Dakar 2013 - Official Event Coverage - thank you ALL TeamF5, lurkers and posters!

[El Ponkin]

I am still laughing about the term Flatbiller, maybe the 2013 F5 trinket should be an F5 Flat Bill Word

[EKIN]

Originally Posted by El Ponkin

I am still laughing about the term Flatbiller, maybe the 2013 F5 trinket should be an F5 Flat Bill Word

With lasers.

[El Ponkin]

Question for previous participants: Ref Upper body clothing do most guys wear seperate body armour over the motorcross shirts and then no jacket armour, just noticed David Casteau getting dressed that way in one of the clips.I take it you also use compression clothing underneath or does it all get too hot.

[too old]

Originally Posted by 8340SU

HRC Team

Day 6 Arica – Calama 313 km liaison 455 km special
This first special stage held in Chile took the competitors to the Atacama desert, a plateau that covers a 600-mile strip of land on the Pacific coast west of the Andes Mountains, famous for the torrid temperatures, sand dunes and salt lakes.
The Dakar is getting tougher and tougher and riders faced today a 455-km stage, split in two parts by 100 km of liaison. The first stage was characterized by big rolling dunes at the sea level, while the second part climbed up to 3,200 meters, before reaching the mining town of Calama at 2,200 meters of altitude.

Johnny Campbell SS6 24th +23’41”, 77th in the Overall: “I enjoyed the big rolling dunes in the first part of the stage. In the second part the machine started to feel the altitude and I also could feel it, as it was more difficult to breath. It will important now to take a good rest as tomorrow we will climb up to 4,975 metres”.

Unofficial Lap Times SS6 1 Lopez (KTM), 2. Faria (KTM) + 2’34”, 3. Despres (KTM) +3’48” … 7. Rodrigues Team HRC (Honda) +6’58, 16. Pizzolito Team HRC (Honda) +11’37, 24. Campbell Team HRC (Honda) +23’41”Overall Classification: 1. Pain (Yamaha) 2. Despres (KTM) +2’22”, 3. Casteu (Yamaha) +4’48”…. 9.Rodrigues Team HRC (Honda) +25’23”, 13. Pizzolito Team HRC (Honda) +29’49”, 77. Campbell Team HRC (Honda) +5h23’18.

Wow, only half way up the ladder and saying the altitude is impacting the bike - what's to come later

[B-Rod]

Originally Posted by too old

Maybe he has Baredda's - number swop

I just finished cruising the pages of the media thread for pics to get anyone else I know interested in following this, I realized how gutted I am for Barreda. I am admittedly a bit of a Despres and Coma fan-boy, with much love for the other faves like Casteau, Viladoms, Faria and Rodrigues, but I'm really warming up to Barreda and Pain. Some serious talent out there if they have any luck with their equipment. Sadly for them, barring any technical difficulties for him, I think Cyril will likely take it without too much trouble. It would be nice for a little less predictable finish though.

[Aussie66]

Originally Posted by ZequeArgentina

Probably a change in objectives, initially hunger for getting to the top, probably currently to compete for passion for racing and Dakar ?

Or just a bike with problems on every stage.

[wrk2surf]

Yoshi and his Hino had some issues on the last stage..

[neduro]

Playing catch up!

Comments in this thread are excellent, great fun to catch up! Had to go for a ride this afternoon before it snows tomorrow...

Originally Posted by Sparrowhawk

How do these bikes continue to submarine through all the fesh-fesh and choking dust without totally choking the air filter?

It does choke the air filter. The factory KTMs are the best- the air filter is up high and forward... but for everyone, air filter management is a key strategy for the race.


Ciampa, your stadium race photochop is my favorite so far. And that picture of Riann in the silt is epic.


There was a question about how to ride that stuff... the answer is, you don't. You survive it. I think that's more or less the same for everyone. But, it gets much worse as traffic cuts it up.

Lyndon's call was outstanding! I remember the fast stuff he's talking about, I think Chris Birch said it best: that ain't riding, it's praying. Fast with embedded stones, a mess up is not all that likely but it will hurt bigtime...

[roadracer]

Im not a previous participant, but I own the protective gear that most of them are wearing (that Ive seen in clips. Including despres). Its the leatt body protector adventure, which is awesome.

I wear a long sleeve underarmour compression shirt, the leatt armor, a riding jersey and the leatt neck brace, in that order, and I dont think its too hot for Baja or central valley CA. Never been in 120deg weather though.

I don't know about the jackets they wear either.

Originally Posted by El Ponkin

Question for previous participants: Ref Upper body clothing do most guys wear seperate body armour over the motorcross shirts and then no jacket armour, just noticed David Casteau getting dressed that way in one of the clips.I take it you also use compression clothing underneath or does it all get too hot.

[EKIN]

Just had this emailed from a friend from the Two Wheels Blog who knows I have been following Dakar. Sorry if this is old news. He needs a flat brim hat.

Stéphane Peterhansel - living legend of the Dakar Rally with 6 wins on two wheels (all of which with Yamaha) and 4 wins in the car class - was getting a little bored while waiting for the next edition of the famous rally raid, hence he decided to go out for a spin with his Yamaha YZF-R1. The thing is, he did that in the desert.
Even though it’s been a few years since Peterhansel was the ruler of motorcycle racing on the dunes, the Frenchman obviously still has it: riding an R1 with special tyres on the sandy hills of Merzouga, Morocco, Peterhansel showed off his skills for a special issue of French magazine L’Integral, and here are a few pics documenting his performance.
It goes without saying that the desert is not the kind of habitat that the R1 designers had in mind for their baby, but with a top-notch specialist like Peterhansel on board, even the awesome road-racer from the three diapason house can make the right impression.

[Stagehand]

Originally Posted by roadracer

I don't know about the jackets they wear either.

Kenny jackets. I want one


OK- Im shot for tonight, too. Have a good night, guys

[Jack Attack]

Originally Posted by EKIN

Just had this emailed from a friend from the Two Wheels Blog who knows I have been following Dakar. Sorry if this is old news. He needs a flat brim hat.

Stéphane Peterhansel - living legend of the Dakar Rally with 6 wins on two wheels (all of which with Yamaha) and 4 wins in the car class - was getting a little bored while waiting for the next edition of the famous rally raid, hence he decided to go out for a spin with his Yamaha YZF-R1. The thing is, he did that in the desert.
Even though it’s been a few years since Peterhansel was the ruler of motorcycle racing on the dunes, the Frenchman obviously still has it: riding an R1 with special tyres on the sandy hills of Merzouga, Morocco, Peterhansel showed off his skills for a special issue of French magazine L’Integral, and here are a few pics documenting his performance.
It goes without saying that the desert is not the kind of habitat that the R1 designers had in mind for their baby, but with a top-notch specialist like Peterhansel on board, even the awesome road-racer from the three diapason house can make the right impression.

[IMG]http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f394/scceptor/41d8bbd63bad095a3ae7f978869d01e4.jpg[/IMG

[IMG]http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f394/scceptor/cefcc12b82ef8a7257023b7c842b8da7.jpg[/IMG

[IMG]http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f394/scceptor/5e955db0c8d8844754349931c8f1610c.jpg[/IMG

[IMG]http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f394/scceptor/c4729e349540a41596744aabd57fc621.jpg[/IMG

[IMGhttp://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f394/scceptor/d04d199e528b4396a39d6b870fc12d74.jpg[/IMG]

Those are some SWEET pics!

[K2vodka]

Frickin' 'el! It is tough to catch up!

The videos hook you in, pictures to peruse, radio links, links to people's personal blogs, etc, etc.

Great job guys. Wish I had more time to dig into the details. That is when you get a taste of what these guys are truly experiencing.

Hats off to them all!

Despres playing possum, young guns trying to show their stuff, this years fuel pump gremlins vs last years extreme heat causing vapor block, trucks overtaking motorcycles and no courtesy horn burst, endless dunes with fesh fesh and fields of rocks, looks like South America's challenges are being discovered and lined up well to challenge like Africa did. The locals being enchanted and so close do take away the feeling of isolation but they add another flavor.

Great stuff so far and they're not even halfway!

[KTMInduro]

Originally Posted by Flanny

Fuckin'a!

That's fantastic! Thanks Misc!

Any way to show their rankings relative to the field, rather than relative to each other? (Otherwise, I'll have to start smack-talkin on Lyndon while I root for Patrick and all...)

Brilliant stuff Misc- great to see the manufacturers column in there also. Had thought about requesting that

[Chromer]

Originally Posted by EKIN

Stéphane Peterhansel - living legend of the Dakar Rally with 6 wins on two wheels (all of which with Yamaha) and 4 wins in the car class - was getting a little bored while waiting for the next edition of the famous rally raid, hence he decided to go out for a spin with his Yamaha YZF-R1. The thing is, he did that in the desert.

That is pure awesome!