Dakar 2013 - Official Event Coverage - thank you ALL TeamF5, lurkers and posters!

Nice interview with David Reeve - and also nice to see the guy Pal Anders helped pushing the emergency button after breaking his leg

This also shows the adaptations in riding style the elite MX and Enduro-guys have to do to prevail in Dakar. Excellent interviev - or monologue

You mean I have to read as well??? I just look at the pictures

Time to let this beast float.

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Good interview! I felt like he spoke well about many of the feelings I had, and when he said he'd go back, I believed him.

Clearly an amazing rider, just went to his rider page and he had some very consistent good finishes!

Pigeon mod.

Rod conquers Dakar Rally



It’s a long way from mustering sheep and cattle in Queensland’s outback to conquering the world’s most challenging motorbike desert race.

. . .

Less than 20 Australians have ever finished the 8000km Dakar rally in its 34-year history.

. . .

“I do the Finke desert race and the Australian Safari over here, which are the best we’ve got to prepare ourselves but things like dune riding in Peru are totally different to anything that’s available in Australia,” he said.

. . .

On another stage a crash resulted in his Camelbak springing a leak and a bout of dehydration after riding for a few hundred kilometres without water.

“I was getting hazy and it was affecting my vision but I just tried to take it easy,” Rod said.

full story here

My F5 T-shirt from Mr Hayduke turned up this morning

A great, honest interview. He had some great support from family and friends. The fact that he's got a farm to get back to. I wish him well... I hope he gets his chance to go back.

More from the Faggoter interview:

Coming back to Longreach and work &#8211; he&#8217;s a qualified motor mechanic and owns the Centretune Motorcycles business &#8211; has almost been an anticlimax. &#8220;I was back to work straight away, dealing with the backlog,&#8221; he said.


And after reading this, I wonder if maybe there were another way to help support riders: An work exchange program.


While a person couldn't replace a competitor's knowledge or skill, (don't think many could do Pyndon's job, period) I wonder if in some cases a person could spend 2-3 weeks (dude ranch style?) filling in for a rider while they're on the Dakar. It certainly wouldn't work in every situation, but might be a way to ease some stress or an absent body for the self employed ones...


Just a thought.

You know you miss it! I found about 15minutes of snooker in a VLC file laying around. If you are having snooker withdrawl, PM me for a link.

Eric

oser

Posting this here because you guys are really into this stuff and might open my eyes past what I can see.

Lets just say someone asked you this question,"Name the top five best American riders who would have a chance at winning Dakar in the next three years given the right opportunity?"

Rider must be American.
Rider should be capable of winning after a year of learning.
Does not matter who or what the rider is currently doing or riding.

Anyone want to list off five names?

JIMMY

I'll play...

Kurt Caselli
Colton Udall
Taylor Roberts
Russell Bobbit
Nick Fahringer

I'm not sure just a single year of learning about rally is enough to put someone in a position to win Dakar, unless that whole year was spent doing rally events. I think it would take a bit more than that to get to the TOP with navigation and multi-day rally events. Given that Quinn Cody already has navigation and Dakar experience, and he's fast, I'd have him on the list.

Yep, somehow forgot all about about Quinn. Definitely got to be on the list...

I'm as interested in the question as the motives behind it. What are you cooking up J Lewis?

Ditto That.

It is just a question. There may be more to it but speculation just starts rumors and there are no good ones I know of.
Well, I do know a lot of stuff but I'm sure you guys have torn it to shreds in the past 40 pages already.

Kurt
Quinn
Jonah (yeah I know he's retired but IIRC, in his resignation letter he was crystal clear that one of the main reasons for him pulling out was the lack of top-notch factory logistics, support & machinery)

I can't think of two other names that can achieve victory in just 3 years, no matter how talented they are at other racing disciplines.