Don Quixote was the knight-errant whose fictionalised adventures became a classic from the Spanish Golden Age. Now a modern-day adventure tale with athletes and motorbikes is unfolding in the Quixotic tradition. So, what exactly is Red Bull Don Quixote all about?
1) The main attraction of Red Bull Don Quixote will be Spain’s multiple world championship-winning enduro star Iván Cervantes. The story of Don Quixote was written by Spaniard Miguel de Cervantes in the 17th century. See what we did there?
2) Miguel de Cervantes wrote the first part of his original novel in 1605 (with a second part in 1615 now regarded as part of the same work) in La Mancha, Spain. Red Bull Don Quixote will be taking place in Herencia, in the heart of La Mancha, on November 29, 2009.
3) The original tale was actually called El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha, or ‘The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha’. The ingenious Iván Cervantes will be joined on his modern-day quest for glory by, among other big names, Marc Coma, winner of this year’s Dakar Rally and the recent Morocco Rally, and 2004 Dakar Rally winner Nani Roma.
4) In certain languages, ‘Don Quixote’ is pronounced ‘Donkey Shot’, but the hero of Cervantes’ novel rode a horse called Rocinante, not a donkey. The trusty steed of his successor Iván Cervantes is a KTM E3-class enduro bike with a four-stroke, 510cc engine, producing 56bhp. Handy for climbing scenic rocky outcrops, those 56 horses.
KTM Images
5) The original Don Quixote, seen by many as mad, rode with a companion, his ‘squire’ Sancho Panza. As many as 1,000 riders will tackle a tough enduro course, also in pairs, on their bikes – Vassallo (the amateurs) do one circuit, Hidalgo (pros) do two – and some people think they’re mad, too!
6) The original Don Quixote character thought the windmills of La Mancha were fearsome giants and tried to attack them. The only giants the riders will have to attack are the fiendishly difficult obstacles strewn over the four stages of the 50km Red Bull Don Quixote course.
7) In the novel, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza met a colourful cast of characters including publicans, prostitutes, goatherds, soldiers, priests, fugitive criminals and cheated lovers. It’s likely that the competitors will come across some (though we hope not all) of those characters during Red Bull Don Quixote – an estimated 5,000 enthusiastic fans are expected to watch the action in Spain.
8) The self-styled knight-errant Don Quixote was made a fool of and tricked by the well-to-do gentry he encountered on his travels. The modern-day travellers will be treated rather more respectfully – after scrutineering to ensure their bikes are suitable for the event on Sunday, competitors are invited to a welcome dinner by the organisers on Saturday.
9) Eighties pop star Nik Kershaw had a hit with a song called Don Quixote, one of the lyrics of which was ‘Don Quixote/What do you say?/Are we shouting at windmills like you?’ In Red Bull Don Quixote, the sound bouncing off the windmills is more likely to be the roar of an enduro motorbike engine from one of the hundreds of competitors as they tackle La Mancha’s tough terrain.
10) There have been dozens of film adaptations of Cervantes’ original tale, with the next big-money take on the story due from former Monty Python star and acclaimed director Terry Gilliam in 2011. In the meantime, you can enjoy a brief preview of Red Bull Don Quixote here. You can also check out the official redbulldonquixote.com website (please note that this site is in Spanish!).
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