^^^ Agree 100% with everything you've said. Have heard nothing but praise from EVERYONE I know who has had anything to do with Sam in rally circles (I have - as yet - not had that pleasure). My comments are PURELY from an observers perpective, based on the results and efforts Sam has put in at rallies over the last 18 months. He has youth, fitness, tons of skill and evidently ambition/drive going for him... so at 23, already having chosen rally as his riding career path, he has time on his side. But I still stand fast with the analogy; it's one thing to go fast for a stage or a leg or two and Sam's record of injuries/mechanicals aside... In rally you kind of make your own luck. To finish first - first you must finish... and the tried and true formula to achieve that is to get "completed competition miles" under ones belt. I can go back through the Dakar record books and cite many top line riders who despite being visibly faster than anyone else in the field; never made their mark (on anything other than the ground). Malherbe, Kinigadner & Tianen (all multiple world champions) were soooooo much quicker than anyone on a few stages of the Dakar when they competed, but none managed to finish. So If I ever had the chance to sit down and have a cuppa with either yourself or mxmum (who obviously have Sam's best at heart, it is clear), my heartfelt advice would be; to wind it off 5% and get some finishes/results in the immediated future under his belt. With Sam's pedigree of motocross, supercross and desert racing behind him; the fitness, skill and ambition he posses coupled with the investment that HRC have made in him... even if it takes until 2014/15 before the "breakthough" comes... the guy has the potential to put together a "five year winning streak" with the right team behind him, and he wouldn't even be 30 yet! Oh to be 20 years younger again...
Thanks Troy, I think we all agree with that and even Sam can back off when the opportunity is thre - he can find it a little difficult though as it's not natural to him. Essentially he needs to find himself not having to chase the pace in the rally - at the start of the last Dakar, he picked a 30 sec penalty, said he took it easy and still finished 7th, so the base is there He is getting a lot of tactical guidance from Henk and the team at Honda Europe, so let's see what the rest of the year and of course Jan brings Mxmum and myself are his unofficial PR managers, so we will give you the inside track when and as far as we can .
Just one interesting addition though, is that the current feedback is that to stay in touch with the quickest then you have to be going flat out for the actual track - so a tough call, or a quicker bike - HRC
With the two of you as his PR managers, he can only do well! Sam reminds me quite a bit of Zé Helio who won the Dos Sertoes 6 times, and was expected to do very well in the Dakar, but he crashed out twice in a row, and crashed out in the 2010 Dos Sertoes too. He is super fast and skilled, but maintaining insane speed for 10-14 days is going to put you anyone at risk. One thing I have noticed while editing the Dakar video footage over the years is that the aliens actually do ride to the road conditions; there are times when you can see they are riding at a reasonable pace at certain points versus at full gas. Having watched Zé ride really closely, his speed seemed recklessly fast to me. His speed made him the favorite rookie in 2011, but he DNF, because he was simply too fast. Maybe I'm not used to it but it certainly seemed like he was riding at 100% all the times, which increases the risk of things going wrong. Comparing that to, say, Coma who is insane fast when he needs to be, but even then appears to be riding smooth and in control. I guess what I'm trying to say is that slower is actually faster on a rally like this, and I believe if Sam rode at a sustained 80% of his ability he would firstly finish more easily and secondly get a good placing because his 80% could get him into the top 20 - Not a bad result at all! Interestingly, there are 55 elite riders on the list this year. :huh Kinda puts into perspective the level of skills required to get a top 50 placing.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that slower is actually faster on a rally like this, and I believe if Sam rode at a sustained 80% of his ability he would firstly finish more easily and secondly get a good placing because his 80% could get him into the top 20 - Not a bad result at all! Interestingly, there are 55 elite riders on the list this year. :huh Kinda puts into perspective the level of skills required to get a top 50 placing.[/QUOTE] ---------------------------------------------- Good point Bluebull, but perhaps a combination of 100% & 90 % will see him on the right track - but if the bike is ok he will be close. Don't forget, the only time Sam has ever crashed out in a Rally or a Baja was in Oz last year when a Kangaroo hit him at high speed on day 1 - he missed one day because the medics would not let him ride on but still went on to win 3 stages, so contrary to all the discussion he is not actually suspect to bombing it
That is true, he broke his foot training didn't he? I saw a video of him going past in the desert somewhere on a training run and he was insane fast.
Yes, he broke 4 toes on a track training ride in Feb and it wasn't right by the time of the DC but he was determined to go. It may have held up, but he hit a rut near the end of the leg whilst blinded by the sun and his foot slipped off the peg and got badly knocked. He couldn't get the boot on the next morning and they wouldn't let him ride without one - otherwise he would have done
A nice list of the cloggies that got in, with a few malles moto (yellow) entries too. Richard de Groot is back http://www.rallymaniacs.nl/index.ph...akar-2013&catid=88889086:dakar-2013&Itemid=92
Pablo Rodriguez (who finished 2010 Dakar with a Tornado XR 250 bike, and last year in top 30 with a Honda 450) just receive confirmation letter for Dakar today. And take into consideration that he will be Honda Racing Argentina works rider (to see if someone else may take Pizzolito´s place in this team)
I believe so on a blue bike http://fr-fr.facebook.com/pages/Pou...p&activecategory=Photos&session_id=1333263382 davidfretigne.com
Brett Cummings and Glen Grundy (South Africans I think) riding with GHR Honda (Australia). Facebook RallyeRider LookLocal article
May the speculating begin! Frans must be in an awkward situation after being dumped from 1st to 3rd. Didn't the Dutch RallyManiacs list him possibly doing Dakar this year on a KTM 450RR?
