The F5 Bivouac (rallye raid news) and W2RC - World cross country rally championship

Dakar confirmed for Argentina and Chile again?

Yeah...I got an e-mail Re: Africa Race...as others have said...I can't imagine how they're managing to carry on with such a paltry number of entries over the last 2 years.

I hope it carries on...and picks up...but it ain't lookin good.

yeah i got an email with the dates etc for the 2011 edition.
Maybe just the organizers will turn up next year and race themselves to the next checkpoint!!!

Thats funny!

C'mon Guys!
Why not take part in Africa Race?
It's a traditional rally, in Africa, riding to Dakar, across Mauritania.
It's a FIM rally and not a voyage, like the Legend, (nothing bad about it, naturally)
What are you seraching for?
It's better to have pleasure riding across the Sahara than have a plesaure riding across ... 500.000 fans. Believe me, the "must" for a Rally Raid it's to be alone in the desert, without some family in holidays giving you a Coke bottle to refresh yourself!!!
Surely, if there's so limited bike number it will not so amazing, but... if all the guys, around the world, still wait to see "what are doing others?" nobody sign for it!
Metge and Auriol (the African still be in the organization...) know his job, aren't you sure?

Where are the guys who was crazy for a rally to Dakar?
Crazy for a rally to Dakar or for the Dakar rally?

Won't you reach THE PINK LAKE?
I was crying when I reach it!!!
Amazing, absolutely amazing ( Ian Gillan words...on stage )

Long Life Africa Race.
Long Life African Rally.

I'd say that question has been well and truely answered in '09 and '10, there is more to a world class rallye than a name or a destination

I applaud your passion Mego - but I think the problem is because it is an 'FIM' rally as you say, with all the associated costs (not least the licence and equipment hire etc.) and not least the entry fee... if you are going to spend that sort of money, in January, why would you not do the ASO 'Dakar' instead - or any of the FIM rounds that count towards championship points?

Heroes-Legend is a more established event for amateur rally riders, gives you exactly the same experience [other than the timing/scoring system] through Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal, and is (slightly) more affordable for riders without sponsorship who are paying out of their own pocket?

I believe the reason Heroes-Legend has been more successful is that a) it is pitched at the more amateur level rider, and b) it isn't going up against the #1 cross country rally which the world and his wife are watching on TV each January?

J xx

the more you talk about it, the more I want to ride the Heroes-Legend

For those who haven't seen them, a few photos from last year (including a lot of me, I know... but hell, I paid for the CD!)

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=557555

J xx

Isn't the Hero's a recreational "experience a rally" non race event where the Africa race is a full blown all out timed race?
Seems like two very different types of events. Of course I have not done either event this is just based on interwebknowlege :)

The main difference between Heroes-Legend and most other Rallys is that is uses a 'regularity' system of timing/scoring, rather than the first over the line/fastest one is the winner.

I've explained it in more detail in the dedicated thread/s, but put simply - Heroes was originally designed to allow different classifications of vehicles to compete, including classic 'Dakar' bikes such as early GSs, XTs etc. They used the regularity system to create a handicap, so that slower vehicles/riders were not penalized.

Also, there are 'issues' with running pure speed events over public (ie. non closed) roads/pistes/stages - especially getting insurance. I'm not sure how the Tuareg and events like the Africa Race get away with it, and I won't ask here... Obviously even events like the Dakar and other FIM events which do have 'closed' special stages, are still vulnerable to spectators or members of the public being hurt or killed...

But don't think for a moment the Heroes-Legend isn't competative. Sure there is a Bivouac-Bivouac option which follows the assistance route, but if you are entered in a competitive class, it is every bit as tough as any other rally. You have target times/speeds for the stage, cut-off times, penalties for missing waypoints, and not least the physical endurance of riding thousands of competitive kilometres which can break you or your bike at any time - the roadbook is based on previous year's Dakar stages, and the organisation (not least Anne Marie Gerandi) have been involved with the original African Dakar for years...

Just ask any of the riders who crashed and burned last year how tough it is or it isn't!

J xx

Not disputing it as being tough (I read yours and Grimoys RR's) and in fact its one of a few I am considering in a couple of years (need to save cash and get fit). But is it comparable to a flat out race.....from the RR's it seems as if the Hero's skirts the bulk of the dune days the FIM events ran....this is what kind of makes it appealling to someone like me who has very little sand experience but wants to challenge himself with a realalistic chance of finishing. Just saying...perhaps I am way off?

You're not way off at all Deadly, but you are confusing racing and the terrain - it doesn't matter what speed you are going (or decide to go at), if the sand is soft, you will crash/get stuck!

This year there were three days with dunes - the longest single stage about 120kms as I recall, then a liaison, then another 100kms of rocky/sandy scrub terrain...

Where the Heroes' roadbook [has to] differ from the original Dakar route is that northern Mauritania is now essentially out of bounds as all those boarders are now closed (which in past years I understand ASO managed to open up just for the Dakar).

The only crossing open now is from Western Sahara into Mauritania at Nouadhibou on the Atlantic coast. As such, last year's Heroes route had stages in Western Sahara to the boarder, then cut back inland (through small dunes) towards Atar, then picked up the Dakar stages lower down towards the Senegalese boarder (including one particular tough stage that was part of the 2006 Dakar that Patsy and Zippy finally finished).

However, those 'Big Sand' days in the Dakar (for example where Matt Hall had all that trouble in Race to Dakar) tended to be in the northern territories of Mauritania, and are unrealistic to get to in a two week time frame now, since yo have to go via Nouadhibou.

I'd say there is a good balance of sand - enough to make you work, but not so much as it kills you! The first of the dune days did skirt around the larger dunes (similar to those you find at Erg Chebbi for example) to start off with, which may or may not have been due to the roadbook being drawn up a few years ago, and the sands moving with time. Bit it did cross some big patches of sand - this photo was taken that day:



However, the second dune day is serious - a sand funnel steep climb up a canyon, followed by three fields of very soft sand:





However, perhaps the hardest day was when the roadbook followed through very small sandy dunes, covered in camel grass and other foliage - there was no real way to ride other than to follow the piste which was very rutted and soft - on a bike it was a nightmare. A number of us started to ride alongside this 'sand river', but it was hard and very slow going dodging round the tufts of camel grass the whole time.

The hardest part about the sand stages on Heroes (and the Dakar before) is that the soft tough stuff happens over halfway through the event, when you are already tired and suffering - so making mistakes is even more common.

I'd say if you were fit, and had plenty of off-road riding experience, you could enter Heroes-Legend straight off - the nice thing about this event is it's not essential to have previous FIM rally experience or a [very expensive!] licence... and the sand thing you'll just have to deal with!

However, it might be a good idea to do something like the Tuareg Rally first, which features plenty of sand (some might say too much!) to gain experience, and to see where you might improve before spending what is a considerable amount of money don't forget...

But if you can, do it - you won't regret it!

Jenny xx

I got this message today from MarathonRally.com

Didn't see it posted anywhere on this thread yet. If so...sorry for the repeat...

Important dates for organisation of the rally

15th May 2010: Enrolment for the rally opens on dakar.com
End of November 2010: Vehicles from Europe will board at Le Havre for the trans-Atlantic crossing
30th and 31st December 2010: Scrutineering in Buenos Aires
1st January 2011: Briefing, starting ceremony and departure to the first bivouac
2nd to 15th January 2011: Dakar Rally 2011 Argentina-Chile
16th January 2011: Finishing ceremony in Buenos Aires

The detailed route and sporting news will be unveiled at a press conference in Paris on 29th April.

2010/03/23 | 15:34 CET | ARTICLE: MR/HS/POUCAN

MarathonRally.com

Yes, the 2011 Dakar website is up and running!

http://www.dakar.com/indexus.html

I suppose these means I'd better do some exercise...

J xx

Jenny,

I know that you were using the Touratech roadbook holder and then switched to the MD.... Have you looked at the Free 2 Ride roadbook holders? I just got this beauty in the mail:







Looking forward to putting it to use very soon...

http://www.f2r.pt/epages/f2r.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/f2r/Products/RB730/SubProducts/RB730-001

Interesting...at about 1/2 the price of the MD....hope it works out.

Is it gear or "rubber band" driven?

I can't say I was overly impressed with my Touratech unit.

It is "rubber band" driven (much stronger than rubber bands, though. ) It's almost a hybrid of the designs, with the motor mounted inside the box. Very nice and very very smooth. I am super impressed with the build quality.