2013 Dakar Pre-Event Discussion

No team riders, offering support packages for paying customers?

Presuming Coma rides another couple of years (with Cyril?)....well as you mentioned it doesn't give much time to source and mold some talent. A few names of potential aliens come to mind though....time will tell I suppose.

So the question is, how do you get Americans into rally. I had no interest in racing at all until seeing a rally race. I think it is above and beyond other forms of racing, especially going round and round an asphalt track. Not meaning to offend, just my opinion.

Surely an American Dakar winner would be the best way to raise the profile of the sport in the US? It's still relatively unknown in the UK (although a lot better known than it used to be).

Latest interview I read from Johnny Aubert is that Ktm wanted him to focus on his enduro season. I guess according to him his Dakar affected his training this year. "The rallye is my future everybody knows that but right now we decided to focus 100% to go and get another title". I guess If you put yourself in KTM shoes they may feel like that they do not need to spread out their E2 title contender as they have already 2 of the best guys out there to secure a Dakar win. Granted with Coma out they are left with one... We will see what happen, this is going to be a fun dakar!

No bets you are quite correct

Regarding Aubert...

He was interviewed by TBM magazine here in the UK last year and it seems he had a real struggle to get KTM to allow him to race the Dakar in 2012 due to them wanting him to concentrate on the WEC, so not surprising they were not keen on funding another entry for 2013

You need a US rider and the US systems applied and the sport would lift off in the US.

This ONLY means Johnny Campbell. His personality is proven at team management and developing awesome riders.

The HRC Japanese engineers would do or make almost anything for him. He might be 41 but he brings an awesome history.

Troy safari is probably better qualified to make this point but I see a time when the crf450 base sled is used like the old xr600 sled was - in every dam event on the globe. To win. Safaris. Dakar. Anything else?

I think the new 450x base is going to be the start of the (long awaited) fightback by Honda for global domination managed and led by none other than JC himself.

Awesome

Holy bromance Batman

Wasn't Taddy Blazusiak hangin out on a Dakar bike last year. Talk about an Alien.

What about Bubba on a Rally bike...that would be a hoot!

I'm a huge rally fan, but don't see rally ever being extremely popular in the USA. The fact is it's a big boy (adult) sport that requires big boy dollars and requires big land. It's not very family oriented like MX or Enduro or Hare Scramble racing, with classes for the kids, the wife and the hubby.

If rmhrc628 ever gets a pit pass to visit the Dakar, Johnny JCR is gonna have to get a 200 meter restraining order put out on him by ASO... :huh


JC: "Hey dude... can ya' get up off yer knees when were in the bivouac... it's getting kinda em'barrisin'..."

Taddy is awesome, but I don't think his trials/hard enduro backround translates well to rally. I think the American desert racers like Jonah, KC, and JC would make the transition the easiest? We have a lot of them, we just need to get them entered.

Lol ya smartass. :)

The 70 degree berg's advantage was a short vertical moment of inertia allowing quick side to side transitions and making the bike feel lighter than it is, although it has a relatively high CoG. I don't think rally is it's best application, where you need to load the bike with a lot of weight up high, when it is already top heavy?

I'd like to think that you are right mate (about the CRF/Rally spuring an XR-like resurgence in the popularity/usage in wider everyday applications... both racing and recreational)... but I think your looking at it through your rose coloured (HRC) glasses and just a touch high on those JCR feromones...

The XR was a success (in many facets of racing and recreational applications) that is pretty much unparalelled in modern times (old timers will claim that the ancient BSA singles and even the more contemporary DT1 Yamaha's excelled in any number of different racing or recreational applications... depending on wether the guards were up high... or down low and what type of tyres/gearing/exhaust were fitted). Sure there were XR's that won Oz Safari's (lots of them) Baja's (a good fistful of them), GNCC's, Hare n Hounds, Enduro's... hell, even some loonies stripped everything off them they could and raced them in 4 stroke MX (White Bros Nationals, Thumper Nat's etc.) and yeah, they did attain a great deal of success. And this led to a cult following out amongst club enduro riders, trail riders, play racers and budding adventure riders the world over... that still exists today (well over a decade after the last XR 600 R rolled out of the factory).

This "crossover" from competition to everyday joe racer is what set the bike apart... but what kept it there was it's relative (compared to todays workshop intensive 450cc competition enduro mounts) simplicity of ease and maintenence.

The HRC CRF 450 Rally is every bit as specialized and unobtainium enriched as the factory KTM 450 Rally. If they make a "customer spec" version available for other competition riders (like the KTM 450 RR) that too will be a fairly specialized, specific use type of motorcycle. For the CRF to gain a wider acceptance amongs the adventure/trail rider genre, it will need to undergo significant engine changes in order to meet the "everyday use criteria" that you "XR analogy" dictates. I am thinking total engine redesign in a slim chassis package... Think; DRZ400E engine in RMX 450 chassis... or similar.

HONDA have no 400 cc engine of this type... is it in the works, will HONDA make a CRF Rally styled production model... with a suitable dual pupose type motor... and "reinvent" the legendary XR 400 of the 21st century?

I dunno, maybe... but then again, I was still waiting on the 25th for santa to leave a KTM 690 Adventure Unicorn under my tree... sometimes I think they're just out to toy with our emotions mate...

Troy

Honda has said as much haven't they? They ARE going to release special Crf rallye bolt on parts. If this eventuates, it's a major strategic improvement compared to the xr600 where Honda really left its development and enhancement to the aftermarket (as well as crazies like me who convert them to estart sleds with fcrs and usds).

I've mistaken the Crf rallye if what you say is true. I see the Crf rallye as far more obtainium than a one off ktm rallye.

I think it will go like this:

Rmhrc buys his ADR spec base sled crf450x. Then he buys rallye shop parts which are largely bolt on to suit his application (s) Backed up by the supply chain of the worlds largest motorcycle manufacturer.

The difference between my xr experience and now is HRC will clip the ticket on more parts. They will also fit far easier and more cleanly.

Balooshi was a local UAE KTM effort only with locally raised money and Red Bull Arabia support; all as he was a UAE National.
A good rider and well known local sportsman but never even close to say Sam ( who was employed by KTM Dubai) best part of lap down on local MX, 10 mins or more on Baja and 20 mins on a rally stage.

All the money was raised locally and paid to big brother in full for the " ride". The local KTM agency drove the effort, which was also to be for 2013, but some local politics and management changes within the dealership put paid to their "Race to Dakar"

For 2012 Honda Rally Raid allowed Sam an entry, but again funded by a local Dubai based company and mainly as KTM Dubai just could not fund more than 1 rider for 2012 and as is the way around here (no arguments) that fell to Balooshi, pretty much the same as any nation/region if you are expecting local support?

After the 2012 effort fell short on mechanicals and accidents the HRC effort was spawned/announced and presumably based on the knowledge of his ability and potential Sam was retained.
Just unfortunately the run of bad luck has still dogged him!

Now, on KTM "head office" - I believe we can assume that they have a good idea of what they are doing (and has been said it certainly isn't broke, so doesn't need fixing!) and have a development (succession) plan or plan's and between the tight knit Austrian group of KTM, Red Bull and Kini, I'm pretty sure their vision is intact - they are just not spilling the beans as yet, but with the F5peculation being what it is we will have the plan on line soon

HRC may prove the benefits of EFI and as Doyle has advised this will be an area of focus - third party developed and purchased of course and tested and developed at someone else's expense

For now the KTM effort is still far from broke, yes it may be part bent at the moment, but hey that's Motorsport and sport in general - find me an annual, bi annual or 4 yearly event when one or more top names doesn't make it through injury - a normal event, but wow it has certainly caused a shit storm in F5land

And where did CD get his start on 2 wheels...Trials I do believe.

Are we there yet??