I found this on the Dakar website. It's free to play, might be a fun distraction. You can choose either a car or motorcycle. Here's the pitch:

"Two weeks of racing, nights repairing at the bivouac, 9 000 kilometres to cover, dunes, stones, mountains… This year, web users will for the first time have the possibility to confront the difficulties of the Dakar by registering and playing on a daily basis at VirtualRallyGame.com. Stage by stage, a parallel race will take place for the web adventurers who will be rewarded thanks to the smartness of their choices.

Mouse in hand, the Virtual Rally Game.com players will be invited to take off at the same time as the rally competitors. On the day’s special, their vision will be limited to around 30 kilometres from their position. They will first have to decide on where they’re heading to clear the mandatory way-points. According to the nature of the terrain, one will have to adapt the tire pressure and the speed level. Beware, on an endurance race like the Dakar, one rapidly digs deep into his physical capacities as well as the machine’s. To get as much energy as possible and take good care of the vehicle, operations will also have to be done during the night, at the bivouac. The extreme challenge is also in front of your screens."

VirtualRallyGame.com