I Want To Do DAKAR (The Right Way)

[skibum69]

Originally Posted by Stagehand

Thanks man, don't go out of your way... I'll ask my friend, too.. I'm almost back in the real world

yeah I'm still across the pond too until the 25th. The guy I know does all the bike shipping for the Canadian MX series so knows that game well; tough to get them out of here however...I should look at some other options? Plus I'm looking at doing a little light touring on it to a couple of recreational (read beer drinking) rallies too

[PackMule]

Originally Posted by skibum69

with any luck my Dakar '08 prepped bike will be running in a "rally lite" sort of setup, don't know if I'll have the beans to ship though?

Do you have Tod's bike?

[skibum69]

Originally Posted by PackMule

Do you have Tod's bike?

yeah, it's mine-nice build

[J Lewis]

I have not forgot about this, just been too busy to select the dates, but I will soon... Save your vacation days!

[Wild Man]

Thanks Jimmy! Glad to hear it's still on the table.

[skibum69]

I never did find time to pop over to Pahrump past week...

[CramerTV]

PM sent - interested and subscribed

[Stagehand]

Im really going to need to do this. Hopefully second week of May still works.

[J Lewis]

OK,
Here is the message you have been waiting for. We are going forward with this.

Dates, there are two options, April 30, May 1,2 or May 7,8,9 The one that fits the most schedules will be used. These days are Mon, Tue, Wed.

The total cost will be $400 for the three days of instruction, which includes the following:

-Three days of intensive rally navigation and strategy training from Jimmy Lewis

-Navigation drills, mapbook reading and marking,

-All necessary roadbooks (printed on pages, will need assembly)

You will need:

-Rally capable motorcycle (Full-size navigation mapbook, resettable odometer reading in MILES, fuel range of 120 miles minimum, should be street legal)

-GPS unit that can show a pointer arrow and display CAP (heading, course or track depending on the unit) and Distance to Next waypoint. (Garmin 3 Plus, or 60 CSX recommended)

-To arrange and take care of your own lodging, food, supplies for the training which will be based out of Pahrump, NV which has all amenities.

This class is specific to Mapbook Rally Navigation and will not include any riding instruction. We may do that at a later date for those interested, but it seems most are capable riders. We will be doing short simulated rally routes for practice but there are no long stages, again if there is interest for this level of training, maybe at a later date.

The biggest thing I’m told is that, “The rally isn’t a navigation rally like it used to be.” I fully understand that. But if you are even considering spending the huge amount of money to go and compete in a race like the Dakar, why would you not be fully prepared? I often tell riders that I can save you 10-20 minutes a day by teaching you how to not make navigational errors. Even if you just make one right turn in an area of confusion think of the 5-10 guys you pass, the dust you don’t have to ride in and then the following day you are riding with faster riders. This is compounded every time a critical navigation spot comes up. Making the correct route can be the difference between something as simple as getting in before dark or having to ride a whole day behind a quad. Start adding up the time you save and the riders who “just follow” that you are able to overtake.

For most the goal is just to finish a rally. I had the same goal and spent a lot of time learning navigation and it paid off huge for me. I was never the fastest but I could out navigate just about anyone. Some of it is instinct but most of it is learned skills and practice. That is what we will work on here.

There are a lot of other aspects to going and doing a rally like Dakar and a number of them have been brought up I this thread. I have even had some offers from others to assist with information or training on things like logistics, budgeting, bike preparation and body preparation, which at a later time are all good things to roll in. Yet I’m trying to keep this simple and affordable for this year’s first go-around. If this grows or there is a lot of interest, it is possible we can put more of those aspects into a second or third session where we do longer and more intensive routes later in the year. I am hoping to have some professional riders come out and train later in the year and this could roll into a good program.

Now for the “assistance” or “fun” aspect of this training. 70% of the training will be possible for a novice level off-road rider even on an adventure bike. It isn’t about the riding ability, it is the navigation we are working on. So in parallel we will offer an “Introduction to Rally Navigation” class that will include all of the same training but will not utilize any of the mapbook rallys. Now you can sit in front of that computer or TV screen and laugh at the mistakes the racers are making because you know how it all works! And you’ve tried it! When the “racers” are doing the mapbook sections, the “fun” guys will assist in manning check points and “grade” the racers on navigation by watching them in tricky sections accessed via GPS waypoints and a map.

The Fun Class will cost $200 and include:

-Participation in the classroom instruction and the navigation drills and training.

You will need:

-Street-legal off-road motorcycle

-GPS unit that can show a pointer arrow and display CAP (heading, course or track depending on the unit) and Distance to Next waypoint. (Garmin 3 Plus, or 60 CSX recommended)

-To arrange and take care of your own lodging, food, supplies for the training which will be based out of Pahrump, NV which has all amenities.

The $200 discount takes into consideration that you will not purchase mapbooks and also be helping myself and the racers during the course of the training.

Over the course of the next week I will decide on the final date, so communicate with me at [ lewisj at DSLEXTREME.com ] to let me know what works out best. I only check this in the evenings and may be a day or two slow at getting back to you.

At the moment I may have a few bikes available for rental that are set up for the class and access to a few more that might need some navigation equipment attached. I will know more about this by week’s end. E-mail contact for this as well.




Once the dates are settled in I will put some more specifics up or establish a direct line of communication with the participants. We will need a MINIMUM of 4 racers for this training to go forward. And if this program is offered again it will be substantially more expensive.

[Stagehand]

7,8 ,9 are best for me, if that means anything Will need a bike for sure. :(

[drc42]

I won't make this one since the dates conflict with my trip to the Mexican 1000 but I certainly hope it goes well and continues. Looking forward to doing this later on if you do additional sessions.

[DUCK BOY]

Hi Jimmy.

April 30, May1-2 looks like it works best for me so I can drive down with my bike. I need to confirm that I can take the vacation days before I commit. I should know by Wednesday.

Looking forward to it!

[pilo]

Jimmy

30, 1, 2 are the days I'm looking at. There is a decent chance I can make that work. I'm planning on the full class and would be bringing my bike.

-Phil

[Cpt. Ron]

If I can make it work at all, it would have to be the 7-9 (happy birthday to me!). And if I'm going to go this far, it ain't going to be for the 'fun' class. Looking into my schedules and will get back...

[J Lewis]

Based on the feedback we are doing it May 7,8,9.

I have access to a limited number of bikes, only a few have the nav equiptment already and I will be sending out an e-mail detailing this to those that contacted me with an interest through e-mail only.

In the beginning there was a sizeable amount of interest for the "fun" aspect of the class but this has dried up based on the feedback? Maybe after we announce participants and a schedule there will be some interest?

JIMMY