The Paris-Dakar Rally isn't very big in the US, but it is in Europe and other parts of the world. For decades, it was the quintessential international motorsport expedition event - more so than the Camel Trophy and its other motorized adventure race style events.As a kid, I remember watching the day's highlights on TV, and sitting next to my dad on Sunday evenings as the race was recapped stage by stage. Helicopters equipped with cameras followed intrepid racers in kit cars and modified supercross bikes as they raced balls out across the North African desert. The crashes were as spectacular as the scenery. The teams were made up of seemingly unshakable professional adventurers and thrill-seekers. Drivers routinely got stuck in the sand and had to get themselves unstuck. Mechanical problems had to be fixed without assistance. The race was as much aout self-reliance and survival as it was about horsepower and speed.