So, what can we do better next year -- Dakar Coverage?

[HogWild]

Originally Posted by Myway

Next year: I like to see who is riding together at wp cp ass points
We know starting times, WP CP times. How can we make that visual? Any idea?

If I can find the time, I'd love to map the course again (with help from BlueBull and others). With that, we can have a Google Earth or Google Maps type map image, with the WP & CP exactly marked along the course. With a bit of creative programming, we can place rider icons on the map at the WP & CP when their timing shows they arrived there. Then, given each rider's average speed (based on previous stages and current CP/WP times), we could "predict" ahead where along the course each rider should be at any moment. In this way we could have a great visual representation of where each rider is, as well as what type of terrain they are going through at any given moment. In escence, we could follow the race as if each of us were in our own helicopter chasing riders. And we can do it even without ASO providing it!

[doyle]

Originally Posted by too old

Even live tracking would be great, we are going to see it at many of the rally's this year and whilst there is a several minute delay it's still pretty good solution.

There can't be too much money involved if they do it through the year and having the public following some 3-5 minutes behind is hardly going to influence the rally, and if it does, well good luck to any competitive rider who could actually turn it into an advantage, personally I thing they would lose time trying

I assume Dakar pulled live tracking by design. In Africa, the route may have never crossed a road, or at least a road where a team could slip a spare wheel into the trunk of a taxi and have the taxi beat the riders to the crossing. Not saying that teams would actively cheat *ahem* however, in South America, I would suspect the top teams could leverage the actual route to their advantage. All of the riders carry phones now and if Hogwild and Bluebull can lay out the route without knowing it as closely as they could, imagine the teams texting a rider...at approximately km 265, you will see a hill with a river bed to the left. Stay to the right of the hill and go around that side...etc...

I know for a fact that many of the fast, position teens to 30th place riders are very frustrated at the lack of rule enforcement among the top guys. Things like speeding on the liaison that is ignored (riders getting pinged for 125kph in a 120kph only to have a leader blow by at 140kph +), assistance within the stage, etc... and the ASO has been selective with these events, severely penalizing the lower placed guys while the top ten guys are overlooked.

I would imagine that somehow, the route information would find it's way to the leaders.

[Drif10]

Originally Posted by doyle

I know for a fact that many of the fast, position teens to 30th place riders are very frustrated at the lack of rule enforcement among the top guys. Things like speeding on the liaison that is ignored (riders getting pinged for 125kph in a 120kph only to have a leader blow by at 140kph +), assistance within the stage, etc... and the ASO has been selective with these events, severely penalizing the lower placed guys while the top ten guys are overlooked.

If the tracking was all access, then the ASO couldn't take care of their friends.

[Carlos M]

Originally Posted by Myway

Next year:

I like to see who is riding together at wp cp ass points
We know starting times, WP CP times.

How can we make that visual?

Any idea?

This would be great! A graphic representation of the riders on the ground, basically a one axis graph with the latest "Stage Hours" would be enough to understand at a glance who is riding with who.

Mischa already integrated the overall stage results graphics, I am sure he could produce something like that for "Stage Hours" that would represent "riders on the ground". The thing is that he does if for free, he should consider charging something for advanced features.

Anyway, after these graphs, the next step would be to animate them ! An animated version (depicting the staggered departs at DSS, and the stage hours at each WP and CP, ending with Hours at ASS would be a fantastic way to understand how a stage went.

[Drif10]

You geeks might be going to far.

Animated depictions. Re-enactments?

I'm just picturing an anime Cyril Despres with the soul patch and the Red Bull headband...

With english subtitles, of course.

[Goofy1]

Any CGI pros in the crowd?

[too old]

Originally Posted by doyle

I assume Dakar pulled live tracking by design. In Africa, the route may have never crossed a road, or at least a road where a team could slip a spare wheel into the trunk of a taxi and have the taxi beat the riders to the crossing. Not saying that teams would actively cheat *ahem* however, in South America, I would suspect the top teams could leverage the actual route to their advantage. All of the riders carry phones now and if Hogwild and Bluebull can lay out the route without knowing it as closely as they could, imagine the teams texting a rider...at approximately km 265, you will see a hill with a river bed to the left. Stay to the right of the hill and go around that side...etc...

I know for a fact that many of the fast, position teens to 30th place riders are very frustrated at the lack of rule enforcement among the top guys. Things like speeding on the liaison that is ignored (riders getting pinged for 125kph in a 120kph only to have a leader blow by at 140kph +), assistance within the stage, etc... and the ASO has been selective with these events, severely penalizing the lower placed guys while the top ten guys are overlooked.

I would imagine that somehow, the route information would find it's way to the leaders.

Fully understand the anomalies that seem to occur, but even amongst the elite there is often a lack of consistency, or things which are "missed"

I think we all agree that it is now totally a 2 tier product, not that there should be differing rule interpretations, but perhaps there shouldn't be the level of paranoia over what it ostensibly cheating - the risk is totally theirs and a bit more F5 fun in looking for it

[D.T.]

Fly us all down there and have rental bikes to watch the race in person!

[Myway]

Originally Posted by doyle

I would imagine that somehow, the route information would find it's way to the leaders.

As I mentioned before, during the race even drivers of trucks are texting, they get wp and cp times of competitors.
So some nearly crashed this year because of that, lost there front screen.

The problem is the combined stages, bikes drive first, set track, single person during the race no time for text reading or texting. The problem lays by the cars/trucks, now knowing the bike route.
When dakar was only a bike race, the irrtrack visual was on.
or the split stages car then truck, car set track. same problem advantage for trucks.

Are there some possiblities by phone tracking?