Wonder how Giniel and the Saffer Tojo team are positioning themselves... they've been almost silent on the PR front... maybe they are just going to let their new wide track, alloy block V8 4WD pick-up Hilux do the job quietly in january and let the monster/redbull/SPEED teams do all the trash talking for them...?
...preinspected!??- haha im pretty sure someone will wine around the hummers so unfair FAST... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93ohlIfuFg4 ...SCARY fast!!
+1 All the PR money is going into the development of the truck! Same as last year. At the start of the race if you put money on the Toyota even finishing, people would have laughed at you. Maybe even have had you commited to an asylum. Giniel came second! Some might say he was lucky as other, much faster, competitors fell by the way. No! He was consistant and the truck was reliable! What I find funny is that all the press you read, the Toyotas are not even mentioned as contenders! Yet Nasser and Carlos in brand new unproven buggies are definate possibilities for the podium. Glynn's cars have never been the fastest. But they always sounded the best! The banshee Factory Nissan V6s and the V8 Toyotas are crowd favourites!
The stealthy PR of the Toyotas could be attributed to the fact that they don't have a sugary drink for a sponsor as well. I am certainly rooting for them, it took balls to run the '12 edition under '13 regulations, shows commendable foresight plus they just look awesome. In fact, I would say Giniel is my dark horse for the top podium place. Much as I dig Robbie, his hotheadedness and burning desire to make a point this year is the exact opposite frame of mind you need to win the Dakar. I expect many great battles between the X Raid Minis and the Hummer, but steady Giniel might just win the war from under their noses. About time the Japanese got back in the game in the 4 wheelers
... or possibly one of either of two other MINI drivers on the Monster roster (Holowycz or Roma) if General Perfecthansel and Gordon of the Confederate States get into a head to head civil war out on the course. Both Nani and Kristofer are capable of top stage times and keeping their noses clean, while the schoolyard bullies beat up on each other... Another car that could be real quick (at least sporadically) is the ex-xraid-exiled Guelain Chicherit; who got canned from the MINI gig after the Chit hit tha fan during rest day testing in the 2011 Dakar, and he pretzeled the teams debut of the All4 racing effort amongst a great deal of media/PR hoo-hah... Chicherit is back for 2013 in a 2WD rear engined V8 buggy (does this formula sound familiar? ) by the French SMG team... From a promo vid that Guelain's "Gravity" rallying team put out... the thing goes pretty well... But like the debuting Redbull/Carlos/Qatar/Nasser outfit, the question of "how far/how long" they can run "fast" for? Undoubtedly the long travel, big rear end horspower/2WD formula (as pioneered and made popular by Gordons Hummer over the last six or seven years) is undoubtedly very fast over the rougher offroad/off piste/virgin terrain type stages... but tend to looseout on formed road or dune stages (where 2WD is a disadvantage) and so the have to "push" to make an advantage in the terrain that favours their style of vehicle... In the past it has been this extra "velocity" that has been the 2WD vehicles achilles heel... either in terms of accident (pushing the envelope) or material fatigue/failure because of the prolonged abuse over two weeks.
Couldn't resist: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WPAZnWdfXqY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
So Giniel wins a stage, heads over to Peterhansel in the bivvy, clucks his tongue, and says "Go make us a sandwich Stefie" If I were on the Saffers PR team I would be having wet dreams at the thought
That is funny shit right there That advert is quite old. So I guess you could say Toyota started the trash talking
This one is worth watching...I always like the odd ball entries The Dakar, a land of adventure, is also the perfect place for those who want to set themselves technical challenges. Throughout the history of the rally, many a daredevil has tackled the dunes of Africa and South America in a car which would have felt more at home in an urban environment. A few wacky attempts in a Renault 5 or Citroën AX in the 1980s, as well as several Citroëns 2CV or a Fiat Panda in the 2000s, all came to nothing! Upon seeing him with his Smart on the start line in Lima, one could be forgiven for thinking José Luis Álvarez is yet another dreamer, but the former quad pilot is not really planning to cross the Atacama Desert in the exact same city car which has taken the European capitals by storm. "I built this buggy by fitting the bodywork of a Smart prototype onto an XP 900 Polaris." Álvarez already showed his trailblazing mettle when he became the first Spanish quad pilot to finish the Dakar several years ago. He could very well be a pioneer again in his ninth Dakar start!
Jose Luis Alvarez (known as J.L.) is known for having already tried the Dakar on very unique vehicles. He also was the first spaniard to complete a Dakar on a quad. He races without any assistance or team. Cheer for him <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Fm1VocgKVv4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> http://www.dakarsmart.com/
Looking at the footage and photos though it looks to be a very stock XP900 under the Smart car clothes, be keen to see what mods have been done to make it last a Dakar, cause a stock XP will have a low chance of lasting
Just heard that Robby is selling one of the Hummers for 1 million, 1.5 with support for this years Dakar. http://www.race-dezert.com/forum/showthread.php/108891-RGM-Dakar-Rental-Program-for-2013-FOR-SALE
http://www.marathonrally.com/news/d...el_preparing_for_the_dakar_rally.22148.0.html http://www.marathonrally.com/news/d..._robby_gordon_dakar_presentation.22157.0.html
Well those Toyotas have been having problems and running slower then expected in pre Dakar races. My bet is on the rebatched Mitsus. Toyotas were down on power vs the BMW diesel torque. I know they all need to run production engines now and the Mitsubishi's have the 5 liter ford engines, I think they'll outrun the Toyos. BMW and Hummers for top3 spots. Mitsubishi and a first truck to fill the top ten. Plus a buggy for good measure. All Toyotas to burn out by rest day.
I agree with you that the Toyotas are not the fastest vehicles on the race and will never win a flat out drag race. However, if you are a gambling man, you gonna lose money with that last statement!!!
I spent a day riding with Kellon a few months ago, long before the announcement and he already had the time off for the race. My hope for Robby is that running a simple solo team, presumably having made some agreement with the ASO in advance (because the way he was treated last year was pretty bad), will allow him to focus on driving. It's clear he has the pace, I think Kellon will do a great job navigating, and what's left is to put it all together. I'll be cheering for the American Rebel!
