Dakar 2014 - Official Event Coverage - thank you all, lurkers and posters!!!

I did not understand they 5 meter at all, thought translation issue, but know you got the pic, damm, ............................

thanks for clearing this

that's the nice part of F5. Thanks

Wow! I copied Pyndon's post of most excellence this morning and emailed it to numerous friends. I return to my key board to see that Ned followed up.
I was teaching skiing today at my local ski hill in New Mexico. We were not busy in ski school, I asked to be released. All I could explain was one simple word 'DAKAR'.

was the response.

Those that race the Dakar are warriors. Marathon racing at it's highest and purest level.

Huba huba

http://www.diariouno.com.ar/ovacion...e-los-que-habiamos-pensado-20140111-0067.html

Bing translation:

"Dropouts are more than those who had thought"


David Castera, sports director of Dakar and in charge of drawing the paths of the rally, confessed that not imagined "that were going to have some early so hard"."The Dakar is a difficult test," he said.



David Castera, director sports of Dakar and head draw the paths of the rally, had anticipated that the sixth edition of the South American would be the most difficult but not entered in its calculations, accomplished the first week, only 40 percent of competitors continue in career.

"I could not imagine that we were going to have some hard early. The truth is that it rained much and that complicated things with cuts on the way, broken roads and the other issue that complicated everything was the heat,"said Castera.

This man who once acknowledged that he feels satisfied when a pilot insults him "because that means that the stage was good", says now that the initial difficulty designed by the organizers joined him "incredible temperatures' coming in the fifth stage to range between 47 and 49 degrees.

For Castéra "Dakar is a difficult test but need balance: is not good to end with just 10 runners." We should not be selective".

"But the Dakar is a difficult test that requires physical, moto, head, many things, and keep them all. That is missing may not terminate. Same, dropouts are more than those who had thought,"added.

Castera said that during the six years the Dakar in South America, a combination of factors was present to harden the stages, not only the number of kilometers. The 2014 will be the most extensive in kilometer run rally since the competition changed continent.

In this sense, sport director stressed that in designing the route was taken into account "Interleave different types of terrain", as happened in these six stages contested.

"We are more near what we've done in Morocco, with roads with lot of stone, less rapid and more complicated, which means that the pilot will fight more, will be more time in the vehicle. All this creates more difficulties", summarized

In Chile, instead, "we are not going to have such high temperatures and when we get to Calama surely will be cooler, with 25 degrees, never more than 30, and close to the sea. They are best known land,"remarked Castéra.

As every first week, French spoke with the press to take stock of the competition, although this time the death of the pilot of motorcycles, the Belgian Eric Palante, found Friday on a road in the fifth stage race, flew over the talk.

"Always do self-critical of what could have gone wrong, what needs to be improved, because if we do not move, but for me today is not the day to do it." Perhaps for you Yes, but must await the end of the Dakar,"apologized.

However, the sports director rejected complaints about the road-book (book of roads): "is made by men and may have errors, but tends to be very tight. Checkpoints on Thursday were almost perfect but it is also very difficult for pilots to accept that they are wrong and always attributed the failure to the road-book. 10 Years ago I do this job and am accustomed,"has resigned.

Hope no-one minds me posting this

Nine years ago we lost Fabrizio Meoni on the Dakar. Once you have seen footage of Fabrizio blasting through the desert sands on a 950 Adventure, you will never forget ....................

At the time it was not common knowledge that he was personally supporting a school in Dakar and his work has been carried on by the Fabrizo Meoni Foundation

http://www.fondazionefabriziomeoni.it/fabrizio_meoni.php

Cyril Despres published a book covering his (at the time) 4 Dakar victories and all the profits from the book go to supporting the work started by Fabrizio - I have a copy and can strongly recommend it as an essential item for any Dakar fan's bookshelf.



The book can be purchased here http://www.cyrildespres-shop.com/default.asp?pgflngid=1

Take a look - it's for a good cause

Poignant words indeed from Lyndon, who's been there and done that.

As someone who has suffered mild altitude sickness myself, I was concerned at the marathon stage this week where the bivouac was at 17000 feet. Very hard to rest at that altitude when your basically gasping for oxygen all night. And the increased likelihood for rider error due to increased fatigue and the effects of altitude on cognitive ability and decision making. I can't help thinking that this has contributed to the high attrition rates this first week.

Supporting your efforts to make it in 2015, Lyndon. You've earned your hero status already

Taking out roadbook navigation in favor of GPS nav would take away a key component of rallye. This is a discipline which rewards the rider who can go fast while still maintaining their wits and interpreting their roadbook. Following a GPS course would remove half of what makes rally raiding interesting to those who do it. It would still be a race, and it would probably still be watched, but it's just not the same, and it certainly wouldn't be rallye.

Holy crap; I got into the bivouac late two days ago to find the circus had left without me. Thank god for a rest day, so I could catch up.

Carry on.

Valle de caligasta. On the other side of the hill from san juan. Mouse over in google earth to see the elevations.

Aaahh! Nice work! It looked like he was well off the piste in some sort of creek bed. That pano shows it perfectly! No wonder he taco'd that front wheel!!

Who is the BIGGER CLOWN ???????

Good Job guys !!
I can not wait to talk when you both get back home!!!

Bing tranlation:
http://formosa.tuformosa.com/noticia/96522?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Dakar 2014, extreme: five drivers are in a Tucumán hospital







De Souza, the Frenchman Alain Germet, Spaniards are Dario July Gilbert climbed and Enric Marti Flix, and Argentina's Adrian Yacopini.



Five drivers who are participating in the Rally Dakar 2014 are hospitalized in a hospital in the Tucumán capital, various injuries suffered during the fifth leg between Chilecito, La Rioja and Tucumán.

Athletes are in the Padilla hospital and are out of danger.

One of the wounded is the Brazilian pilot Dario Julio De Souza, who competes in the moto Honda No. 37, and that should be transferred from the track of the London aerodrome, in Catamarca. De Souza suffered a cardiac arrest and a clavicle fracture. It is stable.

In addition, the Frenchman Alain Germet, driving a KTMmotorbike, suffered head trauma and cervical with loss of consciousness. In the last hours, he regained consciousness.

Another wounded is the Spanish rider Gilbert climbed, who ran with a Suzuki bike with the number 97 and is boarding school therapy internsiva.

In addition, the mendocino Adrian Yacopini, who was driving a BMW X 3, is interned and left the competition.

The other pilot boarding school is the Spanish Enric Marti Flix, which ran in a 450 EC Raid Gas Gas and the JVO Racing team

Esta tarde, diluvio universal así que aquí me tenéis haciendo el roadbook en la habitación del camión

Actually if he fell 5 meters down he could have flown off the top edge of the image (maybe a road edge?) and nosed into the gully before or after the logs. That would break the front end in either case. Only Chaleco can tell us for sure.

I think he snapped the left fork leg too!!! Brutal off piste downhill to take at speed! Lucky to make it out of there with his body intact I'd think.

Hi. SBS coverage mentioned an 18 year old Quad rider. True or false?

Cheers
Pilbara

yeah, holy crap, lucky to survive a trip off an ambankment like that at all. I mean, criminy- just lucky there wasnt anyting bigger than anything he actually hit!

Poor Chaleco getting punishment from all over! Sherco hosing down a KTM...