Honda preparing Dakar assault

How'd this Honda Dakar factory effort get to become a Brit thread?

I'm about to start an historical epic post from the Portuguese Discoveries to the Dakar times! After all the flagship will be piloted by Portugese Helder Rodrigues

It hasn't just a question with regard to Sam - still a team HRC one - also it couldn't - it would run out too quick - lol

Very nice list!

Where did you find that info? I'd be interested how many austrian riders have finished the dakar.

Can't help with the statistics but one thing is certain: the most famous non-finisher of the Dakar would be Austrian: Heinz Kinigadner

OUCH! ( but funny ) and true!

Come to think of it... an interesting statistic would be to find out who does have the most DAKAR dnf's...?

Kini wouldn't be a bad bet (he certainly among the most publicized)... but there could be someone else...?

looks as though JONAH has the best record....... Just sayin'

Kini got (correct me if I'm wrong) 7 starts and 7 dnf's...

Haha ok, bit of a hijacking, ill get back in my box now! As for the stats, I found the Dakar retrospective book on the website, lists everything from the very first Dakar up until 2009, after that, it was a case of checking online..

You can download the pdf here: http://www.dakar.com/dakar/2013/us/history.html

Thanks! Great resource!

Jaap van der Kooij , 17 starts from the top of my head, 17 DNFs....

Trying again in 2013...

Now that is one very rich Eddie the Eagle!! :eek1:eek1:eek1

What's the story?

+1

He owns a few small chip shops and his friends keep sponsoring him, trouble he has is a lack of base speed to make it through. Plus the fact that he tried 14 times in Africa, which was a totally different ball game alltogether if you ask me.

He has plenty of great stories, including waking up in an egyptian army hospital after getting lost, breaking all his bones, being found, recovered and shipped to that hospital, trouble was that there was misscommunication in the bivouac and nobody was informed where they had flown him to...

Google translate this http://www.adversus.nl/lifestyle/interviews/jaapvanderkooy/

I just got a call from JCR to prepare roadbooks for the guys to use to test the new bikes over here in a month or so. Seems they are serious about getting the bugs worked out in some tough terrain while having some good roadbook navigation practice at the same time.

Wish I could come!

Hog You are such a TEASE!

We'll be expecting photos. Glorious, full-colour hi resolution photos

Hi Scott!

That's also the word here. HRC had something new already developed that is now being modified with Helder's suggestions / requirements.