday.
No one’s cursing the media. No one’s trying to hurt their competitors. And no one’s complaining that the route’s too anything. It’s Dakar.

Sounds like a mature, adult way to compete, don’t you think?

Peace.