Can't see what color these wheels are so hard to say, but Robby only needs two wheels to do his thing...
Indeed! Couldn't be more hyped about it! Go Hélder "estrelinha" Rodrigues, time for you to become one of the Aliens. Good luck to 'Speedy' Gonçalves on team Bianchi Prata, i bet you won't be stoping next sime you see Despres stuck.... Cheers
By the way who are the women competing in the event? Laia Sanz (Eulalia Sanz Pla-Gilbert) reported to be faster and fitter than ever before and on track to win her first EWC crown is surely going to go for a 3rd Dakar win...? How about Dirtgirls.de Tina Meier??? She seems to be doing a lot of training in Morroco; Rode in the Trans Anatolia rally, She just won the woman's group in the Breslau rally, coming 15th overall. She was supposed to be in the Australian safari, but never pitched up for some reason. No mention of Dakar on her twitter or FB. She is planning a ride in Laos on the 27th January....is this a sign she is maybe not doing the Dakar or is she just very active? We know Jenny M is skipping 2013 , What about Nani Roma's wife Rosa Romero Font? and Camelia Liparoti (Quad)?? Any new lady competitors out there?
Help me out with the translation on this one here. I got the Andrea Mayer in a RZR, but is Rosa Romero on a bike? http://solomoto.es/1342646725/endur...y-peterhansel-juntas-en-el-dakar#.UF9mgI2PV-s
Yes, same team, rosa in a bike and andrea in a rzr. Team Leader is a former dakar winner in a quad yamaha. But rosa don't have enough budget yet, after trying yamaha espana... Let's wait
Hell yeah! I'll bring my 950 ADV! I could bypass the whole 450cc limit thing because of being handicaped with my TT panniers :huh
I'd be willing to put money on Sainz to take the marbles, although if she rides a Gas Gas rally bike instead of a WR450 in Gas Gas livery that might throw in a wild card that we can't predict.
Saw Bill Congers 2012 Dakar Bike while at the BMW GS Trophy Qualifier over the weekend. Still cannot believe how much it would have sucked to be out on the second day. PS Vote for Andrew Lacy on the BMW Motorrad USA facebook page.
I think about the excitement while he was riding well, not overly pushing himself but still moving ahead of other riders, and I hope he gives it a try again. For him I wish the extended drama had happened on day 10 rather than day 2, but at least it was a good Dakar story (kept trying far past when most people, including myself, would have quit). Give it another try, Bill. It's only money and time and effort . . . well, a ridiculous amount of money and vast quantities of time and effort. I'm crossing my fingers and keeping my Bill Conger stick on my truck, just in case.
All you guys over the big pond, what about any elite North American efforts this year, what's Quinn going to doing or is there anyone coming in from his old JCR stable? Maybe JC himself to add to the US Honda interest, as the return by Honda must be as much about ultimate bike sales as anything else!
The North American contingent has one, and only one focus at the moment. It's winner take all at the Baja 1000 this year, and everyone of the elite riders who might be capable of any Dakar effort is first planning on winning that race. As far as "11 Time" is concerned, I don't see him on a bike but I'm going to guess some sort of involvement [if any] will be announced by late December.
Cheers DW, whoever is in should be registered by now, so let's wait and see then! There must be some news or surprises out there?
Meanwhile South African Brett Cummings won the Dakar Challenge, coming fourth in the Australian Safari today! Not bad at all for a rally virgin! This means he gets free entry into the Dakar.
