Paris Dakar 2014

[pritch]

Hondas have won the first two legs.

There is a smart phone app but it isn't available in this country either through the app store or Google. I sent the pricks an email asking them what we had done to piss them off.

Apparently there are advantages to being able to speak French in the Dakar. There was a whinge this morning that the briefing in French typically runs half an hour.
The English language version runs lasts about ten minutes.

[NordieBoy]

30 something bikes didn't finish stage 2!
Stage 3 is a marathon stage, but has been shortened 140km for the bikes due to recent heavy rain.
They've still got to ride that 140km though, just not at race pace.


At this rate they should save money on finishers medals...

[NordieBoy]

Patronelli on the quad...

"I wanted to get the Quad accelerating but I bit a stone. He began to fall over the cliff and I jumped to avoid''

A 400m cliff...

[NordieBoy]

Ruben Faria!
a cranial trauma and spine. he is conscious and had a scanner control San Juan.

[NordieBoy]

TV and radio coverage...
http://advrider.com/forums/showpost....77&postcount=2

[SMOKEU]

It's a shame that the real Paris Dakar rally has been killed off. Fucking ragheads.

[Dave h]

Lots of carnage early on this year!

One example; http://youtu.be/G4cz7Kjd7to

[NordieBoy]

Yep, as at the start of stage 3...
28 bikes, 3 quads, 16 cars and 3 trucks out of the rally already.

[NordieBoy]

It's a shame that the real Paris Dakar rally has been killed off. Fucking ragheads.

Its now called the "Heroes Legends Rally" and still goes from Paris to Dakar.

[NordieBoy]

A good day for the survivors...

"Today’s special has to go straight into the Top 5 most stunning specials I have done in 13 years of racing rallies – and in that time I’ve been to some pretty amazing places! As announced, the recent rains had really cut up the first part of the special and the riding was far from easy. Then at kilometre 299 we came to this incredible 3 kilometre climb. It was a really really hard to get up and I can only begin to imagine how many riders will go out of the race at that point – and it’s not just the amateurs who are going to struggle. Then after that we rode for about 60 kilometres on stunning tracks over a series of mountain ridges, as beautiful as they were difficult to navigate. Towards the end I came up behind and past both David Casteu and Marc Coma. All in all an excellent day that more than makes up for yesterday’s disappointments."

"This morning I gave Cyril my word I’d give him some ‘prefect’ tyres this evening and I’m proud to say I was able to keep that promise. I started off really slowly, perhaps too slowly, and then found an optimum pace using the ‘berms’ left by the riders in front of me so as to keep my speed as constant as possible and stay off the brakes. The other big positive from today was the route designed by David Castera, which was just amazing. Today we went to places you could only ever go on a motorcycle, preferably a trials bike, and it was a unique experience. And just to top it all, apart from swapping over our wheels, Cyril and I have very little to do to the bikes. We’ll do our road books now and then change the oil when it cools down a little."

[NordieBoy]

Dakar Stage 3, Marathon Day 1: Barreda wins with altitude record

Today's stage, part one of the first marathon stage with no team service, was characterized with the highest ever racing altitude in Dakar history. Facing the 6.960 m summit of the Anconcagua, americas highest mountain, the motorcycle riders had to cross a pass at over 4.300 m altidute in trial conditions. As many riders are still on the way or got lost,
Joan Barreda showed his brilliance in riding technique and navigation skills by winning the stage in front of Despres and Coma, increasing his overall lead to over 13 minutes, winning his second stage in three days.
Paulo Goncalves, together with a group of other riders, including his HRC team mate Sam Sunderland, arrived with over 2 hours delay, as the went downhill in a wrong canyon and could not go up again.

Joan "Bang Bang" Barreda: "Today was really unbelievable, the conditions extreme in any direction. After the stage started, I could soon pass Chaleco Lopez, and followed Sam Sunderland in the riverbeds until he took a wrong turn. Opening the track, the uphill sections got more and more steep and extreme. In trial-type conditions, I had to stay fullgas in second gear to make the steepest sections and keep it all together to make it over the loose rolling stones. It was very exhausting in the extreme altitude, and I needed to stay very calm to not make mistakes. As I was over the highest point, the navigation downhills was getting very delicate, with many changes of directions and possibly wrong ways to follow on very steep trails. I stopped and made sure doing the right way several times, and and the end it payed out to keep a cool head. The last part down in the valley was more easy, and I opened the gas again. I think today many riders will have extreme difficulties, and I am happy I improved a lot my physical conditions training hard the last year."

[NordieBoy]

Peter Hardy's bike...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4cz...e_gdata_player

[NordieBoy]

25 bike withdrawals just from stage 5.
One death

[Brian d marge]

Email from my friend in the Dakar

its hot and humid ( they are in a place called Salta?)

riders are saying the bike is ok ( relief !!) and that navigation is difficult

Stephen

[Brian d marge]

from a friend of mine

the boys do work hard !!




https://www.facebook.com/pages/Joan-...22910437829790

I tried to share the video but it went funny so, I just link to Barreda web page

Stephen