Dakar 2012 - Official Event Coverage - THANK YOU all Lurkers and Posters!!

[Bluebull2007]

Originally Posted by Rasthomas

How great is it to have Ned checking in??????

Awesome to have somebody in the race take time to post.

Freaking awesome!!

I'm so excited for you Ned!

[Gordy]

Good luck to all of the racers and everyone come home safe!

[Tomas Kocanda]

Hi Everybody,
after absence in 2011 (I was diving at Simmilan islands near Thailand) I am back doing blog and Eurosport (CZ) commentary etc...
We do not have many bikers in the rally this year (just Jan Vesely) and one quad (5x Dakar winner Josef Machacek). Five trucks, but this is out of my scope.
Honza (familiar name for Jan at us) Vesely passed scrutineering OK, but there are HUGE problems for Josef Machacek and others with modified quads (I got message that problematic are 8 quads in total). I´ve been told that some argentinian riders claimed protest against others and FIM and organisers now negotiate if those quads will be allowed to compete or not. I don´t have exact information, but for sure Josef Machacek is riding same quad as at least 3 polish riders and the quads are modified according to regulations and are street legal etc. I think it is hard to believe, that some riders would be so scared from competition to use protest to eliminate others even before start, but it happened in past (remember 2005 and De Rooy team with DAF trucks)... We will see...
As far, as I understand, Machacek´s quad is not using injection but carburator etc...

[Bluebull2007]

Originally Posted by Flood

In the last years we had access to the daily time cards with and route descriptions/start times/SS lengths etc. I can't find anything like that this year and there's nothing in the competitors zone on dakar.com

If anyone has these files in digital form, it would be great if you could post them here or send me a PM.

Thanks a bunch!

Yip, they're making it harder for people to track the exact route I think.

This is the best I have been able to find so far:



Im hoping they will provide more info on the day.

[tserts]

Cool check in by Neduro!!

The time is near!!!

I'm going home, see you in 20 min and 6 pages down the thread!!

[AceRph]

They probably should fix the dates.

[ramz]

Why is the card showing 2011?

[Bluebull2007]

Here is a link to the interactive pages, it will be interesting to see how they work.

http://gaps.dakar.com/2012/dakar/

Click on the map for any stage.
Be sure to have the icon on the right hand side selected to MOTORBIKES.
You can switch between map and profile, photos of the stage as well, which is something new.

[Myway]

Kawasaki in Dakar 2012

87 MEILLAT CHRISTOPHE FRANCE KAWASAKI C.M PROMO

157 CERDERA SERGIO ARGENTINE KAWASAKI TEAM RPM KAWASAKI

164 DEMELCHORI DIEGO ARGENTINE KAWASAKI TEAM RPM KAWASAKI

174 MARTINEZ PACO ESPAGNE KAWASAKI

185 SANCHEZ MARCELO ARGENTINE KAWASAKI TEAM RPM KAWASAKI



Mischa live tracker

87,157,164,174,185 +USA

Kawasaki . +* (All)






Marine base Mar Del Plata

Thanks cvestal for the kawasaki pictures







and endurancerider

Mar del plata.












and



Parc Ferme Mar del Plate 30 dec 2011

157 CERDERA SERGIO ARGENTINE KAWASAKI TEAM RPM KAWASAKI







31-12-2011











Dakar 2012: Marcelo Sanchez, Diego Demelchori y Sergio Cerdera y sus KLX450R

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...asakiargentina

Mar del Plata






Paco Martinez




Stage 1:



Stage 4

[Tomas Kocanda]

Latest information - 6 quads with modifications will be probably not allowed to enter Dakar 2012 with others, they will open special category for them, but will not rank them in official Dakar qualification. Those include polish rider Rafal Somik and 5x Dakar winner Josef Machacek from Czech republic (they use the same quad produced by Josef Machacek workshop). Josef already mentioned me in late night message, that is totally upset and will not ride in such situation at all. Here is his picture during one of visits in our shop - holding plate for past Dakar in Argentina. We helped him this year (as every year since 2006) with roadbook (carbon version) and secondary IMO unit and few other parts, what he trust and not change, what is proven to work..

[Bonnie Abbzug]

Originally Posted by neduro

I'm going to ride across the podium like a rock star,

As far as we're concerned you are a Rock Star!!! Go Ned Go!

Hugs and kisses!

[Myway]

Big PIC Rosa Romero

Spain's biker Rosa Romero poses with her KTM before the technical verification ahead of the Argentina-Chile-Peru Dakar Rally 2012 in Mar del Plata, Argentina, Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011. The rally will start Sunday. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia).

[Bluebull2007]

Here is Christophe Barrier Varju's trailer for his Dakar, but I think it encapsulates the passion required to finish this race.



Ping CBV; where are you brother?

[knybanjo]

Originally Posted by Bonnie Abbzug

As far as we're concerned you are a Rock Star!!! Go Ned Go!

Hugs and kisses!

What the little purple lady said!

..well maybe not the hugs and kisses part...

[DesertDingo]

If anyone's interested, I've compiles a list of folks live-tweeting Dakar via the Twitter. You can check it out here:

http://www.desertdingo.com/blog/foll...r-live-online/

I'm new to Adventure Rider. Love the Dakar info.

Jim