Dakar 2013 - Official Event Coverage - thank you ALL TeamF5, lurkers and posters!

[PackMule]

Originally Posted by thegraydog

In the occasional mention of racers we admire and miss, like Jonah Street, I haven't seen mentioned Chris Blais. He was on the podium when I started to hear about Dakar. He augured in,training in the Nevada desert, nothing much as I recall. But that's how it can go. Here's to you, Chris.

Chris' wife Patty is an inmate here (Gidget) and checks in from time to time. His image is on the banner art for RallyRAIDio.




Isidre Esteve was another who suffered a very similar injury to Chris. It has not been a kind decade to our Dakar Heroes.

[wrk2surf]

Chris has been racing Side by Sides.. and runs his own shop.. http://www.blaisracing.com/

[silentwolf]

Originally Posted by wrk2surf

Quote:
Originally Posted by amazing ricardo
ATVs... sideXsides... retard chariots... motocross bikes... i have a friend that has a street legal truggy... yup... robbies hummer is prolly street legal in AZ...


god bless arizona!!!





How did you know Amazing Ricky

It'll be expired when he gets back. Hope he doesn't get a ticket.

G'night all.

[Bluebull2007]

Hot off facebook, for all you facebook boyfriends, Im afraid I havesome bad news for you about our Laia:

While you were all arguing, about dating, Dave got her!



He claims "We camped next door last night...." But I dont believe a word of it!!

He looks tired, she looks refreshed!

[PackMule]

From RMS/GSNorCal (Dave)

"We camped next door last night..."






LOL, by Neil. Guess I spent too much time looking at the pic before I posted it.

[XSpearsX]

Yep, I saw that too.

Originally Posted by Bluebull2007

Hot off facebook, for all you facebook boyfriends, Im afraid I havesome bad news for you about our Laia:

While you were all arguing, about dating, Dave got her!



He claims "We camped next door last night...." But I dont believe a word of it!!

He looks tired, she looks refreshed!

[Bluebull2007]

Originally Posted by PackMule

From RMS/GSNorCal (Dave)

"We camped next door last night..."




LOL, by Neil. Guess I spent too much time looking at the pic before I posted it.

Originally Posted by PackMule

Tough day at the office!

The Aussie's are massively impressive this year. I hope they keep coming back, they'll launch one into the top ten.

As have the South Africans

Brett Cummings still going strong in the mid 50's over all

Darryl Curtis has not had a great rally but is in the 20's.

Riaan Van Niekerk has been consistently 15/16 for 5 days in a row now.

Aussies and Saffas are neck and neck.

Tragically our Zambian competitor Dave Reeve crashed in the river today. He was doing so well!

From FB 8 hrs ago (hopefully not 205)

David Reeve's Zambia Dakar 2013 Challenge

Not gud news. David over handlebars in river. Broken left leg. No Xray yet so unable 2 confirm if both bones or not. skin not broken like Brian and Barret. he talking in pain doctors with him. will send more info as we get.it in. BANDA

Then a 42 minutes ago


David Reeve's Zambia Dakar 2013 Challenge

David has broken his left shin bone. He is in a plaster cast and is to be moved to Catamarca Hospital for a pin before being flown to Johannesburg. He is otherwise OK and was sleeping when I last saw him. CB1



Heart wrenching stuff. I wonder how that happened.... Must have been a freakish accident. He was doing so so well, a rookie to the Dakar, running close to or ahead of Lyndon.

[PackMule]

Originally Posted by Bluebull2007

Darryl Curtis has not had a great rally but is in the 20's.

Hope he can come back again and get a clean run at it. IIRC, Ned really enjoyed his company last year.

[Carlos M]

Originally Posted by Bluebull2007

:

David Reeve's Zambia Dakar 2013 Challenge

David has broken his left shin bone. He is in a plaster cast and is to be moved to Catamarca Hospital for a pin before being flown to Johannesburg. He is otherwise OK and was sleeping when I last saw him. CB1

[El Cucuy]

Jere Israel was ripping but it looks like he is out???

That would leave Grabham as top rookie right now, right?

Aussies kicking some azz!

[Bluebull2007]

Originally Posted by Bluebull2007

David Reeve's Zambia Dakar 2013 Challenge

Not gud news. David over handlebars in river. Broken left leg. No Xray yet so unable 2 confirm if both bones or not. skin not broken like Brian and Barret. he talking in pain doctors with him. will send more info as we get.it in. BANDA

Then a 42 minutes ago


David Reeve's Zambia Dakar 2013 Challenge

David has broken his left shin bone. He is in a plaster cast and is to be moved to Catamarca Hospital for a pin before being flown to Johannesburg. He is otherwise OK and was sleeping when I last saw him. CB1



Heart wrenching stuff. I wonder how that happened.... Must have been a freakish accident. He was doing so so well, a rookie to the Dakar, running close to or ahead of Lyndon.

I only realised now it was PAL Anders who helped him, and it was 205 just no one mentioned it?

This is from PAU, regarding David Reeve:

"Had also a situation today where a rider with start number 102 (?), Crashed right in front of me. I slowed down to see what happened to him, but he was lying. I turned for help and when I came away I saw that his leg was broken and he was in shock. We have a "red button" that each of motorcyclists can press if you need assistance helicopter, so I helped him push this to get help. Several others just drove past without caring at all, so it's pretty raw and brutal also on human plan here sometimes. I hope I get in. I took the loss for this episode, but it is thus not important."


Wow. Hectic.

[bluesurf]

Originally Posted by Bluebull2007

I only realised now it was PAL Anders who helped him, and it was 205 just no one mentioned it?

This is from PAU, regarding David Reeve:

"Had also a situation today where a rider with start number 102 (?), Crashed right in front of me. I slowed down to see what happened to him, but he was lying. I turned for help and when I came away I saw that his leg was broken and he was in shock. We have a "red button" that each of motorcyclists can press if you need assistance helicopter, so I helped him push this to get help. Several others just drove past without caring at all, so it's pretty raw and brutal also on human plan here sometimes. I hope I get in. I took the loss for this episode, but it is thus not important."


Wow. Hectic.

Yea, this came up a few hours ago.
Human moment of the day.

[Bluebull2007]

Originally Posted by El Cucuy

Jere Israel was ripping but it looks like he is out???

That would leave Grabham as top rookie right now, right?

Aussies kicking some azz!

Van Niekerk is the top rookie now actually.

Go South Africans! The race within the race!

[Brodovitch]

Well I caught up, only a few pages, the race is taking it's toll on here as well

Gotta comment on Kurt's post-Special interview, I am impressed, he looks really calm, understated, and most important, loved leading the race and is willing to navigate. Smart guy, he has a true "hard coded" racer's brain.

Was talking to a friend who raced the ISDEs with him in both Chile '07 and Greece '08 and basically underlined what everyone else already said, he is freaky smooth and freaky fast, on every kind of terrain. If anyone has not seen the youtube video of the heli footage from Chile (I think Ned pointed it out first), do yourself a favor:



So Kurt opens up today, I will be rooting for him again. KTM need a different passport on their "A" teams, and Kurt has found himself at the right place at the right time. I just hope they can support him an a couple of more FIM rounds before the next Dakar. I would love to see him in Sardignia, the pace of navigation there is just crazy. Gonk, Despres, Pedrero and Chaleco follow. Chaleco is interesting for me, so much potential some times and yet loses out majorly on others. Contesting 3rd place on the podium with Jakes is going to be a cliff hanger this year hopefully. Botturi in 5th overall is not that far behind, and he is old-school enduro-tough. Banged up little finger is annoying him, he may just ask a doctor to amputate it .

KTMs 1-4, with a Husky in 5th, although the Yamahas of Pain & Verhoeven are now an hour to an hour-fifteen in 7th and 8th. First HRCs are 9th and 10th with Helder & Pizzolito. At least they are in front of the privateer bikes

Sorry to hear of Barreda's shoulder, he looked in quite a lot of pain at the finish yesterday,unless he was just sand bagging and disappointed he lost so much time after opening the course. Remember that 1.15 difference on stage 10, when Cyril opened and Barreda played catch up? Well, yesterday while the tables were reversed, Joan lost 4.30 to Cyril

On HRC, there is so much controversy and spin that I can't really pass judgement on their tactics. We know for a fact that Helder is fast, the bike just doesn't seem to play along. OK it's their first year, but does anyone not think that he would have been (much) better placed this year on his Yam? For a rider, that's all that counts. Loose wires, fuel issues, pumps, excuses, excuses can wreak havoc on a racer's morale. Where has the biggest smile (with Casteu) of the bivouac gone? The bottom line is that HRC are not performing as expected. I just hope they are smart enough to stick with the riders they've got and keep pushing for results as a team instead of making a knee-jerk reaction and changing their line up. It's obvious that their problems are elsewhere.

Fiambala to Copiapo!! Kurt opens on mainly On Piste stuff... bring on today

[kaia]

first half of the Dakar.com photos from stage 11, cross-posted over in the Dakar 2013 Media thread.



#5 - JOAN BARREDA BORT (ESP)



#302 - STÉPHANE PETERHANSEL (FRA) / JEAN PAUL COTTRET (FRA)






#501 - EDUARD NIKOLAEV (RUS) / SERGEY SAVOSTIN (RUS) / VLADIMIR RYBAKOV (RUS)
#510 - ANDREY KARGINOV (RUS) / IGOR DEVYATKIN (RUS) / ANDREY MOKEEV (RUS)



#301 - GINIEL DE VILLIERS (ZAF) / DIRK VON ZITZEWITZ (DEU)



#29 - KURT CASELLI (USA)




tldr; cross-posted over in the Dakar 2013 Media thread.