Tuareg Rally 2013 - Official Event Coverage - follow our ADV riders HERE!

Timi via FB:

Nice trophy!

I've been on the road, hence only now able to add my voice to all the others. congratulations, Ned. Well done.


Very exciting! Xoxox

Just made it to Tunis and dropped off Lastplace, Mike K, Dirk, and J-L at the airport. What a great group of guys, has been so much fun to be a part of for the last week! As Mike said, not one bummer in the bunch!

Lots of thoughts to share about the race, but there is plenty of time for that in the days to come. In the short term, I'll sum up that its a great event, the riding was both better and more challenging than I expected, and my result surprised me as much as anyone. I tried to ride "the speed of fun" for the whole time, and that worked out pretty well.

Not a moment went by that Wes was very far from any of our thoughts, after speaking with him Day 1, I think (and hope) the enjoyment I had from the event is a tribute to his own love for the sport.

Wild Man and I have one more night in Tunis, and fly home tomorrow. It's been a great adventure.

.

Great job Ned!!!

Ned,
Thanks for the thoughts about Wes,it would have great for all of us to have spent the week catching up,but we returned to the UK after his accident,as we could not give 100% concentration to the rally,and we did not want to have any more accidents.
I have just returned home from his house,and speaking to Deb,his partner,she has been overwhelmed by the messages of support from the ADV community,these are people she has never met,but we all share a common bond of bikes and adventure.I am very grateful,on her behalf,for these words in our time of grief.
His body was returned to the UK from Tunisia last night,and we met him at the local funeral directors late yesterday,his final CP,and all that remains now is to pack his kit away for him.
This has been a very sad few months for our group here in the UK,as we do not participate in rallies with the intention of causing danger to ourselves,and hurt to others.But we know it is always there in the background,but the attraction of what we do,and the scenery and friends we meet during our travels within the community,seem to outweigh any negative thoughts about our sport.
We hope to meet you all again,under less sombre circumstances,and look forward to adventures with friends.
Tomorrow I will ride in our local club trial,and my youngest son,Adam,will ride Wes's old Beta.We will remember his passing a week ago,with his friends who he grew up with.It is in times like these that we revert to the things that started us down the path to where we are now,just biking with friends in our local area,having fun.

regards to all

John

Very well said, Jonh.

It speaks volumes about a person by the company they keep.
Please raise a glass and toast to Wesley's honor for all those that can't be there.

Cheers, E-Ticket

Said it on FB and now here, Well Done Ned!!!

Subscribed! We need more coverage on these events :huh

Cheers, Toby

Another win for EAO team. Great result in Tuareg Rally 2013 with 4 team members in top 8;
#1 Mark
#3 Kim
#6 Martin
#8 Joris
#33 Gwen
#35 Tom
#39 Rob

alturl.com/2rjs6

Congrats to all the contenders, a difficult rally indeed. Very well done Ned,
Jenny, you have been an amazing reporter If only you could ride and report at the same time in the upcoming events

Ktkmmitch, very well said, I wish strength to you, his friends and family through these difficult times... Events like these make me sometimes reconsider, but I tend to think to myself that we are who we are because of what we do, and if there were not risks involved we would not have been the same...

My sincere condolences once again.
D.

Well said John, Well said.

To the memory of Wesley Beane.

That's a really great shot.

Thanks for all the support!

Have a long layover right now, thought I'd add a few thoughts while they are fresh.

I had such a fun time, it was great to do the things I love about rally without feeling the pressure that I put on myself with Dakar. It was also fun to be on a bike that was fast, the 505 is a weapon. Over and over, I wished I'd had that power on other bikes, it would just explode up a dune face or out of a corner. It turns out fast bikes are fun- who knew?

In time, I want to do a writeup of riding of the thing, but I need to get photos together first. A few thoughts to share independent of the story this year's event.

First, the race would not have been possible for me without the help and support of If You See Kay wine. Please "like" their facebook page, ask for it at your liquor store and buy a bottle (or two), and enjoy! There aren't many companies that get our passion for rally, anything you can do to show your support is appreciated by me as well as them!

Second, the event was even better than I thought it might be. The riding was really varied and challenging (that's a compliment!), the organization was generally excellent, the other participants great fun to be around. It's a moving party for a week, by the end of the race you'll have met some great new friends. There are a few niggles to pick (no food until 9pm!) but dollar for dollar, I thought it was a bargain and it was 100% a great time.

Tunisia was different to what I expected. While on paper it is not a rich country, it feels less desperate than some 3rd world places- newer vehicles, better roads, etc. It has so much promise... but it's also a country that is obviously at odds with itself right now. We were cheered, and booed, in towns we passed through, clearly public opinion is not settled as it relates to the West. I really hope that the government gets itself sorted out in a productive direction, because it's a place I'd love to visit again.

Third, and these comments are intended for those poor FF's out there thinking about other, bigger rallies... my advice to you will henceforth include participating in this rally or one like it. In addition to the points above, it will serve as an excellent benchmark to help you know where you stand. I think if you can comfortably finish all the days of the pro class of the Tuareg, you will not be over your head in the Dakar. The Dakar adds the pressure of "single elimination", has longer days (but generally, the additional distance is liaison or at least not harder than what's in the Tuareg), and another week of racing... doing the Tuareg is not the same as doing the Dakar, but what is clear is that if you don't enjoy the Tuareg, you will not enjoy the Dakar, and you will have learned that for about 1/8th the cost.

Finally, I want to say a heartfelt thanks to my teammates. Each of them was not just great company, but did their best to help in a million ways. In particular, Dave Peckham (GSNorCal) of RMS took care of my bike each night with care and precision, his work was absolutely perfect.

What's the saying about it "takes a village..."?

Well done Ned, and to all your teammates and those providing support! I'm sure the amount of support required is overwhelming - family, friends, teammates, support crew, etc. The motorcycling community is awesome!

Nice post, Ned!

And very excellent advice on trying a 'Tuareg-level' rally first.
Which I will very much take to heart. :^)

When you do a more extensive write-up ... if it's on a new/different thread ... could you please come back to this thread and post a linky to your story?

Mucho appreciado!

Oh. And nice job of racing ... racing.

E-Ticket

thank you.


And thanks again Ned and Jenny for bringing it home.

man you really got this rally bug don't you? congrats on your finish thats awesome. Is the 505 the $30K rally purpose built bike from KTM?

Is this the same bike you rode in the Dakar? I'm not much of a rally fan but I admire your passion for it I had no idea you were in Tunisia doing another big one. What the heck do you do if you need a rest room out there!!

Nice work, get home safe.

Scotty C