Dakar riders to face speed limits

[Bob]

Motorbike riders in the Dakar Rally will have their speeds limited to 150kph from the 2006 race because of safety fears.

The organisers have also announced that riders would be tracked by satellite.

[Ghost Lemur]

How fuckin sad is that.

Is it even possible to have a race then?

"Mmmm I could overtake that guy, pity he got ahead of me and is now going 150, oh well"

[justsomeguy]

"Mmmm I could overtake that guy, pity he got ahead of me and is now going 150, oh well"

:killingme :killingme :killingme :killingme

The satellite tracking is a great idea, thought they already had that like in rally car racing.

But a speed restriction in a race?? WTF?? Seriously WTF ???????

[The Tazman]

You have to be kidding!!!

That has to be the most rediculous thing I have heard in ages. You might as well take them to an arcade and say here sit on these put your dollar in and don't forget your leathers, gloves and helmet in case you fall off

FFS

I would love to sit in on some of these meetings when they come up with this shite.

[Mr Skid]

It doesn't sound like that silly an idea to me.

The Dakar might be a race, but it's not on a racetrack- it's run on public roads. There have been fatalities recently, which have doubtless prompted this move.

There already are speed restrictions when passing through towns for safety reasons, all this means is that they have a maximum speed as well.

I don't think Dakar has ever been purely about max speed. To me it's about navigational ability, endurance, and technique.

[Lou Girardin]

It doesn't sound like that silly an idea to me.

The Dakar might be a race, but it's not on a racetrack- it's run on public roads. There have been fatalities recently, which have doubtless prompted this move.

There already are speed restrictions when passing through towns for safety reasons, all this means is that they have a maximum speed as well.

I don't think Dakar has ever been purely about max speed. To me it's about navigational ability, endurance, and technique.

That's stretching the definition of public roads a tad. Although if Transit NZ have their way, ours will look like that soon.

[bugjuice]

I'd love to do that race.. Anyone want to sponsor me to do it?
Seriously, where/how do you sign up, and the costs etc? Not sure if a car or bike, but I've always wanted to do the race before I could even drive!!
fuk it. As part of my 'fuk everytin' resemé, I'm gonna do that..

[Mr Skid]

That's stretching the definition of public roads a tad. Although if Transit NZ have their way, ours will look like that soon.
Really? Where do I volunteer to roll back the tarmac?

I'd be keen to have the Paris-Dakar route in my own back yard :yes:

[Mr Skid]

I'd love to do that race.. Anyone want to sponsor me to do it?
Seriously, where/how do you sign up, and the costs etc? Not sure if a car or bike, but I've always wanted to do the race before I could even drive!!
fuk it. As part of my 'fuk everytin' resemé, I'm gonna do that..
I'd think it'd be cheaper to do it on a bike. You could buy a KTM 950 or XR650R to do it on, and it's nearly ready out of the box. If you did it in a car or truck, you'd probably spend lots getting it up to spec. Plus there's much less to break on a bike.

I recall reading the story of a privateer who did it on a KTM 660 Rallye by memory, bloody hard work by the sounds of it!

[NordieBoy]

I'd think it'd be cheaper to do it on a bike. You could buy a KTM 950 or XR650R to do it on, and it's nearly ready out of the box.

Single cylinder above 450cc only.
No KTM 950's.
:mad: :no:

[Wolf]

I'd love to do that race.. Anyone want to sponsor me to do it?
Seriously, where/how do you sign up, and the costs etc? Not sure if a car or bike, but I've always wanted to do the race before I could even drive!!
fuk it. As part of my 'fuk everytin' resemé, I'm gonna do that..
In all seriousness, I'd love to do the Paris-Dakar - I hold no illusions about my ability to win it (or even place, for that matter) but I'd love to at least complete it.

Get Stray onto bikes and then spend the next, say, 18 years getting the money together and getting both of us and the boys "toughened up" in preparation. Do our own independant entry and aim to make it to the finish line.

This is a serious dream of mine - OK, I'll be pushing 60, but that shouldn't be a barrier.

The 150kph speed limit might sound crazy, but - as has been pointed out - the race is less about speed and more about being able to navigate and keep your vehicle going to the end of each stage in a timely fashion. From the footage I've seen, finding your way and getting your bike out of the sand are more important than speed. The narration on "Quest for Victory" says something like "makeshift repairs, camping out under the stars and arriving at the stage's end at the time you should be starting the next one."

Sure, being able to go like stink to make up for delays could be handy, but if there's a speed limit, it only means the race will go to those who have the least delays - the better organised teams who maintain their bikes quickly, get out of the sand quickly, don't get lost etc.

[bugjuice]

as a 'trial' practice run, we should do that 'round Oz' coast trip I mentioned in an earlier thread.

If it's stupidly serious, and I can be, then I'll find out how to do it for real and how much it'd cost, and how long it'd take. I'm willing to blow a few grand for a month around Oz..

[Wolf]

as a 'trial' practice run, we should do that 'round Oz' coast trip I mentioned in an earlier thread.

If it's stupidly serious, and I can be, then I'll find out how to do it for real and how much it'd cost, and how long it'd take. I'm willing to blow a few grand for a month around Oz..
Sounds like good practice - should be a good amount of variation in that - and if it's not enough, there's always a quick "tour" of the interior (saw a pic in a bike mag of a Central Aussie "road" - makes shots of the Paris-Dakar look like the Autobahn).

It's the blowing a few grand that's got me fucked. I'm trying to work out how to afford to blow a few hundred on getting the GSX running.

But then, that's only temptorary - I'll have money sooner or later and I'll be able to do such things.

What's the link for that thread bj, I seem to have missed it.

[bugjuice]

Sounds like good practice - should be a good amount of variation in that - and if it's not enough, there's always a quick "tour" of the interior (saw a pic in a bike mag of a Central Aussie "road" - makes shots of the Paris-Dakar look like the Autobahn).

It's the blowing a few grand that's got me fucked. I'm trying to work out how to afford to blow a few hundred on getting the GSX running.

But then, that's only temptorary - I'll have money sooner or later and I'll be able to do such things.

What's the link for that thread bj, I seem to have missed it.
it's ok, I don't have anywhere near a couple of 10's, let alone a grand to blow, but it's something to aim/save for. And I wasn't meaning next week. An expidition like this would take a couple of months to plan properly. So it'd be at least 6 months time and the very incredably earliest.
I've always wanted to go round the coast, and I've also wanted to do the + coast-to-coast thing too.

Inspired by this thread
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=11377

[Motu]

Single cylinder above 450cc only.
No KTM 950's.
:mad: :no:
3 XT225s entered Dakar last year,I don't think they would have any trouble with a speed limit.The KTM 950 wasn't released to the public until it had done Dakar,that's how tough they wanted it to be...

[Wolf]

I went to the official Dakar site - their rationale for the speed limit and why it would not be a prob is pretty much what we've surmised here - they already have a speed limit through towns and the Dakar is more about navigation and such than being able to fly through the desert at fantastic speeds.

Ach. Reading the stuff on the site was so inspiring. They seriously give bikers good value for money - the entry fee for a bike covers a lot more than the fee for a car. They also give great discounts for "amateurs" and loads of support. It looks like they're bending over backwards to give you the greatest time of your life.