Chris Birch Dakar Updates

[Ktmboy]

As most of you know our extremely popular and legendary Chris Birch is attempting the Dakar race this year. Start is New years day and I'll post updates as they come through.

The official website is http://www.dakar.com/index_DAKus.html
Quite a good site too.
In the mean time Chris sent the following.

Hi all



Welcome to my Dakar email update list – please advise if you do not wish to receive updates.



I’m in the very last stages of Dakar prep – which involves fundraising trail rides, wondering what paperwork is considered ‘essential’ for sign on and scrutineering, sorting out the right kit – and worrying if the container will get there on time! We had a few freight hiccups so I did a ‘repeat’ shop over the weekend in case my stuff doesn’t get there – another sleeping bag, stationery, air mattress, nutrition goodies... but it looks like the container will end up there late, but in just enough time for me to grab my stuff for the start.



I’ve also been on a couple of rides on my trusty KTM950 which has been great fun – though I would be well over riding by the time I come back in January so managed to fit some in this month.



I fly out tonight, have been doing a last ditch effort to pile on the weight before I go so that I have something to lose! Luckily we had a very nice Christmas day with a ridiculous amount of food so I am feeling pretty good.



I’ll be in touch with Mon as often as possible (she has made me promise at least a minute each night by satellite phone!) and she will update everyone as soon as she hears from me.



Thank you to everyone for the messages of support over the last few weeks, it has been great to see that there are a lot of people around the world cheering me on!



And while you enjoy the New Year, remember this number: 8,373 - the number of kilometres covered between Mar del Plata and Lima, with 4,406 kilometres' worth of special stages for motorcycles! Suddenly a 23km test doesn’t seem bad at all...



Cheers!





Chris Birch


Hows this, one special stage is over 400km and they start at midnight!!!

[Ktmboy]

Chris arrived safe and sound in Argentina on 27th December, and Iain, Darryl and Chris had to hire a taxi to Mar del Plata – 600km! – as there were no hire cars available.



Chris phoned today and had this to say ...



“I finished scrutineering – just four and a half hours! The bike is mint, pretty much new – it’s Cyril Despres from last year, and the KTM guys have been really helpful, This is a total rich man’s sport, I don’t quite feel like an outsider but maybe a bit of an imposter??



I had to blag my way through a bit of the process, like when they asked for a 12000 euro deposit for something – yeah right! It makes the ISDE look like a Waitemata 2 man club day ... this is BIG. It is amazing, there is so much going on and I am blown away by the scale of it!”



So, all is looking good for the 1st, he is feeling ready to race.

[paturoa]

So it starts on Monday NZ time?

[Ktmboy]

Correct. A day behind us.

[Crisis management]

Thanks for posting this Tony, looking forward to watching Chris' progress! :cool:

[Cary]

This is a total rich man’s sport, I don’t quite feel like an outsider but maybe a bit of an imposter??OR, a real guy who wants to take on the toughest bike race on the planet!!

KTM factory ride next year........:niceone:

[Ktmboy]

OR, a real guy who wants to take on the toughest bike race on the planet!!

KTM factory ride next year........:niceone:

Yeah, thats the way I read it as well. Humble as and as humble as can be.
Guess thats what makes us Kiwis unique.:niceone:

[krad_nz]

Wow, I hope they have good footage of the racing.

Good luck CB!

[K6K]

There are some good preview videos showing the reccy teams checking out the new Peru sections.
The terrain looks fantastic, but very very tough.


There are 6 parts below is a link to part 1

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/video/28122011/58/dakar-peru-challenge-pt-1.html

[Crisis management]

I think he's slacking, only moved up 71 places in the first stage... 110th starter, 39th finisher.

[takitimu]

Here's the link to the 300EXC Birch is auctioning

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/dirt-bikes/auction-436444403.htm

[k14]

Here's the link to the 300EXC Birch is auctioning

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/dirt-bikes/auction-436444403.htm
Hmm, wonder if that will cover the whole bill...

[takitimu]

Hmm, wonder if that will cover the whole bill...

From chrisbirch.co.nz


Chris is hiring a bike from KTM Austria and needs to raise about 10,000 euros for when the invoice comes in February! We'll stall them for a bit with 'what bike? what is the Dakar thing you speak of??' but eventually we will need to hand over some cash. So this auction is a really big part of that for us.

[flyingcr250]

Must be worth atleast 16k i would think, id buy it for that

[tnarg]

1 Death already.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/motorsport/6207479/Dakar-Rally-death-on-first-day

[FlangMasterJ]

1 Death already.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/motorsport/6207479/Dakar-Rally-death-on-first-day

Damn. That's sad.

[Ktmboy]

Chris says re: day one:


“Man that is a friggin long way ... pretty fun. I had to pass a lot of people, a LOT of people, and it was really dusty, so am really pleased with how today went.”


I mentioned a photo of him and a fan at the gas station and his reply was “Mon, it is like riding through 300km of the Santa Parade. It is like everyone in Argentina has come out to watch and they ALL got a camera for Christmas!”


He was very quick on the phone as he had to go and get things organised. Sounded happy though.

So he ended Day 1 in 39th place in the bikes, just over 5 minutes off the pace.

[k14]

From the KTM press release:

KTM’s newcomers
KTM’s Dakar rookies, Johnny Aubert of the KTM Enduro Factory Team is in 20th overall after Stage two and Chris Birch of New Zealand who rides in extreme Enduro events for KTM is 31st.

Stage Two - Other KTM
7, Pal Anders Ullevalseter, Norway, KTM at 9:11
10, Joan Pedrero, Spain, KTM at 9:35
11. Jordi Villadoms, Spain, KTM, 9:59
14, Gerrard Farres Guel, Spain, KTM at 12:35
15, Rubin Faria, Portugal, KTM at 13:36
16, Felipe Zanol, Brazil, KTM at 14:21
17. Jacek Czachor, Poland, KTM at 14:33
18, Alessandro Botturi, Italy, KTM at 15:32
20, Stefan Svitko, Slovakia, KTM at 16:30
22, Johnny Aubert, France, KTM at 17:56
30, Chris Birch, New Zealand, KTM at 24:24

Overall Results - Other KTM
8, Pal Anders Ullevalseter, Norway, KTM, at 10:35
9, Joan Pedrero Spain, KTM at 11:45
10, Jordi Villadoms, Spain, KTM at 12:10
13, Rubin Faria, Portugal, KTM at 14:14
14, Gerrard Farres Guel, Spain, KTM at 15:33
15, Felipe Zanol, Brazil, KTM at 17:22
16, Alessandro Botturi, Italy, KTM at 18:21
18, Stefan Svetko, Slovakia, KTM at 19:28
20, Johnny Aubert, France, KTM 20:11
31, Chris Birch, New Zealand, KTM 30:01

Pretty solid start!

[Ktmboy]

Hi all

Chris got off to a good start for Day 2 – the bikes started at 5am and a few hours later headed to the special stage.

Chris came to WayPoint 1 in around 34th place, but was missing from WP2 ... a nervous wait in the early hours of the NZ morning saw him appear at WP3 in about 30th.

He then finished the Special Stage in 30th place (provisional). Sitting now in 31st which is fantastic.

Missing a WayPoint can cost up to about 2 hours so we will have to wait and see what the official word is at the end of the day. However you can see here that there appears to be no penalty, so that’s good news

Tomorrow he will race from San Rafael to San Juan, a liaison total of 291km and a special stage of 270km.

For Kiwis – Chris is also featured on the front cover of the Red Bulletin this month, free with NZ Herald. Actually for SA people too I think he may be also!

[Ktmboy]

Day three done and dusted!


Chris arrived at Waypoint 1 in 23rd position, but by the end of the 270km special stage he was at 38th. This has moved him down slightly to 34th overall.


He will still be happy with this as there are still 11 more race days to go and so far has had no major problems which is great.


Darryl finished in 36th today and moved to 35th overall so the two will leave just a minute or so apart tomorrow.


Spoke to Chris he said it was the best day he has had yet, lots of fun, says everyone is still rolling along fine. He went the wrong way just after Waypoint 3, apparently lots of people did!


Chris Birch

[chrisktm]

Must be worth atleast 16k i would think, id buy it for that

that would be lovely if you did ;)

[k14]

that would be lovely if you did ;)
Is that actually you in the bivouac posting???

[takitimu]

Is that actually you in the bivouac posting???

Isn't it psychic energy coming all the way & posted by Monica.

Hope Birchy is ok, must have been a decent off.

[Katoomer]

It sounds like he got lost for a while rather than a crash.
Unlike this poor American rider

http://media2.rtve.es/resources/TE_NGVA/mp4/8/3/1325624461438.mp4

[Ktmboy]

Some big names still down the list, Jonny Aubert 20th. Cyril Depress is leading after he was in about 24th on day one so there is still time for Chris to climb up after all there are still about 6,000km:clap: to go.

[takitimu]

It sounds like he got lost for a while rather than a crash.
Unlike this poor American rider

http://media2.rtve.es/resources/TE_NGVA/mp4/8/3/1325624461438.mp4

Twitter updates :)

5 hours ago
BirchyNZ: Chris just ph'd 'I've had a crash, I'm fine, the bike is broken, I can fix it, I'm ok, I just didn't want to you worry, gotta go, love you"

3 hours
BirchyNZ: Chris through WP4 in 121st, 58th overall, making good time back after his crash... @ComsolEnduro Iain is also through through WP4

2 hours
BirchyNZ: Chris through WP5 in 103rd so is making back a bit of that time. Keep it pinned (but not too much we can't afford more speeding fines...)

33 mins
BirchyNZ: CB arrived@end of s/stage in 99th and 53rd overall. not bad seeing as he lost over an hour! @duaneblackie yes he's prob a wee bit tired!

[motor_mayhem]

http://mypremium.tv/stream/?id=1454&1318021101

video stream of Dakar updates

[cromagnon]

From chrisbirch.co.nz

Day 4:

Chris once again had a good start but shortly after Waypoint 2 he crashed.

His 16 second call was enough for him to tell me ‘Hi, I’ve had a crash, I’m fine, the bike is broken, but I can fix it, but I’m ok, I just didn’t want you to worry, love you bye!’

What a relief as I could see he had fallen behind!

He came in at WP3 in 149th, WP4 in 121st so was catching up a bit, and ended the day at 99th in the stage, sitting in 53rd overall – which is not bad considering he lost over an hour after the crash.



“I had a hell of a crash, a real big s**t mixer! Someone ran into me and off I went. I walked away without a scratch but the bike was quite damaged – the oil cooler was broken. I tried instant metal and that didn’t work. So I had to strip down the bike and bypass the oil cooler and work some Kiwi magic into it. I lost HEAPS of time I know, but it was all fixable and luckily I was fine. Of course I wish it didn’t happen but it’s not the end of the world and I am just going to get on with the rest of the race.”

I passed on all the messages of support so thanks to everyone who has sent them through, I told him if it got really tough to know that he has hundreds and hundreds of people who are all cheering for him!

[FlangMasterJ]

Anyone see this?:http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=436444403 :drool:

[k14]

Looks like he finished todays stage safely in 42nd position, 57 mins behind the stage winner Despres. That leaves him 54th overall according to the standings I am looking at.

[ajturbo]

this is a cool thread to watch..

[k14]

254526
Pic from todays stage.

[Ktmboy]

“What a day! I had a really great day, but what chaos with Iain’s bike burning – all that is left is a wheel and frame. My USA mate here had a crash and hurt his leg but he’s still in it coz he’s a tough ... person! Someone else’s engines blew up today, but my bike is going strong, Memo Tours got it all fixed up for me after my crash.

I really enjoyed today, really soft dunes, big mountain pass, fesh-fesh – that talcum powder dirt – it was like riding in clay ruts in Riverhead in winter but can’t see where u going!”

Tomorrow (well tonight!) we go over to Chile, the Copiapo pass... that will be interesting!”

Chris Birch

[Reckless]

It sounds like he got lost for a while rather than a crash.
Unlike this poor American rider

http://media2.rtve.es/resources/TE_NGVA/mp4/8/3/1325624461438.mp4

They sure are fangin it!! looked like a nasty kicker in the back. Wonder if this is the american guy Chris talks about in his later blogs?

Glad Chris's up and running after his off to!!

Go the kiwi!!

Great THREAD! Cheers all!!

[Ktmboy]

Chris is now halfway through Dakar 2012! He had a really good, fun day on the Copiapo loop, he was a bit nervous and think he expected it to be much longer than it was for him.

Chris finished 34th today which sees him now sitting in 41st overall, after making up about 6 places today.

Am hoping to hear from him again today and will send more info from him when I do.



Monica

[Ktmboy]

After a nice rest day stocking up on food and washing sweat from one of two sets of kit, Chris was ready to tackle the second half. He had his second engine put into the bike as well on the rest day – many people have had to withdraw with engine troubles so thankfully Chris’s has been fine!


Chris and Darryl Curtis pretty much rode together for most of today, Chris made good time and ended the stage in about 30th and moved from 42nd overall to 39th, fantastic catching up skills!


Chris says:

“Well that was 500k’s of pure shi*t, not one good bit!! It was just flat out, like FLAT OUT, dusty as hell with rocks everywhere!! But I made it back in one piece, doing nothing stupid, which seems to be working for me at the moment!! Still really enjoying it. Am I tired? Nope, I’m averaging 7 hours sleep a night [I pointed out that was more than me – Mon].

Those top guys are SOOOOO fast, geeze... I’m at my comfortable limit, going as fast as I can without doing anything risky as I really don’t need to!!”

He’s having a good time, I think he was almost disappointed at stage 7, think he was quite looking forward to a heck of a mission and then was back at the bivouac by 3pm!

He was also stunned by donations we received over the last few days – such a humble guy!

[Ktmboy]

What a great day for Chris... he and Darryl ploughed on ahead as if the dust and fesh-fesh were nothing... Chris ended the day’s stage in a very nice 17th and Darryl in 18th. Chris caught up 4 places overall, from 38th to 34th.

Overall, for Chris it is hard to catch too many places as the actual time differences from his crash early on in the race are pretty big – 10, 15, 20 minutes to gain on a few more places. It is achievable though and anything could happen! But remember – we firstly want him home (SA and NZ!) in one piece having FINISHED!!

So there are just 4 more stages to go! Who else is getting pretty excited ...



Chris says:

“Yup did pretty well today! I didn’t ride any faster, I just didn’t get lost and others did!! I got to these massive dunes and thought hmmm I’m not to hot on navigation through the dunes, and I got to the fast guys and though un oh I stuffed it up – but it turns out they had somewhere along the way instead, not me!!

Really cool riding today, the last few days have been not so great so it was nice to have some cool riding. We rode along one part and saw ancient Aztec carvings on the side of mountains, that was pretty awesome.

On to Peru tomorrow! Two countries down, one to go. Tomorrow’s road book is a total monster, I’ve got at least 2 hours of going through that still tonight. I’m finding that as long as someone is around I’m good, as I don’t stray from the track but sometimes find I can get a bit lost within the road book!”

Also don't forget the Trade Me auction to help Chris out. Only a couple of days to go!!

[Ktmboy]

Stage 12 was a shorter day today, just 250-odd km’s.


Chris finished in 25th for the day and is sitting 28th at the moment overall (pending all finishers!). Apparently when he crossed the finish line today he ‘looked awesome’ (direct from Hayley, Iain's wife!)

Only two more stages to go before Chris completes his first Dakar Rally!

Chris says:

"I got a bit lost today on the dunes - I mean these dunes were MASSIVE! I had to circle around a bit to find the waypoint, that was a bit confusing but I got there and got to all the waypoints. I had to jump and run about half a dozen times today - this sand is so soft it's unbelievable! I saw heaps of good crashes and over the bars, you just ride along, looks all good, then BHAM! over they go.

I can almost SMELL Lima! Just one big stage tomorrow - it's supposed to be quite challenging - and then the last day. Stoked!"

[Ktmboy]

Today Chris managed to hold on to his placing of about 28th, but he suffered quite a massive crash along the way... FYI he is ok, bit banged up and sore but still going!

“There was a big drop off that wasn’t really marked on the route book, and it took me a bit by surprise. I jumped about 3 metres down, and just landed wrong – face planted into the safety equipment on the bike... I thought I had broken my nose, and I sort of knocked myself out for a second as well. Not only that I sprained my ankle pretty bad. It was a pretty big one, very scary, and I’m quite sore! But I have made sure I can still get my boot on, and even though one of my jackets is covered in blood, I am ok.

Just a 30km stage tomorrow so pretty much finished just gotta get through tomorrow...”

[Ktmboy]

Well done to Birchy. A bloody big ask on top of a fairly hectic yearly for the boy (and Monica) from good ole NZ.

Looking at all that sand I doubt Chris will be wanting to ride at The Sandpit for a few weeks on his return.
It'll be interesting to see whether Dakar is on the agenda for next year. If so then I bet he'll be aiming for a top 10 finish.
So congrats to Chris and thanks Monica for the updates. Talking of which here is the latest.

Chris finished Dakar!!Dakar |KTM
6 months preparation, 1 trip to Namibia, 15 days, 13 stages, 2 crashes and a whole lot of determination... worth it, as Chris finished his first Dakar Rally today!

He is pretty stoked, a bit sore, heading for bath and beer, but very happy to have finished.

Chris did fantastically well and despite a crash that took him an hour to fix his bike, and another crash so close to the finish that knocked him out and left him rather dazed and injured, he pushed and pushed, skulled back a cup of concrete and finished in 27th overall.

From 178 starters there were only 98 finishers in the bike category - a 50% finishing rate.

Well done Chris!

A big huge thank you to Chris's sposnsors for Dakar:

•Comsol
•Memo Tours
•Red Bull
•KTM
•Kini
•PS Laser
•Adrialpetro
•Hyde
•Airoh
•Ariete
And to everyone who generously donated to Chris's campaign out of their own pockets, it has made a huge difference and meant he could just get on with the task at hand!

[quickbuck]

WOW,
Well done Chris Birch!

That is an Awesome result. A big salute to him!

[takitimu]

Well done Birchy, that was one helluva effort !!!.

[george formby]

Testes Immensus!!

I'm stoked Chris finished let alone finished so well in his first attempt. Read so much about riders who have taken years just to complete the Dakar.:yes:

[Bender]

Huge effort. Respect. :niceone:

[Crisis management]

Well done Chris and thanks Tony for keeping the info flowing, Dakar could learn a bit about disemination of info....