Who is racing DAKAR 2013?

Yes of course, but after all that Eicma bike was just rush-released for the show. The "good" one was still in Christian CH2 garage to be shipped from LeHavre :)

Those bottom corners of the tanks are in a very vulnerable position since the bash plate (not shown on the pic) doesn't cover them. I told Alex that, also about the fender, let's see what they will do about it!

No such malprep from Honda

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...5.123962830973280&type=3&l=ed55437193&theater

That's true...

... the design brief, colour scheme and decal kit, was one of the first things they had completed...



Oh no... hang on, I'm thinking of that Bordone Ferrari outfit...

Troy being from australia and being too busy with work these past few months, please enlighten me as to the saga of BF?

I've read about them so many times on ADV but what is/was about them that made everyone (?) so keen on them?

PS we all know Honda are going to win 2013 dakar. Having just won the baja1000 with their farmbike, JC will be super motivated to keep kicking austrian ass

At least it makes for an interesting line up.

HONDA is to DAKAR (still at the moment) where KTM is in SCORE/Baja circles... but they have made a stated plan to change that. Any result (a podium spot) in 2013 DAKAR will be gravy... development over the 2013 rally season could well see them start "favourite" for 2014... but not yet, I don't believe.

JC will be motivated no doubt... but again; this is DAKAR not baja... he is far from "running the show" (like the US/Baja JCR effort). He is one of five riders on the team - certainly drafted for his experience and expertise - but my understanding is that he is there in a waterboy/support rider role... not a spearhead.

Hero worship is a wonderful thing ain't it...?

I wish the HRC team and all it's rider/crew the best for Dakar... it will be great to see if they CAN take the fight to the orange team... It's just that I think the KTM squad have the runs on the board, a proven bike, a proven team and (still) the best two rally exponents on the #1 and #2 machines... they have yet to be dethroned.

Yeap hero worship is great.

Yeah I know JCs podium days are done.

I guess I love my Hondas and I love the underdog. Hence Honda taking the fight to the ktm monsters is enthralling. I think they've recruited very well too.

Is there any talk yet on when Honda are releasing rally 450x parts? I'm keen to add to my collection :)

Indeed JC will be the waterboy. I think that is the perfect role for him on the team. His age, experience and desert knowledge is perfect for Honda's first assault on the South American version of Dakar.

Is the front rim on that bike wider than 1.6/1.8?,maybe just the photo but looks wide.

He and Namchin Lkhamaa are both from Mongolia. I can't wait to see how they'll do! But their names are indeed cumbersome, so we should perhaps simplify. How about "Bold B.A." and "Genghis Llama"?


Here is Boldbaatar's FB page

I was just watching those vids again last night. Yeah you need to finish them.

Both riders have been top riders in Rally Mongolia for several years.

Quinn Cody, from his FB page:

"I truly never expected to be writing this statement under these circumstances, on my couch, with a broken leg that is. But let's face it, things don't always go the way we plan in life, in fact, sometimes they continue to take us away from our planed course. Some of you may have heard rumors about me signing with a new team for next year, so I thought it would best to set the record straight. So here are the facts:

I have signed with the Monster Energy Husqvarna Rally Team by Speedbrain to race Dakar and the FIM World Championship Rally Series for 2013-2014, unfortunately after my recent injury, I will be unable to compete in Dakar 2013, but plan to be fit and ready for the first round of the World Championship Rally Series in April and of course ready to tackle Dakar 2014. I was completely devastated after learning that I would not be ready for the upcoming Dakar and felt awful that I had let my new team down before I had officially been announced as their new rider. Speedbrain, Husqvarna and BMW have put forth great effort to develop the Husqvarna TE449RR into an incredible rally machine and have exceeded all of my expectations at every step of the process. I am honored to have been given the opportunity to race for this great team and will do everything in my power to make this a successful relationship.

It has been a dream of mine for years now to do a full season of rally racing and try to master the art of road book navigation so that I can go into Dakar fully prepared with a year of real racing experience under my belt. This opportunity is the best platform for me to become a true rally racer and achieve my dream of a podium finish at Dakar. I have been racing in Baja for the past 10 years and it has formed me into the person I am today. Baja has been great to me, given me opportunities to race all over the world with some incredible teams and has introduced me to most of my best friends. But after 10 years, I have found myself eager for new challenges and have found new motivation in the Dakar. Just like Baja, Dakar is something that you can't explain, It is something that infects you, it is something so grueling and painful that gets in your blood and keeps pulling you back for more. The Dakar is the largest, most challenging motor sport event on the planet and is the obvious top tier in off-road racing. Moving forward, I am excited to be able to compete with such a high level team on the best equipment available.

Along with the World Championship Rally Series, I will also be competing in selected events for Husqvarna in the U.S. and possibly even get our feet wet with some racing in Baja. I am looking forward to 2013 and hope that I heal fast so I can prove myself to my new team. Thanks to all my sponsors for sticking by me through all the injuries I will overcome all of it and come back stronger and smarter.

Thanks,
QC"

Something I find very interesting in the comments section on FB-


Joan Barreda Bort Thare we go!!!! Baja California 2013. :))
about an hour ago via mobile · Unlike · 5

Apologies if this has already been discussed on here, but this team is well worthy of a mention. Race 2 Recovery is a team made up solely of individuals who have been injured in combat and are now facing their next biggest challenge................Dakar 2013!

See http://www.race2recovery.com/who-we-are for further info. Influential stuff and well worth following on their adventures.

Thumbs up to that, following them on FB.

Now whilst I support the UK and US military 100% there is one small thing that I can't quite get my head around.:eek1

Politics and sport should never clash and perhaps therein lies the answer to my own question, but with Argentina there is that real quandary of 30 years ago when "we" had that little tussle way down in the South Atlantic.
People on both sides lost their lives and notwithstanding the rights and wrongs of it all on either sides there must be some odd issues on the Argentinian relations and ex British servicemen injured in conflicts being involved?

Yes, we still play football and rugby against each other and there are no issues, save for the mad woman's continuous rants about the Malvinas to deflect political pressures at home, but somehow this sits a little different?

As a team they have no issues and I for one are right behind them, but forgive me if this may be a sensitive area, but how is this background dealt being with?

Could be a bit of a John Clease - "don't mention the war" - in which case it is just time and it a thing of the past, it may just be that when you are the same generation that to confine things to history, takes more doing?

Could it be something as simple as the age of the participants? I've found most of the younger servicemen in the US to be considerably better students of history than the general population of the same age group, but the animosity towards former adversaries seems fade in relation to their own lifetime. It could be that I'm not up on my British / Argentinian geopolitical relations, but hopefully your concerns are only the ramblings of guys like us. :