Honda preparing Dakar assault

[Deadly99]

Since we're speculating on future aliens (side note I look forward to Carelton using another f5 term next year )...

Someone young, stupid fast, smart and can mature into an alien. A few names come to mind

The question is who has the patience and funds to groom the new aliens? HRC? I hope so

2015 I foresee an HRC rider on the top of the podium, until then the aliens will be unstoppable unless some freak situation comes up (crash, health issue, mechanical, etc). The HRC team is also going to need a few years to get their support trucks, ghost vechicles, mechanics, managers, etc experienced enough to compete against a well oiled machine like ktm.

It's fun and easy being an expert on the web

[DruncleWill]

The last dozen or so posts pretty much sum up why I don't see the next alien being an American.

[zenjen]

Originally Posted by Deadly99

Since we're speculating on future aliens (side note I look forward to Carelton using another f5 term next year )...

Someone young, stupid fast, smart and can mature into an alien. A few names come to mind

It's fun and easy being an expert on the web

What's your opinion on Taddy BLazusiak?

[Deadly99]

Originally Posted by zenjen

What's your opinion on Taddy BLazusiak?

My opinions don't really count anymore than any fan on the web

But your asking so here is my opinion for what it's worth....

Cyril and Marc both began at a young age and devoted their careers to rally. Then they were both in the right place at the right time. Talented? Of course but so were many others along the way.

To guess which 20-30 something year old sticks with it, doesn't get hurt, has the skill, is smart enough to navigate at speed, is willing to put their life on the line (which is what it takes to some degree to ride balls out with blind faith in a road book), gets lucky (don't hit a cow kinda thing) and ends up being in the right place at the right time (sponsors, mentors, etc) is a total guess.

I have a few I'd like to see become the next alien but it would be a total guess as the variables are too many too list. I look forward to watching how the game plays out over the coming years


Let the F5 armchair quarterbacking continue

[auguzt]

Originally Posted by Brodovitch

...edit: or just make young Barreda an offer he can't refuse... or Villadoms... or Botturi...

Botturi showed speed and consistency, but he is a 37 years old "rookie". I am pretty sure that the orange team will bet on a younger rider.

[too old]

Let the F5 armchair quarterbacking continue [/QUOTE]


I know where my money is and I believe Morocco will be very very interesting to say the least
Kinmarvelous, can't wait

[Brodovitch]

Originally Posted by zenjen

What's your opinion on Taddy BLazusiak?

He's an ace at what he does, not sure how that applies to rallying.
IIRC he ran the desafio or something similar (Doyle?), but can't remember his result

Enduro EWC riders seem to adapt better to rallies (Peterhansel etc)... Of the current crop Aubert springs to mind,
he just completed the ISDE in a pretty damn good position overall...

Not all enduro riders have adapted well on the other hand, I was expecting greatness from Gio Sala
that never materialised, but maybe that was in part due to Meoni's death

[Bluebull2007]

Originally Posted by Brodovitch

He's an ace at what he does, not sure how that applies to rallying.
IIRC he ran the desafio or something similar (Doyle?), but can't remember his result

Enduro EWC riders seem to adapt better to rallies (Peterhansel etc)... Of the current crop Aubert springs to mind,
he just completed the ISDE in a pretty damn good position overall...

Not all enduro riders have adapted well on the other hand, I was expecting greatness from Gio Sala
that never materialised, but maybe that was in part due to Meoni's death

I agree with this; just look at Chris Birch. He has won it all, Romaniacs, Ertzberg, the Roof etc. He finished the Dakar last year with a broken ankle and that was enough for him, he just prefers to ride the technical stuff.

[charapa]

Originally Posted by Deadly99

, gets lucky (don't hit a cow kinda thing)

Been there, done that.. In Peru on a gravel road, I was pegged out thru a corner in deep round rock, just enjoying the way the rear wheel was coming around... when a cow jumps out of the bushes on the side of the road fully blocking me! It's one of those times when there is nothing you can do but hold on and cry: "OhmyGodIdon'twanttodieeeee!" I closed my eyes and waited for the impact.

The impact never came... and I don't know where the cow went! I guess my loud Hooker pipe scared it back where it came from! (by the mention of the Hooker pipe, guess I have given my age away! )

But I CAN say I know what it felt like for that guy last year right before he hit it!

[scobes]

Originally Posted by too old

Honda have been "courting" Sam since just after Oz last year - his second ever Rally, where he came back to win 2 stages after an altercation with a Roo on day 1 where he may have come second best

His first ever rally was the Desert Challenge earlier last year, where on a stock 450 r he took 2 stage wins, one by around half an hour over Coma


.

It was clearly based on a hell of alot more than that...... Hell I hit a roo this year in oz safari and then won 2 stages the next day in my 2nd ever rally I dont see any factory contracts coming! and last year the top 5 beat cyril despres in every single stage and none of them were looked at...

[too old]

Originally Posted by scobes

It was clearly based on a hell of alot more than that...... Hell I hit a roo this year in oz safari and then won 2 stages the next day in my 2nd ever rally I dont see any factory contracts coming! and last year the top 5 beat cyril despres in every single stage and none of them were looked at...

100% on that one

[Bluebull2007]

Originally Posted by scobes

It was clearly based on a hell of alot more than that...... Hell I hit a roo this year in oz safari and then won 2 stages the next day in my 2nd ever rally I dont see any factory contracts coming! and last year the top 5 beat cyril despres in every single stage and none of them were looked at...

It was poor class for Cyril to drop out of his Safari, though probably from his point of view that a low ranking on the finishers board would be worse than a DNF ....

What a Pendejo

Your achievement was awesome scobes

Good point about Cryril, it seems the Safari is super tough and the guys who win it are aliens in their own right. We should still be careful to assume a Dakar stage is similar, even though a couple of the guys said some of the stages were comparable. I think it is quite a different race in terms of the length and number of stages. There is also a lot more fesh fesh and some crazy heat to deal with.

Safariberg is someone I have huge respect for and I believe is quite a Safari legend in his own right said it all in this clip: (from 3:45 onwards)

http://ec.libsyn.com/p/5/1/0/510706f...4&c_id=2256481

[too old]

And back to Honda - press conference a day or so away, will they show the bike before Morocco - would be tough without it

http://www.intermot-cologne.com/en/i...home/index.php

Or even today ???

[DruncleWill]

Originally Posted by too old

And back to Honda - press conference a day or so away, will they show the bike before Morocco - would be tough without it

http://www.intermot-cologne.com/en/i...home/index.php

[Gian]

here it is: