2013 Dakar Pre-Event Discussion

Ding, Ding, Ding!!!! We have a winner, it's a '91 veteran spotted at Intermot, I forget who the pilot was.

Didn't we just decide the spare tyres must have been filled with nitrous oxide!

Chaleco with gasgas????
http://www.aventuratouareg.com/noticias2012/kh7.html

asi parece...

Doesn't say GasGas, does it? I'm reading that Chaleco will be supported by Team KH-7 together with Laia Sanz, Nani Roma and Juvanteny (trucks).

Laia is on a GasGas, Chaleco is on a KTM, no?

My understanding of it was that because he had the tire deflater thingy plumbed in after the restrictor, it had the potential to get extra air into the intake system and negating some of the restricting effects of the restrictor plate.

Someone on here pointed out that if he did indeed use it like that, then it would be ducting unfiltered air into the system, and as everyone knows, would soon result in a substantial loss in power.

Someone else also pointed out that RG comes from a Nascar background where allegedly getting around rules like restrictors etc and finding new ways to interpret the rules is just part of the racing (at least I think thats what they said, I don't know much about car racing).

From memory, after it was discovered (allegedly his car was inspected because it was going to fast, or faster than they expected it to go), he blocked of the system and it had no effect on top speed (I think he won the next stage, once again I could be wrong).

So it was a modification that had been passed, but had the potential to bypass a restriction, but may not have been all that beneficial (because of lack of filtration), and had no effect on performance when rendered inoperable (if it was used for performance gain)...

At the end of the race his result had no effect on the leader board, so no competitors had anything to gain out of his DQ (except be bumped up one place well after the fact).

Thats the way I remember it anyway.

I'm no RG fan, but I don't personally believe he was cheating at all, and I was genuinely surprised when he was DQed and do believe it was a bit wrong.

He is fast and I like the sound of his car, it's when he is out of his car and in front of a camera that I am not a fan.

+1

It doesn't matter wether he gaind few bhp or not. This setup was against the rules, so they DQed him.

ride on
matti

That's a good explanation tHEtREV - but I think the bottom line [as far as ASO were concerned] is that the rules clearly state that nothing should bypass the intake restrictor, regardless if it actually had any benefit or not?

As for Robbie Gordon saying "it was passed" at scrutineering, personally I think it was more likely to have been missed or 'passed over' at scrutineering, that's all...

Anyway, all that was last year - let's see what he comes up with in a couple of weeks time - woop!

Jx

He did pass tech inspection. (The first one at least)

This happened yesterday.........but it does not say that.
Chaleco joined the team, not being supported, joined.
Mention that Laila is there with the new GasGas and nothing about Chaleco. It seems strange 2 manufacturers for 2 riders. We will have to wait.

Things happen very quickly lately.
As per Octuber, Puertas was the water carrier of Laila and Guasch was free and the top rider of the team.
Now with Chaleco, with a KTM and on his own???. He is a top rider.

Don't GasGas'sss have Yamaha engines?
That clears that one up!

Last year yes, but this year the Gas Gas crew will be riding home-grown rally bikes. No more rebadged WR450s.

Still pretty sure it is a Yamaha engine!

Robby's background is off-road racing. He raced open wheel Indy cars when he first started racing pavement. He happened to race NASCAR as a source of income to pay for his off-road racing. This year he is all but out of NASCAR.

My sources from inside the VW bivaouc said that VW & BMW had both known that Robby's car was not legal and were simply waiting for him to actually be a threat before blowing the whistle on him.

And here I was under the impression that it was all Gas Gas this year. I'll be damned if that isn't the clutch side of a Yamaha engine.

my sources say, even the ASO knew about RG's 'system' (yes it was tech inspected, and identified). nobody took it seriously until, like strong bad pointed out, that RG became a viable 'treat'.. then the whistles blew..

did it actually boost performance? i can only say, if it didn't, why do it that way... :huh:huh:huh