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

[too old]

Originally Posted by troy safari carpente

see ya's for Stage 6 tomorrow!

Cheers Troy - Very sobering and brings it all home - how hard to push and how much is it really worth - this thing has to be treated with total respect and a lesson (notwithsatnding that the circumstances of your story may not be directly related) that this balanced marathon not a series of sprints.

[PackMule]

Originally Posted by EKIN

Absolutely amazing post. I read this one two times.

Originally Posted by dox

Fantastic post, Troy. Thanks.

Originally Posted by Bluebull2007

TSC....Wow...Im stumped. That was a tremendously moving post.
Its also why I love this thread and this site: Its filled with real rally people, and die hard supporters who understand what the word Dakar means.

+10,000 Thanks Baldy & the mods. You guys are the best!

Think how different, well, perhaps not different, but expanded, the community is now than it was when Andy died. I'm not kidding when I call this my "support group". There's not a single person that I interact with locally in my daily life that remotely understands.

Dak what?

It's a rally that used to be in Africa, now it's in South America... that, uh, nevermind.


But here, we're among friends.

[Bluebull2007]

Originally Posted by PackMule

Many, MANY thanks to Baldy for giving us Rallye Tragics a place to congregate. We should all be reminded to hit the Donate button at the bottom of the page to throw a few dollars toward keeping the lights on.

Well I for one will be getting an F5 shirt or two.

Que Hayduke: Where is that link again?

[EKIN]

Originally Posted by PackMule

Doesn't it, though? I think that's what baffles those of us here who "get it". People are dying for the stories, the REAL stories on the Dakar. Mega media just don't deliver it (though we've come to the revelation this year that FranceTV do!!)

You know, that probably explains why there are so few French participants here at F5. They never had to come here to look for that content in the first place...

Interesting.

Where else are you going to find stories about mousses.

Not even F4 TV can bring you that type of coverage.

[PackMule]

Originally Posted by Bluebull2007

Thanks Packmule for Lyndons call.

Intersting comments by Lyndon. And to refer to the earlier comment made that the Dakar stages were getting shorter and shorter, I seem to recall in years past the 5 stage being shortened due to the attrition rate. I think this time David Castera got it right. Bear in mind there must be at least 20-30 riders suffering from the snowball effect by now, so a short but brutal stage for a short respite followed by tomorrows long and brutal stage filled with rocks and a lot more fesh fesh, starting after a long and boring (but wearing) liaison will take out even more of the snowballed riders.

If the mechanics are not in top form tomorrow night there are going to be plenty more dropping out of thie rally. its not like the bikes have had much respite in the last 4 days.

I think they may have made this one quite a bit harder than last year.

If Pyndon is still as bright and chirpy tomorrow nite then he has really prepared himself very well indeed. I suspect though we will hear some tiredness creeping in. Then there are the marathon stages, some of the longest of the rally, and finally a day's rest.

We will see.

I think your comments are spot on.


Off to the bivouac for me, folks. Catch you tomorrow. And yes, the time change is a serious bummer! (though still much easier than the days in Africa!)

[Stagehand]

Thanks for a great post, Troy. As usual, well said.

[DruncleWill]

Originally Posted by PackMule

Doesn't it, though? I think that's what baffles those of us here who "get it". People are dying for the stories, the REAL stories on the Dakar. Mega media just don't deliver it (though we've come to the revelation this year that FranceTV do!!)

You know, that probably explains why there are so few French participants here at F5. They never had to come here to look for that content in the first place...

Interesting.

Actually, what I gather from lurking in some French forums is that they are all busy posting comments about what an insufferable prick the presenter Gerrard Wazzhizname is.

[Bluebull2007]

Originally Posted by PackMule

Think how different, well, perhaps not different, but expanded, the community is now than it was when Andy died. I'm not kidding when I call this my "support group". There's not a single person that I interact with locally in my daily life that remotely understands.

Dak what?

It's a rally that used to be in Africa, now it's in South America... that, uh, nevermind.


But here, we're among friends.

Haha I so understand that. I just say have you heard about the Dakar rally? No. Well its the longest, hardest, most brutal dirt bike race in the world. Two weeks of riding 9000 km.

Then you get an "oooh wow."

At least most people in South Africa get it. But in Canada and the US I get blank looks even here even in Peru sometimes, although that I think will be changing after this year.

The Peruvian supporters were really amazing, and the Peruvian stages have most resembled the big african stages.

Let me put my neck out and suggest next year the Dakar will include the desert to the north of Lima, there is 1,500km of desert still to the north of Lima to be explored.

[gagnaou]

Originally Posted by PackMule

You know, that probably explains why there are so few French participants here at F5. They never had to come here to look for that content in the first place...

Interesting.

Nate, here is my take on it, I remember when the first Dakar started the french press was all over it, even magazines that were not related to motorized sport were talking about the Dakar, because it was the dream, they were getting people hooked to the human challenge, the adventure in the unknown outside of our societies where risk has for the most part been taken away. Plus kind of like the Tour de France, the Dakar caravane was crossing France, I remembered spending hours on the side of the road watching those vehicles go by, something that no very many of us experience anymore.

Obviously pretty soon, the TVs went in and it expanded from there, I seem to remember that in the early 90's during the Peugeot an Citroen era La 5 had more than 5 hours daily related to the Dakar. That was awesome, but it was probably too much as they did not maintained it. Then France television picked it up, France 2, France 3 and France 4. From there it seems that the coverage has been about constant. Somebody commented earlier that in Africa there was not as good TV coverage, from a french viewer stand point I do not think it was true, this year coverage by France 4 based on the available technology is no different in my opinion to what we were seeing in Africa. Something that they try to do is to present the Dakar under all its various aspects, the race with the leaders, the country and the landscape visited and then the human adventure (the guys that are in the back that are struggling to make it through the stages, etc...)

Obviously here (in the US) TV coverage of the Dakar is mainly inexistant and that has been hard to follow. Myway made my year this year by figuring out a way to get the french broadcast here. In the past I was messing with VPN from France to access that coverage but it was cumbersome and never worked really well. I actually the last few years planned my yearly trip around the Dakar so that I could get the good coverage while over there ;-)

[EKIN]

A lot of good info tonight. Unfortunately I am out of juice.

See all of you tomorrow.

[dox]

Originally Posted by PackMule

There's not a single person that I interact with locally in my daily life that remotely understands.

There was never a single person in mine either, until my wife started a new job in 2009. A few years ago, I met my wife's co-worker. He's a Chilean ex-pat, living in the US for the last 25 years or so. He's a sports nut, so he doesn't focus directly on Dakar as much as I do... but he understands just how obsessed I am with the Rally and is excited to see it travel through his homeland.

Over the holidays, he traveled home to Concepcion, Chile. A few days ago, when he returned, he sent my wife home with a gift for me that he purchased in the shops near his family's home.



Not sure how authentic they are, but they sure look like licensed merchandise. Dakar on all the labels, tags, even the buttons on the polo shirt!



I cannot describe how happy I was when I opened the gift bag. The fact that he was thousands of miles away, wandering around in shops with his family and thought of me - the Dakar nut husband of a coworker - and bought them (only to drag them thousands of miles home) is just so cool.

Alberto will never see this, so I'll have to tell him in person but - Thanks mate, best gift I've received in a very long time.

[PackMule]

Originally Posted by gagnaou

Something that they try to do is to present the Dakar under all its various aspects, the race with the leaders, the country and the landscape visited and then the human adventure (the guys that are in the back that are struggling to make it through the stages, etc...)

Obviously here (in the US) TV coverage of the Dakar is mainly inexistant and that has been hard to follow. Myway made my year this year by figuring out a way to get the french broadcast here. In the past I was messing with VPN from France to access that coverage but it was cumbersome and never worked really well. I actually the last few years planned my yearly trip around the Dakar so that I could get the good coverage while over there ;-)

I'm going to learn a useful amount of French for next year. Yep.


Thinking about the TV audiences, maybe the time is finally ripe for the Dakar Reality Gameshow that Charlie and Hogwild were in the pilot for, so many years ago.

At least it would be something.

[troy safari carpente]

Originally Posted by sparkplug678

I seem to recall Ned's voice sounding about the same through some of the stages last year. The thing I think is really cool, first with Ned and now with Lyndon is the enjoyment in their voices. For them this isn't a job but a passion or goal they worked hard to achieve and they are having fun. In my eyes this is the true Dakar.

I had the privellige of talking with Ned during last years rally, together with PackMule, prior to one of his RallyRadio call in's. In the banter before Nate hit the record button, one of the things that impressed me, was the genuine way that ned seemed to be thoroughly immersed and enjoying th experience that was Dakar, he was jus sooooo damned glad to be a part of it... I got the impression that he enjoyed EVERYTHING... the dry throat parching tatse of the fexh fesh, the encrusted dust cornflakes that accumulate in your nasal cavity, the sting of sweat and sand in your eyes, even though you are wearing the best goggles money can buy, the smell of that helmet liner after 10 days... the fact that it no longer bothers you after ten days...

Ned was high on the whole deal and lovin' it, This coupled with his undoubted riding skills, pragmatic tenacity and most of all (I thought) a sound realistic approach to something that is tough... but achievable, provided it is approached with respect. I think that ned had a respect for the rally, but even moreso a respect for himself. The respect not to let ones self get caught up in the hype of "racing" the Dakar... racing others or even racing ones self.

He said something prior to the event - I am paraphrasing . but I think it is pretty close; "A lot of people enter the Dakar with the expressed goal of finishing... and then (somewhere along the journey) they get caught up in racing the Dakar" (and thatäs how it ends for them).

That struck a chord... probably the single most profound comment/statement I have ever seen read or heard, with respect to the "everyday joe" approach to rallyings everest.

And that's who Ned is... an everyday joe, with a damned awesome work ethic, more than a dose of skill and determination and all round good bloke while he is at it.

I for one hope he takes another stab at it one day. He'll do a bloody good job of it, that we can all be sure of!

[neduro]

Originally Posted by Carlos M

1 ERTF Cap Repeater in Odo mode + 1 RNS + 1 ERTF Cap Repeater (as Cap Repeater)

Not caught up all the way but wanted to throw some input here.

Over the course of the stage, there are often on the order of 30 waypoints, between speed zone entrance and exits, WPM, WPS, DSS, ASS, etc. The GPS records mileage as covered on the ground, UNTIL you collect one of those 30 waypoints, at which point it sets itself correctly to the roadbook.

So, the advantage of the GPS odo is that it automatically corrects itself. I found myself using it more and more heavily as the rally progressed.

The drawback is that you can't increment or decrement it if you get lost... but the need to do so is mostly obviated by the auto correct function.

A few car navigators I spoke with indicated using the GPS odo more or less exclusively.

[PackMule]

Originally Posted by dox

I cannot describe how happy I was when I opened the gift bag. The fact that he was thousands of miles away, wandering around in shops with his family and thought of me - the Dakar nut husband of a coworker - and bought them (only to drag them thousands of miles home) is just so cool.

Alberto will never see this, so I'll have to tell him in person but - Thanks mate, best gift I've received in a very long time.

That is SO cool.