Dakar Kiwi

[JayBo1]

I just can't believe no-ones started a thread about #234 Michael Shepherd, the only Kiwi ever to have entered the Dakar and currently sitting in 93'rd place with only one day to go! (I hope this thread doesn't jinx things - lucky I'm not superstitious). He's steadily worked his way through, starting in second to last place with almost everyone in front of him. He may soon be the only Kiwi to have ever finished the Dakar! I can't wait to hear his story. He'll have had some incredibly tough times out there. An incredible achievement! Entirely self funded with no sponsorship at all! Where's his support?

[Kokopelli]

Thanks for posting that, I am surprised that wasn't covered in the news. Maybe I just missed it.

[NordieBoy]

He's a Kiwi.
You obviously didn't check on KiwiBiker

I've been making sure they know he's there and finished 94th out of 212 odd starters.

[Kokopelli]

Originally Posted by NordieBoy

He's a Kiwi.
You obviously didn't check on KiwiBiker

I've been making sure they know he's there and finished 94th out of 212 odd starters.

I check KiwiBiker occasionally, but tend to waste my time on advrider. I guess it's got more content related to my bikes. As it is, I only like Kiwibiker's adventure section, their squids make me all nervous.

Will check there now. Out of the 212, how many finished? I think the drop-out rate's usually around 30%.

[NordieBoy]

Originally Posted by Kokopelli

I check KiwiBiker occasionally, but tend to waste my time on advrider. I guess it's got more content related to my bikes. As it is, I only like Kiwibiker's adventure section, their squids make me all nervous.

Will check there now. Out of the 212, how many finished? I think the drop-out rate's usually around 30%.

I posted it in the dirt racing section.

I think it was officially 217 starters, 212 at the end of the 1st stage and 113 finishers.

[clintnz]

There have been a couple of very short articles in the Herald, just saw that he'd made it this morning. Huge congratulations to Mr Shepherd for finishing the Dakar!

Just getting to the end in one piece with a running bike is a massive achievement, especially for a privateer! Hopefully we'll see a writeup & pics of his experience somewhere soon.

Cheers
Clint

[KiwiSteve]

Yeah I read the articles in the Herald too, nothing on the tv news, typical NZ sports mentality, if it's not rugby or cricket we're not interested, hopefully something will crop up in the next little while after the dude gets back and has a well deserved rest

Well done Michael, you're a bloodly legend ...........

[ztaj]

Originally Posted by KiwiSteve

Yeah I read the articles in the Herald too, nothing on the tv news, typical NZ sports mentality, if it's not rugby or cricket we're not interested, hopefully something will crop up in the next little while after the dude gets back and has a well deserved rest

Well done Michael, you're a bloodly legend ...........

Candidate for "sportsman of the year" perhaps

Top effort that man.

BTW, perhaps the media don't realize what a mammoth effort it is to do the Dakar, mentaly, physicaly, and financialy

[warewolf]

Originally Posted by ztaj

BTW, perhaps the media don't realize

Stick and ball sports (two in particular) are proven ratings winners, that's all they care about. And they are ratings winners because that's all they push... vicious circle, but it's just business. Some decades ago the media moguls downunder picked a minority sport (pointy-ball footie) that wasn't already sewn up by the international media big guns, and pushed it in their own media as a self-seeding loop; quite clever, really. Round ball footie is a bigger game in Australasia, but you wouldn't think so from the media portrayals. You don't see it much here, because the media has to buy the rights from other people worldwide, and/or other media people already have the distribution rights here. And/or people are too busy playing it to watch it.

Attention pointy-ball fans: I'm not interested in your take on what some journalist wrote in the paper about what some commentator thought about some player's ideas on the matter. I'd rather talk to you about something you actually did yourself!

/rant

Be thankful the Nelson motorcycle club seem to have a good relationship with the local papers, plus Josh Coppins is a local hero so he gets a coverage boost that way. Reckon we see far more m/c stuff in the media than the big cities.

[SafariBerg]

Micheal Shepherd first Kiwi to enter & finish Dakar !!

Micheal is based in the UK has been there for a few years, hear interview here http://rallyraidio.net/index.php?post_id=419992

He was supported by the Desert Rose Racing team of Patsy Quick http://www.desertroseracing.com/

Top effort for a first Dakar from a great guy who has had limited offroad racing experience

He used an '07 KTM 525EXC with Mecasystem kit supplied and helped built by Patsy. One of the riders that never used the fuel in the rear tanks !

No mechanical issues, single engine the whole way, he rode real smart and looked after both himself and the bike. Pasty said he never beat the bike up.











At the finish stage



with Patsy and her team



A launch to celebrate !!

[Padmei]

Ok whats this guys story? His whakapapa? Limited offroad experience? Sounds amazing. inspirational!
Someone get him to put his experience down on a keyboard.

[Yobbo]

Originally Posted by capt crayfish

Ok whats this guys story? His whakapapa? Limited offroad experience? Sounds amazing. inspirational!
Someone get him to put his experience down on a keyboard.

Love to hear this also.
Someone give this man a DB,please!

[NordieBoy]

In real life he is a Vetrinarianinnan in pommyland.

[Padmei]

Originally Posted by NordieBoy

In real life he is a Vetrinarianinnan in pommyland.

Far out - how long did he have to study to become one of those?