Dakar following 101...Timing and Scoring...

Great writeup!

A couple stupid questions here:

1. Do all the timed stages count evenly? Is figuring the winner just a simple matter of totalling all of the timed stages and the winner is the guy with the lowest time? (Adding and subtracting of course penalties and helping down rider bonus').

I'm assuming here that its the lowest total time vs most stage wins for example?

2. How important are the liasons? Can you just take your sweet time? Stop and grab a burrito or are you moving along pretty quickly here and is everyone else moving along at the same pace?
I'm assuming that since you are not timed on the liasons it would be during them you refuel, go pee, grab some food or change your tires?

Yes, lowest overall time wins. Singular stage wins are great for your reputation, but that's it.

You have a fixed time frame to do your liaison. You'll get your start time from the bivouac told the evening before, get stamped out in the morning and have to turn up at the special stage start (DSS) on time. The time frame should be long enough to refuel if necessary and ride within the normal speed limit on public roads. Of course liaison can be long, and if anything goes wrong, you can be in real trouble real quick. So it's not just a leisurely ride in the countryside.

Thanks Flood!

So if you show up late to your special section is there any grace? Do you get disqualified, do you just have to add as much time as you showed up late to your timed special stage?

I didn't understand the tire issue with Mark Coma last year. Is it that you are not allowed to change your tires in the middle of the day or that someone gave them to him? Can you change your tires in the evening? (If not those would be some pretty amazing tires I suppose!). For "cheating to work" with the tire issue I'm guessing Coma would have had to go extra fast in the liason with enough time left over to change it before the special stage - I can't imagine the difference a fresh tire would make would make up for the time lost changing it if he changed it in the special stage...


OK last "non rule related question". Is everyone on even footing in the evening time? Is everyone sleeping in tents, or are there some guys in luxury, sound proof RV's getting massages and breathing straight oxygen while others are setting up a pup tent in the sand? Anders Green mentioned something about kicking back at the bar... is there really a bar?

If you show up late for your SS time, you get 1 minute penalty for every minute late. You are allowed to start the special until 30 minutes after the last rider leaves, after that, you're DSQ.
Yesterday, Casteu suffered engine failure on the liaison BEFORE the SS. He couldn't repair it in time, so he showed up at the start, clocked in and then left the race course to start repairs. With this trick, he got some penalties for leaving the race course, but had time for repairs until the checkpoints are closed in the night.

Tires: yes, almost everyone gets new tires every evening. I think you are allowed to get fresh tires at the start of the SS if the assistance vehicles take the same course on that day. If not, you have to ride on the same tires you took the liaison on. Last year, Coma allegedly disappeared behind a hut on the special and came out with a fresh rear tire. .

You can, however, swap wheels with other competitors. If Despres destroys a tire and Faria, his water carrier, shows up, Despres will take his wheel and Faria needs to wait for the assistance trucks. This is why assistance trucks take part in the race: They are fellow competitors (with factory mechanics and spares on board) and can render assistance on the stage. Hours later, of course.

Bivouac: almost everyone sleeps in tents, although the top boys might have a hotel room for the rest day. And massage therapists daily

There was a blurb about Jonah getting a massage from the Yamaha team masseuse or team doctor the other day. So some teams have a little more support. I have heard stories of the top team riders getting IV drips at night to replenish whatever they were low on from the day (h20, salts, electrolytes etc)...not sure how accurate this is but it sounds likely. Also, having your own mechanic to hand your bike off to at the end of the day is right up there with having a full on spa waiting for you considering you can focus on eat, tomorrows road book, and sleep.

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WPM's, WPS', GPS' and how to find your ASS from your DSS

<HR style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #575757; COLOR: #575757" SIZE=1><!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->Remember! This type of navigation is for the most part, only in the "off piste" sand dune and open desert stages.

On stages like 1, 2 and 3 and even stages 12 and 13, where the course follows primarily defined tracks and trails... the course is primarily navigated using road book and odometer... GPS point are there to confirm the competitor FOLLOWS the entire itinerary of the course.

Difference between a WPS (Safety) and a WPM (Hidden):

WPS is to allow the competitors to pass the route in safety (that is to say these designate a particular hinder or passage ie; the opening to a valley through a pass, a specific river crossing etc.). Which is part of the reason that the GPS unlocks at the more generous radius of 3000m, BUT is more precise in it's definition of the center of point (90m) where the WP is acquired. ie; to find a gap thru a rocky valley or deep gorge, the road book setter defines exactly where to pass, so as not to have folk falling down chasms etc.

WPM are typically the GPS reference points that the riders must "find" in the open piste (sand dunes) in order to complete the course as set... Kind of like electronic "connect the dots". between these points it is using the compas and CAP headings given in the roadbook that are used to navigate. having found that waypoint, the GPS aquires it and you proceed to look for the next...

Both WPMs and WPS points have time penalties applied to them for failing to pass via that point, these penalties vary according to the table in the competition standard regulations.

What is the difference between scratch and stage placements/times ?

Penalties ?

That would be sweet to hand off a limping bike with busted levels, tweaked pedals, epoxied radiator, sagging headlight, dinged rims with no meat on the tires, go to sleep and wake up to a nice shiny bike.

Seth I don't know if you've experienced it but there's something sweet riding around on the 690 now, watching the Dakar and knowing their bikes are good... but not as good as the bike I'm riding around on!

Agreed. There will always be new rally bikes popping out the factory doors, but in my book bigger engines seem a bit more durable in the long run as well.

Bump.

Suggested reading for the freshmen this semester. Yes, there will be a test.

Don't know how I missed this one. Great thread!

It's got me doing my warm up and check list:
1. F5 finger exercises
2. Flash card parctice for quick timing calculations
3. Ralley T-shirts cleaned and folded
4. OS's on all devices and spares updated
5. Chargers, adapters and batteries ready
6. Spanish/English dictionary ready
7. Coffee in the pot
8. Beer in the frig

Now, if I can keep up with the thread past stage 8 without having to go to the abridged version, I'll be doing good.

Free beer!:

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=749628

great info!

http://youtu.be/oef9m5BEoDo

In spanish but nice photography, apologies if already posted

Awesome thread! thanks for taking the time to write it.

Last chance to catch up on your F5 reading list. Stickied.

Honey, I shrunk the Toyota.....