Addc 2013 - Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge

1 never been ridden HRC CRF 450 R - brand new, never been raced or rallied

Well not utilise this coming Sunday

Big time. I was shocked at the fugly, fat looking bike last year...hope the "new" bike is a bit more stream lined. Ditto for the new and improved KTM

Tell me though, how would anyone run out of fuel with that ?

Unless of course they ran without a full load and miscalculated

HRC knows best...riders opinions dont count

Taddy Blazusiak is going to race in the desert for the first time. It'll be interesting to see how he adapts.

http://www.enduro21.com/index.php/component/k2/item/1002-taddy-blazusiak-abu-dhabi-rally-2013

He should be quick on days 1 and 5 as the dune elements are relatively gentle, but the other 3 days I think he will find a real challenge

notice the ICO's are Tony's...
http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=445331

I don't see Quinn Cody on the starters list...in fact I am surprised as I have yet to see him on a Husky yet since he signed...I would have expected him to be racing this one.

Any news on which races he will be competing in this year ?

Quin Cody is joining the Spedbrain team for the Qatar Sealine round (stated in PR report from Speedbrain themselves).


Rgarding Honda, and HRC, not very clear for the moment.

By the way Pizzolito is againg racing for Honda Argentina with this usual co rider Pablo Pizzolito with the locally developed CRF 450 rally. (this weekend, forst round of national cross country championship)
He mentioned to be planing an international race "later in the year".
e is planning surgery as soosn as possible (to remove a "screw" in his forearm, result of his fall in Dakar 2012) and be ready for Dakar Series Desafio Ruta 40 in July.
My understanding is that his international round will be just with the new HRC bikes in Morocco or Egypt this year.

Very light = 0

Think they are working on the new bike and learning French

That's a very telling image.

Strange behavior by HRC in any case ... Hopefully they are all spinning wrenches on a new bike.

Race day is here, well the Super Special or Prologue and a chance for the spectators to have a look at the "runners and riders"

Could be a little interest though, as in an effort to stop riders deliberately posting slow times to get a lower start position they have allowed the top 10 to chose their start positions on day 1
Best not be 11th though, unless you want the honour of starting SS1 first.

I'll nip over to Yas and have a look with Mrs. Too Old and Junior (4 legged variety that is) and cheer on Sam before what could be a defining point in his career.

It's been two years now since he burst onto the rally scene at just 22 with 2 stage and 2 top 10 finishes in the 2011 rally, to be scuppered courtesy of an over cooked engined on day 3.

This was followed by him qualifying for the Loretta's in the States on a borrowed bike which let him down in the finals, an Ozzie Safari with 3 stage wins but a second best bout with a Roo, a 7th on the first stage in Dakar 2012, but 2 stator failures on stage 2 and out.
A 13th in Sardinia last year was an achievement after being dumped with a 75th start position and a Rally where overtaking was at times impossible and a top 10 in Morocco 2012 a reasonable effort after a few bike issues.

Dakar 2013 was hit through injury, but he is now fit and raring to go and hopefully what could be turning out to have been a development project will serve him well for the next 6 days - he needs a bloody break at last

Come race time on the first 2 stages I'll be quiet as I am travelling for work, but hopefully for stage 3 I'll be back real time, although a bit wearily having been in the air for 2 nights out of 3.

Go Sam and Helder and all the Honda Rally team.

More Honda's than KTM's in this ones, will be interesting to see the line up on Thursday!

It is an HRC sanctioned participation, but they are saying very little - f**k all in fact :huh

The Ben Spies of rally with that kind of luck.