2013 Dakar Pre-Event Discussion

.............:d

as we approach the links will appear for video. Your best up to date info will come from here in the racing forum. The "official" dakar threads will appear the day of or day before the race. Find a comfy chair, get a good mouse, and a couple of screens. And hold on.

Here's a good video with highlights from last year. I'd expect the link to be the same for this year. Even if you don't speaky, the footy is good.

Dakar online - RTVE.es A la Carta

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/A-X9oHRyDUM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

My damn cable provider changed the Eurosport audio feed from English to German. Looks like I will have to rely on the web for Carlton like the US F5ers.

Welcome to my world . In here you get Portuguese over cable (adsl, whatever). Last year to go around, I subscribed to the Eurosport online thing. Allegedly it would allow me to get the English voice over by choosing it on a settings combo box. No way, it would not work and I got the same Portuguese comments I have on cable. Wrote them, got an automated answer and nothing else.

What a bl¤¤dy shame that GHR/Honda could not get BOTH of these guys to the "BIG SHOW" in january... with his (35th ?) placing on debut in 2011 (and a few top 15 leg results) despite some problems along the way, Jake would have been an ideal two man assault team paired with brother Todd.

Aside from Ben Grabham (riding with KTM australia support in Dakar this coming event), Jake and Todd are the TWO most dominant and repeatedly successful riders from Oz in the safari/cross country scene.

A shame HRC can't find a spot for one of them?

Interestingly and significantly so, each time Helder has taken out 3rd at Dakar he was operating out of a single van with 1 mechanic and 2 helpers on a bike he developed himself.................no factory team, no massive support structure, just a solid talented rider and a sorted experienced team

2012 first stage: van delayed, no helpers in the bivuoac so no fresh tires to the next morning

Sounds very efficient.

I mean the part where's he's got it down to a science, not the delayed van part, that can happen to anybody

doyle & beechum1

Thanks for all the great tips.

Everyone has posted their predictions and who they are rooting for. So, I have to say the guy I am rooting for probably and most likely will not podium. But, he is the one I would like to sit in a pub and a pint with is # 51 Simon Pavey. :slurp

Go Simon!!!

Helder has multiple Dakars under his belt and numerous international rallies - his objective each year is to win Dakar so his preparation (and his mechanics) all year is to complete that objective and so far without success. This year he has a factory team, massive support structure, experienced mechanics and support riders, to complement his rider ability - he is for the first time a real contender to get on the top step.




The comment was also made that Helders van was delayed and he had no fresh tyres for stage 2 - the result was a 12th position - the ktm factory guys ran 1-2 in the stage - their van turned up.

As we all know Dakar is a tough event and if the only thing you have to worry about each morning is be on time for your start minute, then its a little less tough.

Ben goes to Dakar on a bike that he is not that familar with and as a result of his accident and the late arrival of the bike, has not had the bike time on it that he would no doubt have liked. He has only half completed one rally on a similar bike experiencing the full nav setup, his mechanic while very competent and resourceful has never experienced the relentless daily grind of a Dakar schedule.

I believe that we (OZ) have a group of riders that have the talent to do well at Dakar - with Fishy/Ben/Todd/Rod/Warren all having podium finishes in Safari as well as other desert success, so each has a shot at finishing, where they finish will be a factor of talent and resources.

via Dakar.com





enters match mode

12/05/12
Disqualified from Dakar 2012 where he was ranking 2nd overall, Robby Gordon enters with a Hummer which, following preliminary checks, fulfills all regulatory requirements. The American will be at the starting line on 5 January and adds his name to the list of contenders for the title.

• 

Francis Ford Coppola had Matt Dillon say “Don't you know a rumble ain't a rumble without me?” just before the final scene of the film Outsiders. It is exactly in this spirit that Robby Gordon has been simmering away for several weeks whilst awaiting the official confirmation of his participation in Dakar 2013. Whilst the necessary checks were being carried out on his Hummer, the American looked on from afar at the crews who would be competing for the title in a few weeks' time. Just like his teammate from last year Nasser Al Attiyah and the returning Carlos Sainz, both equipped with brand new buggies, the Californian showman will come to challenge the Minis of Stéphane Peterhansel and Nani Roma. The H3 that sparked debate in 2012 has been vetted in the workshops of Charlotte: it has been initially declared fit to jump in the dunes of Peru, Argentina and Chile, between 5 and 20 January next year. Gordon, who will be displaying race number 315 on his car in Lima, also aims to improve on the 3rd place gained in 2009, at the first South American Dakar. . The “rebel” will be flanked by his co-pilot in 2011, Kellon Walch. But with the sheer amount of buggies and 4x4s capable of competing at the highest possible level, places on the podium carry an even higher price tag!

It's nice to see RG teaming up with another Moto guy (and Dakar veteran) for his Nav/co-dawg.

Well THIS will be fun!

Hope no-one minds if I give Pyndon's fund raising a quick plug - this is from his Dakar preparation thread http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=777301

A couple of pretty rare signed bits of KTM memorabilia that would make great Christmas gifts !

So there will be only 1 Hummer running this year for Team Gordon ?

On Planetrobby there's a lot of speculation on the second crew, as apparently they have a second buggy ready to go. Mark Miller and Andy Grider, to name a couple.

Peter POOPY-pants already complaining.

"Robby Gordon talks about entering the 2013 Dakar Rally after one of his competitors makes a comment about him and his HUMMER

PETERHANSEL COMMENTING ON ROBBY GORDON ENTERING THE 2013 DAKAR RALLY:

“This is a cheater born, we are here to compete, not for show race, and this is not the circus, even if it pleased the audience.”
“We must fight on equal terms, Robby Gordon must comply with the rules. If this is the case, it is welcome. Otherwise. Not!”

PETERHANSEL IS NOT ONLY CALLING YOU A CHEATER BUT CALLING YOU A SHOWMAN RATHER THAN A RACER, HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO THAT?

RG: I take that personal, the fact he is calling me a cheater or my team a cheater. We explained our system last year to A.S.O. at initial technical inspection and we did not change anything from that day of initial tech on our car until the day they saw our car, saying it wasn't legal. With all that said what Peterhansel needs to understand is this is the entertainment business and it is not just about racecars. If it was just about racecars we would all be driving diesel powered Mini’s and they would sound like a bunch of sewing machines.

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT HIM TALKING ABOUT FIGHTING ON EQUAL TERMS?

RG: We are really excited to go to the Dakar, last year A.S.O. can say we were disqualified, but to be honest with you at the end of the day we finished 5th and it wasn’t worth fighting with them. So we'll except whatever we have to except, but in regards to Peterhansel and playing fair and square, we played by the rules A.S.O. told us we could play by last year and they came and inspected our cars for 2013 and we are ready for the challenge. Last year if you take out the stages I had to tow Al-Attiyah around we would have been easily ahead of Peterhansel at that point. This year our car is even better fine tuned, we’ve had more time to work on it. Even with the inflation disconnected last year, I want to remind Peterhansel that we beat him 10-15 minutes a day when we wanted to go. So he's going to have to tighten his seat belts and we are ready for the battle. There is STILL nothing Monster, about his Mini!"

Well, we'll just have to see if the Hummer has the SPEED this year...

... maybe RG should get ENDURANCE on as a co-sponsor as well...??