ALDO Racing Division participates in the upcoming 2012 DAKAR Rally

December 5, 2011, Montreal, Quebec: The ALDO Racing team, driver and President of ALDO Global Retail and Product Services, David Bensadoun, along with Navigator, Patrick Beaule and Crew Chief Yves Turcotte, will be competing in the 2012 DAKAR Rally. In preparation for DAKAR, David Bensadoun announced that the team will be devoting their race to the finish line- to the fight against AIDS, with a set goal of raising $500,000 for CANFAR, The Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research.“Racing at DAKAR is something I've been dreaming of since I was a teenager. Now that the moment is finally here, it felt strange not to use it for a higher purpose. I chose to devote my race to ALDO Fights AIDS because it's a cause that's important to our company and it's a cause that needs to be talked about. While we‘ve made notable advancements in prevention and medication, the fact remains that there is still no cure for AIDS. CANFAR is an amazing organization and they are well deserving of our support. They were the first AIDS organization we gave money to in 1987 and so with this we continue our support. It could be said that symbolically we hope to finish the rally as much as we hope for an end to AIDS” - David BensadounBy competing in the rally for a cause, David brings to life what has come to be known as the “DAKAR Spirit”. After six years of racing and training in Canada, the United States and Morocco, the team is now ready to face the treacherous terrain of DAKAR. Starting off in Argentina and ending in Peru, DAKAR is 14 days long, 9,000 km and a race which few complete. The DAKAR Rally is not just difficult to finish, it is equally difficult to enter. Each year, 150 car entrants are accepted and of those, only forty percent will be capable of finishing the race. Since the start of DAKAR in 1977, just seven Canadian teams have participated and none to date have been able to finish in the car category of the rally.Participating in the DAKAR Rally is an enduring challenge and an adventure of a lifetime on par with climbing Mount Everest. David Bensadoun, along with his team, anxiously await their challenge that is set to begin January 1st, 2012.Bensadoun has already raised $200, 000 and is quickly moving towards his goal of $500, 000. The funds raised will be given to The Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research. CANFAR is Canada's only independent charitable foundation dedicated to eliminating AIDS through research.

“CANFAR is honoured to be the beneficiary of the ALDO Racing team’s DAKAR Rally Race, and we thank David Bensadoun and his team as they embark on this great adventure,” said CANFAR President & CEO, Christopher Bunting. “The money raised by ALDO and David will support new research as we continue our quest to develop the vaccine and find the cure that will finally eradicate AIDS from our planet.”