F5 constituency - 2020 Saudi DAKAR Rally - Official ADV coverage thread. Jan 5th - 16th

He only just got it right

White frame vs orange frame

One of my favorite jokes:

"Hey, did you hear that historians found out Homer didn't really write The Iliad and The Odyssey!? Turns out it was some other guy with the same name."

From the front they remind me of the East German Trabbis

Red Bull TV Daily

https://www.redbull.com/int-en/videos/stage-10-dakar-rally-2020

And Alonso’s fall from another phone...he just keeps going after the roll!

https://twitter.com/DannyFChen/status/1217349817455857664?s=20

Maybe ASO should introduce a retro "Sheik rattle n' Roll" category for 2020...











I reckon this has got JMo (and piglet) written aaaall over it though...

Time 0:32
Two minute Penalty for using wrong tool.
A Crescent Hammer is specifically called for.

If Alonso screwed up that means Coma screwed up and since that is impossible, I blame the roadbook. I think even Price said there were many dangerous Drop offs. I will wait until myway publishes the offending tulip....

yes, i was thinking the same. Can somebody post up a pic of Jamie Farr playing the Sheik in Cannonball Run, Rolls Royce?

edit, or was that it in Troy’s post 2 back?

TP twitter

The ground we’re covering here in Saudi Arabia

continues to blow my mind, especially when watching back footage from the
@redbullmotors chopper

more of this tomorrow! #racingforspeedy

https://twitter.com/i/status/1217435515097468928


@tobyprice87
Making the old saying “I’m so tired I could sleep on the floor” a reality!

All a part of the
@dakar

Dakar.com

Mirjam Pol fb

Mirjam on the phone...
While we were assuming that we couldn't speak to her today, the phone suddenly goes over and we have mirjam on the line: " did you happen to see images? I look like filled with Botox!", she starts her story. When Mirjam starts with a joke, something usually follows that a tikkie is more serious. Also now that's the case; she injured her thighs quite seriously.

Torn muscle in upper leg
" today was a very strange day actually. There was a very hard storm, and those dunes are very treacherous. You have a high speed plateau, it's going back in a dune and that dune is going to stop three meters before the top! I can't even explain it so well. Anyway, I already had a pretty quick watch that I had to keep my thoughts good. Still, I let my concentration weaken and then it went wrong!"
Mirjam continues: " I don't even know what exactly happened; I probably looked at my roadbook but in any case not good before me. I had to be full in the anchors but I was also right because I wasn't going to save the inhibitory, then I would crash. So given gas, but then you jump off the dune and I couldn't catch that blow anymore. I clapped with my head full on navigation and, with all my muscles filed, I clapped with my thighs along the tank!"
She was dizzy for a while, drank some water and then joined a few bikers who passed. She felt clear that something was not good with her thighs.

A good conversation with the girls
In the bivouac, she went straight to the medicals to get massage. They gave the doctor a quick talk and had an ultrasound. Her right upper leg is heavily bruised, very painful. But in her left upper leg she ripped a muscle and that is an injury that she expects to suffer from tomorrow in the dunes. Standing on the motorcycle is very painful.
Mirjam can hardly believe she finished 33th, but that's definitely the case.
She got good painkillers and is now with laia, Kirsten, Sara and Taye (all the ladies who started in the motorklassement driving still! ) to continue the Dakar 2020; a very intense dakar, in multiple ways...

this has also been niggling at me looking at his body language. When you look at the cumulative tragedy that Tobes has had, ( his sister, Kurt, the neck, the femur etc) maybe Gonc could be the tipping point?
I’m sure he’s smart enough to keep it together for the rest of the race, we’ll see what happens when it’s done

HRC

Monster Energy Honda Team podium lock-out in the marathon stage
This report is in the following languages:

Barreda, Brabec and Benavides occupied the top three places in the tenth stage of the 2020 Dakar Rally to confirm Monster Energy Honda Team’s intentions for the overall victory. The second sector of the marathon stage was cancelled due to safety reasons.

Monster Energy Honda Team riders Joan Barreda, Ricky Brabec and Kevin Benavides all made it onto the podium at the end of the day’s stage which was cut short due to inclement weather. The tenth stage of the Dakar Rally – initially scheduled to cover 534 kilometres over two timed sectors – was shortened to just a single special when strong winds were forecast in the second stretch. Riders were directly diverted to the bivouac at Shubaytah to avoid the winds which could potentially have put the participants’ safety into jeopardy.

Barreda, Brabec and Benavides finished the short 222-kilometre special stage after imposing a white-knuckle pace. In spite of the speed, the squad riders were careful to keep their Honda CRF450 RALLY machinery in optimum conditions, given that today is the first part of the marathon stage which will see the riders accommodated in a separate camp. Today – as will be the case tomorrow – riders received the roadbook 25 minutes ahead of the start of the special. Once back at the Shubaytah bivouac, with no external mechanical assistance permitted, it was left to the riders themselves to attend to any servicing that might be necessary, as rally rules stipulate that no tyres can be exchanged with other riders, but only mechanical elements, if need be.

The general standings continue to be dominated by Ricky Brabec, who increases the lead over his immediate rivals: more than 25 minutes over Pablo Quintanilla and 27 over his Monster Energy Honda Team stable-mate Joan Barreda, who, with today’s win leapfrogs a place in the general rankings. José Ignacio Cornejo, who posted the day’s tenth fastest time, still holds fifth spot overall.

Tomorrow sees the penultimate stage of this edition of the Dakar, the second leg of the marathon stage, with riders returning to the bivouac in Haradh. The opening kilometres will have a heavy dose of dunes before the stage finishes with sandy track and some solid ground.


Kevin Benavides 7
STAGE: 3rd OVERALL: 21th
Today was a short stage, very fast at the beginning, with very dangerous cut dunes. I took it easy at first, as a precaution, and then I began to push a bit harder. In the end, at the refuelling we were told that the second part had been cancelled for security reasons, which seems right to me. I'm happy for us, it's been a good day for the Honda guys, with a full podium. The bikes have done few kilometres, so they are fine and do not need much attention!



Ricky Brabec 9
STAGE: 2nd OVERALL: 1st
We are in the bivouac of the marathon stage and we have only two stages left. Today it was very windy, and with the sand that was rising it was hard to see well, so they decided to cancel the last part. Well, we have to go every day, there is no other plan or strategy to complete. The goal is to get to the finish line every day with the motorcycle.



Joan Barreda 12
STAGE: 1st OVERALL: 3rd
I think I rode a very good stage, although tomorrow I will have to start from the front and open the track in the dunes. Anyway, I’m satisfied with the pace that I’ve kept. I pushed hard to reach the frontrunners Price, Quintanilla which I managed to do at kilometre 130. Then we rode together as far as the refuelling where the organization then cancelled the rest of the special. The important thing now is that Ricky has the race under control and that Nacho, me and Kevin are fine. This is great for Honda!


José Ignacio Cornejo 17
STAGE: 10th GENERAL: 5th
In the first part of today's special there were many falls produced by strong gusts of wind and the helicopters have had a lot of work, so, for safety reasons, they cancelled the second part. There was a sandstorm and there was no visibility. Today I made a small navigational error that cost me about some minutes, but I am glad to get back to the bivouac in one piece. Ricky is riding the race really well.

Yamaha

Impressive Seventh Place Result For Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team’s Jamie McCanney On Stage 10 Of 2020 Dakar Rally
With just two days remaining until the end of the 2020 Dakar Rally, Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team riders Jamie McCanney and Franco Caimi have both taken important steps towards successfully completing this year’s event, reaching stage 10’s overnight bivouac without troubles. Enjoying the shortened stage, Dakar rookie Jamie McCanney earned his highest stage finish of the event to date with a well-deserved seventh place result.

With riders allowed no outside assistance, and with the swapping of parts between teammates’ bikes forbidden, both Franco and Jamie will spend tonight away from their team yet together with all other competitors. Both riders reached the end of the first leg of the marathon stage and are now well placed for the penultimate day of competition in Saudi Arabia.

Another tough stage, despite being shortened due to adverse weather conditions and the fact that all medical vehicles were deployed, stage 10 saw Jamie and Franco successfully complete the 345-kilometre shortened leg aboard their WR450F Rally machines. Faced with some challenging navigation and off-piste riding, both settled into good rhythms but took no risks to ensure they arrived at the night’s temporary bivouac.

Earning his first ever top-10 Dakar stage result, Jamie McCanney was the 20th rider to leave the start and had worked his way up to 16th at the 87-kilometre mark. Dropping a few places by the 113-kilometre point, Jamie then stopped to assist an injured rider, losing considerable time, before completing the stage. With event organisers handing the lost time back to the Manxman, Jamie was awarded a seventh-place result. Together with teammate Franco, he also safely reached the end of the first leg of the marathon stage and now awaits the penultimate day of the event tomorrow.

Frustratingly for Franco Caimi stage 10 was somewhat compromised due to the Argentinian being unable to find one of the day’s way points. That, combined with the shortened stage that prevented him from claiming back the lost time, saw him end the day in 13th.

On stage 11, racers will embark upon a 379-kilometre special stage, which features an 80-kilometre leg across what the organisers are calling ‘the finest dunes of the entire rally’. At the completion of the stage, competitors will arrive in Haradh knowing that just one day of competition remains.

Alexandre Kowalski - Yamaha Europe Off-Road Racing Manager

It was a great day for Jamie today, finishing in seventh position after his time was adjusted as he stopped with an injured rider. This is a great result for him and shows that he is really starting to feel at home in the desert – a first top-10 result is very rewarding for him and the team. It was also a great day for Yamaha rider Rodney Faggotter, who finished a very impressive sixth. Franco, Jamie and Rodney are tonight in the overnight bivouac, so all looks good for them ahead of tomorrow’s second leg of the marathon stage. It wasn’t the best day for Franco today, he lost some time looking for a way point. But importantly, he has reached the bivouac and he and his bike are without problems. With today being the first leg of the marathon stage, it was absolutely necessary that our riders reached the end of the stage without technical problems, which they have done. Tonight, they have no possibilities to change anything on their bikes and must do all their mechanical work with only the help of their teammates. In previous years riders were permitted to share parts, but no more – this is why they had to be so careful during today’s stage. The riders will face more dunes, more sand again tomorrow, so we expect another strong stage. With the finish of the event so close now I know that both riders are really focused on these next two stages – on riding safely and reaching the finish.

This entry has me mystified I gotta say.

I've spent a lot of time in China and nothing "rings true" about this car/ team. Westerners do something like this for a laugh ( taking the piss as we say in Oz ) - but I have never come across anyone in China with this sort of sense of humor. Add the fact that its got a Chev V8 - it seems more likely that it's been conceived by a westerner and convinced his rich Chinese buddy to bankroll it ? I didn't see the Red Bull TV story on it - but it is just "odd" for a Chinese team.

I've had a bit to do with JINCHENG - the first Chinese motorcycle company to compete in the Dakar. Their first attempt used XR250's with Honda bogged over and "New Motor" carved into the cases, then Yamaha WR450's and finally KTM's. I tried to convince them to use their 150cc production bikes and develop race bikes from them - they would have got 100x the publicity that they did - but I got that "I'm looking at a talking cat" stare across the table. One of their senior managers complained to me of the lack of western media coverage that their company received from the Dakar - considering the money they were spending. I tried to explain that western media simply didn't understand why a Chinese company was using Honda's, Yamaha's & KTM's. No he insisted, they are JINCHENG ! Yer right.......

I still have a Lifan in the garage they can have......but it needs "some work"....................................

Yesterday's marathon bivouac was lost reception, I barely got information.

1. 06:05 Original by Motul
   Emanuel Gyenes is now only two days away from a splendid victory in the Original by Motul category. This morning, the Romanian, who won stage 10, has a lead of 1 hour and 38 minutes over Florent Vayssade, who in turn is only two minutes ahead of his countryman Benjamin Melot. 28 brave riders are still in the race.
   
   
2. 05:50 Yesterday’s drop-outs
   The tenth stage put paid to several bikers’ hopes of finishing. Mohammed Balooshi, Javier Gómez, Garrett Poucher, Abdullah Al Shatti and Leonardo Cola all exited the race prematurely,