The Simon Pavey Dakar 2013 Thread

Wondering if there will be a DVD of the team effort? It will be good the see a bit of the behind the scenes stuff that goes on, much like the second DVD on RTD.

Nice idea but it wouldn't be a great video as it is all completely calm and organised with everything done well in advance and no real last minute panics.

All the best Simon and the team. That husky looks the business!!

Si & Don testing yesterday



whoa! Nearly 205ed already!!! This year is going to be grueling

Wonder what this team dynamic is. Are they riding their own races? Has Don bought himself the ultimate privateer watercarrier in Simon Pavey? Is Simon going for his best ever finish with Don providing backup/spares? They are quite far apart in start numbers so are they going to synchronize their opening stage time and ride together? In the picture above, are they testing the 'Charriot Mode' for the two bikes by bolting them together?

Nah don't think there are specific water carrier duties for either of them, they are each doing their own thing. I am pretty sure one will stop to give assistance if anything comes up, but no swapping of rear wheels in the plan I believe

Maybe just a calibration run ... ?

As a fellow Canuck I'll be cheering that Don finally gets his finishers medal

Go Si!!!!!!

+ 1 For Don and Simon

Had the pleasure of riding with Si and Llew in Wales -GREAT guys

RIDE WELL

Good Luck for the Dakar man.....

Have a great rally Si. Were pulling for you!

Stage One: Lima - Pisco, 263 Km

Team Delta Kunststoffe Husqvarna UK riders, Simon Pavey and Don Hatton, complete the first stage with out incident.

Despite Simon having a dose of food poisoning last night both he and Don have completed the first day to Pisco. For the full story and latest photos click here or paste http://www.simonpavey.com/stage-one-they-are-off/ into your browser.

Simon,
Great to see you at Dakar again. Go man Go.
TCK,
Really enjoying the quality of the vid and pics. Great stuff.

Good luck guys. Like they say ' a dream for those left behind'

Stage Two – Pisco to Pisco – 328km.

Simon has a strong second day on the first real stage of the 2013 Dakar Rally as the race begins to claim it’s first victims.


The first real stage of the 2013 Dakar saw racers tackle the first difficult dunes of the race, with tricky navigation, high speeds and some dangerous sands catching many riders out and ending the event prematurely for many.

Despite the difficulties that many encountered, Delta Kunststoffe Husqvarna rider, Simon, rode consistently in a stage that saw the leader board flipped around. In claiming 54th place, Simon moved up a few spots in the overall standing and continued to avoid mistakes and trouble.

Don Hatton, the team’s second rider also had an uneventful and solid day in the sand as he came to grips with riding a new bike and bedding in with sand riding. Stage two saw Don roll into the end of the stage 163rd, a solid result for the Canadian as he looks to overcome his previous bad luck.

Simon Pavey – “ I really enjoyed the stage today, I’m not a massive fan of the big speed stuff but actually it was really fun. I didn’t push hard at all, I just cruised along at a good pace and ended the day with a decent result. We are so early in the race, there is no need to push and make mistakes. A few people went out of the race today and I can see why. The stage had some dangerous bits and it was quite hard to see them. There were a few areas with sand ‘waves’, the ground had baked hard there too and you just couldn’t see them. I think everyone had a few scary moments in them.

There was also some difficult navigation at about km 70. I missed the waypoint at first and had to turn back to find it. I think a few people made the same mistake too. The bike felt great again today, it’s just so easy to ride, and we have done a good job with it. There were a few difficult dunes today, the kind of thing that in the past has proved challenging but today I cruised through everything.

Don Hatton – “Today was exciting. It was a tough stage, lots of sand and really hot. The medics said it was 39 degrees in the stage. The sand was a little intimidating at first; some of the dunes were really big and soft. I am so much more comfortable with the bike, it amazing in the sand. It was working really well; I wouldn’t change anything on it. It’s only the second day that I’ve ridden it but I feel so at home already on it. Over the stage I was able to push on a little bit more, but my goal is just to finish this race

There were a few dangerous moments on the stage today too, I passed a few abandoned bikes from people crashing but the worst moment was when the lead cars caught me. Out of the ten that came past, only two used their sentinel’s, that’s terrifying.

I’m looking forward to getting these first few sand days behind us so we can get into the terrain that I do know and can ride. Tomorrow will be another hard day but I’m feeling really good about everything.”

Stage three has the rally heading south toward the famous city of Nasca. The stage is completely sand and will prove a difficult challenge for the whole race. Starting out gently for the first 100km the sand will quickly become extremely difficult.


Stage Two Results.
56. Simon Pavey - 03:16:50
164. Don Hatton - 05:03:56

Overall Standings.
54. Simon Pavey - 04:03:45
163. Don Hatton - 06:20:16

For the latest photos click HERE or paste http://www.simonpavey.com/galleries/ into your browser

like this one- people taking their time on the dunes!

Have spoke with Don a few times and rode with him a bit (great pilot!)

Cheering him on that he rides safely across the finish line for a well earned Dakar finish