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

This probably should go in 'Yo Momma' but imho Dakar has now officially lost its glory for me.

It seems more like a glorified offroad trip then anything else to me. The longest days was 5 hours riding for the top guys (the offroad part) and the all other days were finished in 3 and a half hours of dirt riding. The rest of their time was spent on tarmac.

Being three times slower then the top guys I might even make the next bivvy before sunset.

Local (Dutch) enduro riders that ran this years Dakar (first time entries) told me that they ran the course with 2 fingers in their noses (Dutch expression for 'easy') as they were expecting the worst. Turned out that they were taking it a little to easy every day being afraid of a course that didnt give them much hassle at all.

What percentage did finish this year? 60% or more?

Hell, I cant ride for $%^& but if it goes on like this even I might attempt a 2 week pleasure trip in SA. WiFi at the gasstations, wont need a roadbook or roadbook skills, just follow your GPS and off I go. Fill up on BBQ and Beers along the track, the odd empenada and a fresh tyre every 2nd day because of all the tarmac. Wont even need a fancy Dakar bike with roadbook tower, just give me that tiny GPS unit and a 24 liter front tank on an enduro and off I go.


Back to AFRICA and a sub 30% finish rate!


(no disrespect to the ones that did take on the challenge as I do know what people have had to endure to even make it to the start).

Woah! Can't wait to see the responses to that post...this should be good.

No worries Juames, I'm a keyboard jockey :)

Did your friends finish ?

I dont think the terrain was any harder in Africa, in fact by all accounts all the experienced riders said the terrain this year was the hardest its ever been. Time on stage hasn't changed much....

So what has changed? Longer sunlight hours in SA compared to Africa certainly makes it "easier". Liaisons are certainly easier.

From what I have seen the folks who finish with a clean run all think it may have been a bit easy but they all also comment on how demanding it was mentally and physically.

The attrition rate doesn't usually come from the terrain being too difficult, it comes from people having issues. Be those issues lack of rider skill, mechanical's, accidents and or health issues. In this manner I don't see how the race has changed much.

I also asked myself why the attrition rate was lower than normal this year. Certainly the bulk of the field being on factory produced bikes contributes. Certainly the riders being much more prepared than in the past contributes.

What I would like to see next year

• A 21 day race
• No more sleeping outside of the bivouac for racers

Your statements are pretty bold I think. The Dakar is a distance race, its not meant to be a hard enduro. The total distance hasn't changed in the last few years, the specials in a few spots got shorter in distance (race is evolving whether we like it or not) but those stages were by all accounts said to be some of the toughest and looking at stage times the riders didn't look short changed.

The sub 30 rate you mentioned was a fluke and not the norm in Africa. The ASO try very hard to control the attrition rate I believe. If it was too large people would be scared off from entering. Too small of an attrition rate and it loses its challenge. Its a fine line and one I am sure gets a lot of attention by the organizers. Creating a race that is freaking hard to finish but not impossible is no easy task


I look forward to seeing your wooden dutch shoes on the podium one of these years

You're a bit generous there Tehdutchie, Cyril won it with an average of 3 hours and 6 mins timed stage per day!:eek1
IFDE....International Fourteen Day Enduro.

Just shows that I wasnt far off.It looks like a WRC Rally/Enduro event instead of a long distance offroad marathon.

Prep has probably only changed in the way that there are now more people who can afford the entry fees and pay for technology plus support. 2 rider teams with 5 helpers and 2 support vehicles vs the odd malles moto guy.

Then again a 19Yr old 'Malle Moto' guy on a Honda CRF 'grenade' even finished.

Back to Africa and long stages, shine, please shine again oh great Dakar race!

Something that I think contributed to the higher finisher rate was the selection process. The ASO as more entries than space available, and so have been selective in who they'll let in. Elite rider, then past finishers, then past competitors, then the others vetted on who has a 'pedigree'. So: better riders, more capable of finishing.

Then you have the bikes. Most run a 450RR, a well proven mount capable of completing without drama. So: Better (more reliable) bikes.

It looks to me that the regional politics play a big part in South America, dictating the routes and destinations. Couple that with areas that are just plain impassable. They cover damn near a quarter of that continent, there's gonna be a lot of distanced covered if you just rode from Lima to Santiago, let alone throwing in another country detour.

I do think the finishing stage and finish line ceremonies were in bad taste. Special guests only? Elite viewing? That would royally piss me off if they did it here, to see this sort of thing going on with Dakar kinda flies in the face of every non-elite racer.

To me, I know it had the effect of not liking Chile much, and wouldn't be interested in spending any of my time or money there. Read enough ride reports to realize that your average joe there is quite friendly, but be damned if I'm giving that gubmint any money if that's the way they treat their own in a public forum.

Makes you wonder how they treat them out of the light of day.

Caselli and Robby make an appearance on Dirt Live.
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/29067255

An interview with Caselli:



Caselli looking back:

"Kurt took to the start of the toughest off-road motorcycle race there is – and claimed two highly impressive stage wins. Here Kurt reflects on a Dakar Rally he’ll never forget...

Jonty Edmunds: The Dakar is a very special event, but how did your first Dakar compare to other motorcycling exploits you’ve experienced?

Kurt Caselli: Dakar is on a completely different level from anything else I've ever raced. From the paddock to the course, and the spectators, it truly is unlike anything else. The logistics and organisation that are behind everything are very impressive and with that comes the sense of being in something as big as the Olympics. I was very impressed with the way things were run and how much medical assistance was readily available for everyone involved.

Q: You were selected as the rider to stand in for the injured Marc Coma. When and how did you find out you were headed for South America?

A: I was asked if I wanted to go just two weeks before the start of the race. My boss Antti Kallonen at KTM called and asked if I wanted to go, and of course I said yes without any hesitation. Just seconds later I hung up the phone and asked myself ‘what have I just agreed to?'"

. . .

"My best Dakar story would just be this... picture yourself squatting on the side of the road taking your morning dump, while watching the most amazing sunrise... eating a protein bar in preparation for the day ahead. That’s pure Dakar..."


more here

Boundsy looks back:


“Doctors told me I could’ve been paralysed at any second,” the 40-year-old daredevil said on his return to Merthyr. “It was a quad bike and it came out of nowhere. It cut straight into my path and totally wiped me out.

“I did a big somersault over the handlebars and landed on the dirt. I lost the feeling in my arm for a while, but once I got myself up, I somehow managed to keep going.”

. . .

“I finished second overall in the Malle Motor time trial,” he said. “I made the decision not to call for air assistance because I didn’t want to quit but, in hindsight, I definitely should have stopped.”

X-rays at the University Hospital of Wales discovered three large fractures in his neck, which could have paralysed him if fell badly again.

Read more: Wales Online http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/s...h-a-broken-neck-91466-32713423/#ixzz2K7zbNz3o

The neurotic part of me has finally stopped checking this thread....takes me a while to get the F5 twitch to stop

Another announcement coming soon, hopefully as soon as today... stay tuned...

Crap I just quit F5 and within seconds you lure me back in

How Le Touquet inspired the Dakar

"While wandering through the streets of the seaside town of Le Touquet last year, KTM rider Cyril Despres came across an antique shop with a collection of photos of one of his favourite film stars, Steve McQueen.

By a strange coincidence, the shop owner, Frederic Harrewyn, happened to be a good friend of the late Thierry Sabine, founder of both the Dakar Rally and the Enduropale du Touquet, and another big McQueen fan."


http://www.redbull.com/cs/Satellite...t-Cyril-Despres-Hero-Worship-021243158595171:
(excerpt)
"What Cyril discovered left the reigning Dakar winner in shock. Not only is Frederick an antiques dealer, but he was also a close friend of Thierry Sabine and he's created a private museum in his honour. For Cyril, it was an Aladdin's cave of rallying memories as he poured over photos, books and an incredible number of mementos that belonged to the man who gave us both L’Enduropale and the Dakar.

If this incredible collection wasn't enough, Frederic asked Cyril if he’d like to give Gilbert Sabine, Thierry’s 90-year-old father, a phone call. Cyril, obviously, accepted without a second thought."





Sabine's buddy and the history of the Dakar:


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"Frederic wonders what he would make of the professional Dakar of today: 'In Thierry&#8217;s day, the rule book ran to about two pages. I sometimes wonder if they need all these new rules.'"

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Cyril Despres to Sherco for '14?

watching king of the hammers right now on uStream.

Maybe we could get South American locals, or one of their friends/family members (or any connection anyone has) to broadcast on uStream from any point along the 2014 Dakar route. I'm guessing the main need would be for a high speed internet connection (how are they doing it in hammertown).

It would never be comprehensive race coverage, but so what?! Live feeds from any place would be super awesome.

Mike

I heard Bultaco