Best Dakar shot ever?

Possibly 205, but if not, it HAD to be posted. Quite possibly one of the coolest photos of a Dakar bike in action ever...

I haven't seen it before. Thanks for posting.

Well there's my new screensaver.

Marc Coma, unfortunately not riding this year because of injury.

Side note:
As a testament to the quality of KTM factory components...stock production lower triple clamp up under there....if anyone could afford to use super trick billet TCs it would be Marco Comas factory KTM team...yet he CHOOSES to use production stuff. Good stuff there.

Edit-looks like it may even be stock hubs in there.....?

Glad it is not 205.

C`mon lads, great pic but it's just a 450. You see action like that at any motocross track any weekend.

It was brought home to me last year at the Dakar when a Chilean buddy of mine gave it the berries up a section on his open piped 990 before the race came through ( gotta love the Dakar, imagine that at any other world class race event?). I was watching from a hill overlooking the desert valley. It looked and sounded better than the pro`s coming though on the pukka rally bikes.

So my vote goes to a great man riding a proper machine. Shame they are both not still out there racing

Hey Marty,
I would have to agree that shots of BIG bikes ripping a berm or blast off a dune are awesome, maybe even better than just a 450 doing it.

I just thought it looked cool in full fairing, and huge fuel systems and full Dakar race trim just blasting and roosting that berm and pulling a full crossed up wheelie out of it was BA looking. Definately harder to do on a 950/990 or even a 660/690.

BTW, My wife is from Chile just up the road from you {or is it down the road?} in Rancaqua. I am hoping to visit there during Rally time in 2014. We owned a beach house in Vina Del Mar and my inlaws owned one in Valpariiso but we all sold them this year...to hard to manage beach rental from 5k miles away...:huh

No arguement Kelly. Love the pic it is a great shot no doubt.

Yep Rancagua is about 100 kms south of here.

I am heading off on the 14th over to Cordoba to follow the rally round back to Copiapo then south to Santiago, now the 3rd year I have followed it. Really enjoy the combo of a good old ride and watching the Dakar. Hope you can make it for 2014. If you do make it down here next year let me know we pretty much have open house for visiting ADV members.

Cheers - Martyn

Some kinda publicity shot on a mock up bike?
It has SXS forks instead of the usual cone valved factory forks.
I bet the fuel tank is almost empty

Been my screen saver for 3 years now, marc coma, on the 450

RIDE ON!

Thought it was a 690,twin pipes,either way great shot.

Yep - 690. The fairings give it away. No little wings as per 450rrs Also the 450s run a single akra on the other side

Hey Martyn,
My 950SE (no decals and yellow Wolfman softbags) is enroute and will hopefully be unloaded and ready to ride in Valparaiso on the 16th. A friend and I hope to catch the race around Copiapo. Maybe we can meet - having a local help figure out where the specials are would be great.

Well, from a photographer's POV-

Not only is the scene well composed and performed, the lighting is interesting, and what separates this shots from others similar to it.

Look at the light direction(s)- they've placed a very strong fill light (too strong to be a reflector) off to the left side of the frame- appears to be a fairly large source based on the specular highlight on the helmet. It MIGHT be all artificially lit- the highlight on the right side looks artificial as well, all though it might just be the sun on a cloudy day.

The light to camera left is completely lighting the underside of the bike- look at the footpegs and up under the fairing, boots, tires and swingarm.

Further, the light they're using has to be both powerful and fast- the only movement is in the tires, which must be spinning pretty fast, based on the position of the bike. Given the framing of the image and the depth of field, the lens is probably 50mm or slightly longer- he's pretty close to the photographer- not a lot of compression from a telephoto. My best guess is 85mm on a DSLR. Could be a bigger body- Hassy or something.

The image is virtually noise-free, so asa needs to be under 400 (at best) looks like 100, but we don't know the camera. Suffice to say it's not 6400 or something that would allow fast shutter speed at small apertures- ain't no free lunch.

So, with an 85mm, and that depth of field, camera's probably at f8 or smaller. To freeze this type of action at f8 or smaller, shutter speed needs to be 500th or better, even if strobed. So if it's strobe (and I suspect it is- could be a big HMI) it has to be both powerful, large and with a short strobe duration.

Very nicely done.

Thanks for pointing this out. Both pics are great. First one is already my wallpaper.

Well my analasys of the photo...it says 2010 on the fairing and Marc has the #1 plate so it would be a 690. He won the 2009 Dakar so he carried the #1 into the 2010 race and it says 2010 right there. 2010 was the last year of the 690 bikes.

Then I would agree it is a promotional photo with a VERY well set up photo shoot look and feel...not a mid race just happened to catch this shot moment. Still an amazing shot even if planned and practiced....bitchen.

Since it is a photo shoot, it is likely just a practice bike, hence the stock TCs and forks...still a bike I would piddle over the chance to ride.

All the set up, lighting, practice, planning and everything else putting into getting the shot still does not negate the fact that it is a killer shot.

Doing that on a 450 would be bitchen enough, but on a 690 makes it that much better even if the tank is 1/8th full. A 990 would have even more trick, but alas they were gone.
me still likey

Arrgh!

Looks like I gave the impression I was not thrilled with the shot- my bad.

Love the image from both a moto and photo point of view.

You forgot to mention the thin steel wire, the crane jib and the small explosive device to the right

No, I did not mean to sound like you did not like it. I could tell from your analysis that you appreciated it from many angles.
I was merely chiming in that even with all the set up, I like the shot too.

I really appreciate that you broke down what went into taking the photo. I am terrible at photography. I know when I like a shot, but the ability to get the right shot is random for me and more luck than skill.

Thanx.

Bobby,
I love the R900RR bikes so much I am building a replica of sorts....poorly done replica, but functional, I love that bike but I prefer the earlier iteration of the R900RR with out the beak more.

Peanuts,
I do not think there is an explosive device other than the thump of that 690 in the skilled hands of Mr. Coma. I do not know about a jib and wire and....but the roost is all KomaTheMan