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

[paulk46]

Should be just about time for Thunderbirds to launch.

[PackMule]

Only 7 pages to catch up on this morning. Thank goodness ASO give a late start reprieve after the longest stage.

Originally Posted by kamanya

Not sure if this should be in here, but here goes...

I am getting pretty pissed off with the ASO.

In this world of technology, we are forced into guessing what is happening for the whole stage. The closest we ever get is waypoint and checkpoint updates and sometimes side of the road sightings or snatches from teams, all seldom in real time. Then, a highly condensed version through various TV channels later in the day to get the visuals of what we guessed to have happened earlier.

I get that Rallying by its very nature, gives enormous advantage to a competitor who can get even the slightest info outside of what is in his roll book that his competitors don’t. I guess that info is the EPO of the rallying world. It seems there is almost a paranoiac effort to keep this out that is stilting the virtual spectators experience.

The technology is there for the members of the virtual stadium to not only follow closely, a dot/s of their choice on a map, but also the possibility for real time pictures from the bike/car/truck much like any other motor sport.

I have followed a team of adventure racers who pack everything they race with on their backs for 5 days and still, even in the wilds of the Australian outback or a snowstorm late at night on the top of a Scottish mountain, I could cheer them on from my home in Africa. Also, I could suffer the anguish of a slow moving or stopped dot, or worse, when the dot goes off course or is pulled from the course! They even have optional checkpoints where they can take pictures, pick up and leave messages for their fans to access as and when.

There has to be a solution somewhere between trying to keep people from accessing outside assistance and allowing us to join in the greatest motoring show on earth.

If some solution could be found, apart from making it even more addictive than it is to people who get “it”. It enables the deeper human stories to be told to a far wider audience. The spinoff is a win/win. More people watch, more people will sponsor, more people will want to compete and lastly a huge source of potential income to the competitors will be generated reducing the one major bugbear in participating in the Dakar – money.

So endeth my bleat, carry on.

Originally Posted by ararat

kamanya, in the 90's we didnt even have that. the race was basically reported partially in a 2 days delay.
Today it is very accurate and quite fun with all the technology and coverage. i mean knowing that robby gordon is on the back after less then 30 mins is a giant leap, knowing he is in k29 of the stage is flying to the moon and back, knowing he blew a radiator... man we reached URANOS...
Now in my humble judgement it is a great coverage if you know french of spanish and can view the online tv live coverage from TV4 and the local TV stations/radio. listening to radio maray or even following them on twitter puts all the information quite promptly at your fingertips.
Comparing this to the romaniacs coverage Pharaohons rally, or any other rally/enduro event and you start to get the feeling the ASO are actually going overboard to get this to realtime.
It could be better but IMHO it looses the Dakar mist and puts us in the level of F1 race, which is the reason i tend to steer clear of these events.
As for the dot following, it will be easy to start giving competitors the location they need to go to get back on track and make it all cheat-able dont you think?

Interesting perspectives on spectating the event.

I think for the true junkies among us, the nature of the information available is a bit of a tease and allows us to "participate" by speculating, and make some of our own judgments and guesses about what is happening, and with the forums, we get to share the experience of it with like minded friends.

I think it's a detriment for the casual to moderate fan, though.

That being said, really none of the advancements we've seen have come from ASO, they're all due to social media (ADV included), I think Kamanya is right on in that respect.

At least get the timing pages to work consistently.

Originally Posted by Aussie66

Ok, Withdrawal Aussie66 out of the race. engine blown.

Off to Karachi in the morning, then Poland on Sunday for a few days then back to Dxb for a clean shirt and on to Singapore for a few days.

Damn.

Aussie. Have a good trip.

[orlando_orange]

starting a slow clap for the bikes....

[PackMule]

Originally Posted by cvlighthouse

Is this some kind of conspiracy? Anyone here involved with this?



Found: http://www.race-dezert.com/forum/sho...pa-Peru/page21

There's no doubt in my mind that RG's "infraction" last year was a strategically played card.

[Drif10]

Originally Posted by orlando_orange

starting a slow clap for the bikes....

I dunno if we can do that within the rules.

Rookie, how do you read it in the book?

[too old]

Originally Posted by orlando_orange

starting a slow clap for the bikes....

long slow handclap - first bike off 08.30 so 50 mins?

[rallyman1978]

Local time still GMT -5?

[Drif10]

Originally Posted by rallyman1978

Local time still GMT -5?

For today, I think. Changes when they cross the border this afternoon.

[frank wheelbarrow]

Originally Posted by Drif10

I dunno if we can do that within the rules.

Rookie, how do you read it in the book?

[misc]

Originally Posted by Drif10

For today, I think. Changes when they cross the border this afternoon.

I hope it changes for next stage, otherwise I prepare for the worst on the timing

[too old]

Short special, no fuel issues, starting 5th - expect something better today #3

# 30 - you too

[PackMule]

Originally Posted by Drif10

The ASO aren't a charity, I know. Business culture is not known for its altruism. Here's a chance for them to take their product to more viewers, and they're treating the internet like Dorna does: As the enemy.

This is what blows my mind about both Dorna and ASO. Viral youtube videos do nothing but feed the fans and enhance their brands, yet they yank them down at the first instance.

[too old]

Originally Posted by rallyman1978

Local time still GMT -5?

In Peru yes

[PackMule]

Originally Posted by orlando_orange

well how about just a fancy graphic showing the bikes/cars/trucks progress along a linear representation of the special?

or even just an uprated tracker showing, accurately, how far from the next waypoint the riders are? that would certainly beat the current nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, 3 waypoint dump of info process we seem to be getting now...

seems to me like the ASOles haven't updated the way they present the Dakar for the last 4 years or so

Originally Posted by Flood

That would be great. Wouldn't show us people completely screwing up the navigation (like we saw in Morocco), but way better than the current system.

Great idea!

[PackMule]

Originally Posted by JayBo1

Hey everyone.
Thought I'd better pop in and say that or people would think I'm actually "in" the Dakar this year. My F5hose contribution has to be very light this year for multiple reasons ... but I'll make up for it in the 2014 Dakar. In the mean time I have to check in here occasionally for an update and be happy with that.
Thanks to everyone that does contribute.
Cheers
JayBo

Cheers, JayBo!