2013 Dakar - On 4 wheels

[Balkan Boy]

Originally Posted by troy safari carpente

Not really...

I have an (unconfirmed) theory on how that one could have gone down...

.....

So you're saying it were the French?


I forgot that Gordon said they had the system in previous years...

Originally Posted by Strong Bad

Robby Gordon is his own worst enemy. Always has been. That being said, he will be there with his new deep pockets BFF Clyde Stacy. Clyde has cubic mega bucks and is a major Rubby leg humper. Rubby is leading the BITD class 1 points in a Clyde owned, Gieser built, TT without fenders. Rubby is racing the 1000 with Clyde's young gun from Mexico BITD TT driver in Rubby's TT.

As far as Nasser is concerned. The Jefferies cars are being built because one of Nasser's buddies had a Jefferies sand buggy everyone thought was too cool for school. Jefferies has zero experience building Dakar type vehicles. Simple things like putting a windshield on a buggy changes everything and cooling/air flow becomes a major issue. Again, Jefferies has zero experience with any building, let alone prepping of a Dakar vehicle. Neither Nasser nor Carlos will make it as far as Nasser did in the RGM prepped buggy last year. Mark my words.

Strong words.
I'll remember this.

[troy safari carpente]

Originally Posted by Balkan Boy

So you're saying it were the French?

Not necessarily... As the famous Basil Fawlty once said;
(don't mention the war... I think I may have... once... but I think I got away with it... )

Balkan Boy

Some of the team managers carry "note books"... that go back several events... even years.

[troy safari carpente]

Originally Posted by Strong Bad

As far as Nasser is concerned. The Jefferies cars are being built because one of Nasser's buddies had a Jefferies sand buggy everyone thought was too cool for school. Jefferies has zero experience building Dakar type vehicles. Simple things like putting a windshield on a buggy changes everything and cooling/air flow becomes a major issue. Again, Jefferies has zero experience with any building, let alone prepping of a Dakar vehicle. Neither Nasser nor Carlos will make it as far as Nasser did in the RGM prepped buggy last year. Mark my words.

That's interesting... when the announcement first came out of Nasser and the US buggy idea, I thought to myself; "Hmmmm... Al Attiyah must have exhausted all of the other viable (top team) seat options out there - eg. a Hilux, or a MINI or even a X-Raid BMW - to go with a putting his money into a "from the ground up" project like a new 2WD buggy from the states...?"

I mean, with the funding he has from QATAR, you'd think that one of the above type of options would be logical... Existing teams, with proven vehicles and experience/logistics of the race... but then again it could be a case of "no spare chairs/burnt bridges" was the response from the other camps?

When the announcement came... although I looked - I couldn't find anything more on the cars, than just some passing journalist rhetoric that stated the "buggies" were being built in California and they'd claimed to have 735 horsepower. All the photo's I could find were either of Nassers previous QATAR sponsored rides (mostly logo in the background) and one stock photo of an airborne Trophy Truck (which I was pretty sure from the get go was not what the vehicles would be based on).

From what you say Strong Bad, the vehicle will be petty much just a "Dakar farkled" Jeffries sandrail with a windscreen, a reconfigured fuel tank, a restricted detuned motor and some sand ladders in the back?

Couple that with the fact that the whole project has been "assembled" in only months (nothing like even the 5 to eight years R&D and experience the Gordon/SPEED effort has behind it) and the fact there are going to be two pretty big ego's in two of the drivers seats (remember Carlos and Nascar Al Attiyahs panel swapping exploits in 2011...? )... all this wrapped up in an 11th hour deal to get to the start podium in January...?

Yeah Strong Bad... I gotta say that I agree with you, and refer back to my first reaction/comment on the subject, earlier in the thread;

(this has sprinklings of the whole Gordon/Nasser 2012 scenario written all over it )


pass the popcorn please...

[Flood]

At least there's the potential for HUGE drama - with the 2 primadonnas on one team.
It will be fun to watch.

[troy safari carpente]

Originally Posted by Flood

At least there's the potential for HUGE drama - with the 2 primadonnas on one team.
It will be fun to watch.

[Strong Bad]

Originally Posted by troy safari carpente

From what you say Strong Bad, the vehicle will be petty much just a "Dakar farkled" Jeffries sandrail with a windscreen, a reconfigured fuel tank, a restricted detuned motor and some sand ladders in the back?

It was one of those super-blinged out twin turbo nitrus burning dune hoppers that gave the Qatar guys huge boners and apparently caused all of the blood to rush from their head leaving nothing to power their brains. Jefferies does build TTs and class 1 cars race cars. However, building Trophy Trucks and Class 1 buggies does not qualify anyone to build a competitive Dakar car. The fact that Nasser doesn't realize that and chose his car builder off of a friend's sand car shows what a joke his program is. The entire deal is knee jerk.

[troy safari carpente]

^^^ Yeah, that's pretty much what I pictured in my mind from your first description... one of those candy apple custom painted sandrail/toys like you see the Cali flat biller crews out playing with at Glamis or Dumont on any given weekend... type



I noticed that these things have become pretty popular over in Dubai of late also... so I kind of figured that might have been where the inspiration came from.

Looking at the Jeffries Racing website, I see that they have a spec' Class 1 and Class 10 cars that they manufacture as well as TT's... but as you say; the development and prep of a Dakar program is another kettle of fish. I don't doubt that they can build an a-arm "buggy" with a body on it that can run fast in offroad terrain or even a TT capable of running with the SCORE/BITD boys in the US races...



... but DAKAR requires a whole different timeframe and development program... and a significantly different "approach" (something it took RGM four or five years to figure out). So yeah, I'd lean towards thinking the learning curve is stacked against this project, given the relative short lead up and January will be (literally) the car and teams competition debut in Dakar/Rally terms.

So, Strong Bad you're predicting that the Qatar Qid is "parked" by day 3 or 4... eh?

[Deadly99]

Originally Posted by troy safari carpente

^^^
So, Strong Bad you're predicting that the Qatar Qid is "parked" by day 3 or 4... eh?

I predict the Nasser makes stage 6 and el matidor makes the white dunes of Fimabala but dnf's crossing back over the Andes...

[PeteN95]

[QUOTE=troy safari carpente;19952508]That's interesting... when the announcement first came out of Nasser and the US buggy idea, I thought to myself; "Hmmmm... Al Attiyah must have exhausted all of the other viable (top team) seat options out there - eg. a Hilux, or a MINI or even a X-Raid BMW - to go with a putting his money into a "from the ground up" project like a new 2WD buggy from the states...?" [/QUOTE

What if after he drove RG's Humbuggy last year that he decided that was the fastest way to go? (V-8 2WD buggy)

[troy safari carpente]

Originally Posted by PeteN95

What if after he drove RG's Humbuggy last year that he decided that was the fastest way to go? (V-8 2WD buggy)

He would (should) have started on the V8 2WD project in feb/march and not gone through the process of looking for a seat with an established team, until he (finally) settled on the Jeffries program... relatively late in the year.

Like the 2012 RGM deal... this 2013 effort is somewhat reminiscent of that of a "best last resort"... as opposed to "first choice".

[Strong Bad]

Originally Posted by troy safari carpente

He would (should) have started on the V8 2WD project in feb/march and not gone through the process of looking for a seat with an established team, until he (finally) settled on the Jeffries program... relatively late in the year.

Like the 2012 RGM deal... this 2013 effort is somewhat reminiscent of that of a "best last resort"... as opposed to "first choice".

Waaaay too late to be able to present a serious effort. A serious effort takes at least a year in advance.

Nasser did serious damage to the Hummmmbuggy motor on the first day. Rubby's bad for not setting the motor up with a rev-limiter set lower than what Rubby uses.

[Strong Bad]

Originally Posted by Balkan Boy

Strong words.
I'll remember this.

Strong words from Strong Bad!!!!!

Access to too much non-disclosable insider info makes a lot of this difficult to explain.

[Brads600]

Originally Posted by Strong Bad

Waaaay too late to be able to present a serious effort. A serious effort takes at least a year in advance.

Nasser did serious damage to the Hummmmbuggy motor on the first day. Rubby's bad for not setting the motor up with a rev-limiter set lower than what Rubby uses.

If you guys recall this was such the case with Nassar, And then after the fact he goes on to bad mouth RG and his crew. I will not go of the record as wishing anyone bad but...... I think this speaks to Nassar cooking the engine as well.

video link to Stage 5 (not sure how to post in a window format, input needed)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CpBW...eature=related

[Dread Pendragon]

GB's Excite Rally Raid Team
recent story here

RaBe Desert Warrior

[ArthDuro]

Originally Posted by Dread Pendragon

GB's Excite Rally Raid Team
recent story here

looks like their official site was hacked
few more photos via the article here
http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2...-revealed.html