2013 Dakar Cliff Notes thread

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Bang Bang out?
From Dakar.com:
We'll have to see if I can carry on
We went through plenty of dry river beds, so by the end, my goggles were dirty. There was a point where it was a little bit deeper and I fell. It was 50 kilometres from the end of the special, around the 180-km point. I banged my shoulder. I'll have a look at it at the bivouac this evening but it's really painful. We'll have to see if I can carry on. I fell because of the mud and my dirty goggles. I don't know what's wrong with my shoulder but it's really painful.

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dakar.com

Kurt Caselli

I feel good and the bike feels good

The beginning was really tough. Due to the rain there was a bunch of ruts everywhere, so the first few guys had to go really slowly. I think I started fifth, so I was able to catch up. Then I passed Cyril at maybe after 60 km back and just followed on from there. Today was good, it was perfect. The dirt was wet so you could see fine and the weather was good, so it was a nice day. Save for a few drop-offs, the road-book was good today and I think everyone should be fine. I feel good and the bike feels good. I'm starting to get more comfortable with the road-book, so I'm just riding around. Before I really had a lot of trouble and missed some way points. Today was better, because I got to find my own way and didn't miss anything, so it was good. I'm taking it day by day every day.
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Originally Posted by Stagehand

Dakar 2013, 11th Stage, La Rioja - Fiambalà
483 km stage (302 miles) including 221 km special test

Goncalves on the podium again for Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain

Paulo Goncalves took second place in the much-feared La Rioja to Fiambalà stage of the Dakar 2013. The Portuguese rider rode an error-free race on the TE449RR by Speedbrain which handled the job of the sandy terrain perfectly. Paulo thus moves up to eleventh place on the overall leader-board.

Alessandro Botturi too, put in a valiant effort struggling throughout the stage with a fractured pinky on his left-hand after yesterday’s fall. Alessandro consolidates his fifth overall position with three days to go, whittling away at the time of Jakes who finished five seconds behind the Italian rider.

Joan "Bang Bang" Barreda was less fortunate, finishing in sixth place. He battled on through the special test with a pain in the left shoulder, as well as an aching hand from a previous fall. Matt Fish, too made up ground coming in twenty-first.

The Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain thus rounds off another successful day with three out of the first seven riders, and a ninth podium place in eleven days of racing.

Tomorrow it’s back to Chile with the 715 km (447 mile) Fiambalà-Copiapò stage including a 319 km special and a difference in height of some 3000 metres as the stage takes on the Andes.

Paulo Goncalves: ”I rode a great race. I’m pleased for myself and for the whole team who really worked well together in this stage. I was really up for it today, and I’d love to be able to win a stage before it’s over! I’ll keep trying.”

Joan Barreda: “I hit a hole at high speed and felt an intense pain in my left shoulder. I had to slow the pace right down so that it wouldn’t get worse. My hand was playing up a lot too. I hope to feel better for the last three days.”

Alessandro Botturi: “My finger was really causing me a lot of pain. I thought that I wasn’t going to be able to make it, but I hung in there. I’m pleased with the way that it went today. The thing is still wide open.”


Result Stage 11:
1. Caselli (USA, KTM) 2h55m01s
2. Paulo Goncalves (PRT, Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain) +00:04:45
3. Despres (FRA, KTM) +00:06:24
4. Pedrero (ESP, KTM) +00:10:18
5. Lopez (CHL, KTM) +00:10:51
6. Joan Barreda (ESP, Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain) +00:11:09
7. Alessandro Botturi (ITA, Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain) +00:11:31
22. Matt Fish (AUS, Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain) +00:37:44

Overall after Stage 11:
1. Despres (FRA, KTM) 33h48m29s
2. Faria (PRT, KTM) +00:13:16
3. Lopez (CHL, KTM) +00:18:08
4. Jakes (SVK, KTM) +00:23:33
5. Alessandro Botturi (ITA, Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain) +00:29:32
11. Paulo Goncalves (PRT, Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain) +01:28:18
23. Joan Barreda (ESP, Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain) +03:21:47
90.+ Matt Fish (AUS, Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain) +24:58:41

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Originally Posted by JR_FX

Ruben Faria: "Today was a tough day for me. I got lost at the beginning of Step, after the section had plenty of water and from there I decided to walk calmly because it was easy to make mistakes and lose much time. In the end I think it was the best decision because despite the lost time does not put in question my performance and the team's goals. Today's result was excellent for KTM / Red Bull because Cyril extended the advantage to the more direct opponents and I kept 2nd place overall. Tomorrow we have one more step to complicated and perhaps decisive for the final result of this Dakar. I keep physically well and my KTM remains perfect. Right now I'm quite happy as I am to play the best role of my water carrier of Cyril and the proof is that he is ahead of Dakar and yes this is the main objective of the KTM / Red Bull and for which all work as a team day. I want to thank all the help that Cyril has given me over these three years they have allowed me to evolve as a rider and person to face the best of this type of evidence. To my fans and sponsors thank you for the daily support. A big hug to everyone. "

From Ruben FB.

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dakar com

Cyril:

The stage in Fiambala always holds surprises in store. I'm more tired today after 190 km than I was for the day before yesterday over more than 800 km. There was a storm in the dunes and it started raining. It wasn't easy to navigate. We came across some streams full of mud and water, which brought back bad memories from last year. I don't know what today means in terms of results, but I'm just happy to be here without too many problems. Fiambala really is a sh**-hole. We spent time in the water walking alongside the bike. Today, everyone was a little bit calmer, but I knew it would be complicated. I'm surprised that I haven't seen more riders finish behind me, because at one point, there were 6 or 8 of us riding together. The pace went up a lot after Kurt overtook me. Perhaps that's why I'm a bit tired!

We're at post #13959 in the firehose now.

[PackMule]

Lyndon calls in after the Fiambala stage, which turned out to be of a much different character than those run on previous editions. True to form, however, the stages that appear shortest on the route description prove to be long on challenge. Looking ahead, the rally crosses the high passes back into Chile tomorrow, with three long days to go before the riders can allow themselves to relax. Keep it steady, Lyndon.



Direct download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/rallyraidio/13D15.mp3


Many thanks to the inmates who have chipped in on the phone bill!!! THANK YOU!

[PackMule]

Originally Posted by redhat

Tomorrow it is back to Chile


First 392km connection across the border, followed by refuel and start of special @ 10:00 local
WP1 and CP1 @ 37km
WP2 @ 83km
WP3 @ 127km
WP4 @ 153km
CP2 and refuel @ 169km
WP5 @ 201km
WP6 @ CP3 or 215km
CP3 @ 223km
CP4 @ 238km
WP7 @ 250km
WP8 @ 272km
Finish @ 319km

Followed by 4km connection for a total of 715km

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Originally Posted by 8340SU

for those of you who didn't see the bivouac show of france 2 (from yesterday)

Originally Posted by Stagehand

Enduros? bah. This is like, my commute:

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Originally Posted by 8340SU

There's a lot of photos here: the big picture at boston globe.




on this we can see Thomas Bourgin

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NO FUEL ISSUES FOR HRC

Unlucky day for Helder Rodrigues and Team HRC



SS11 La Rioja – Fiambala (256km liaison – 221 km special – 6 km liasion)Famous for its white sand dunes and its torrid temperatures, Fiambala is always a very special stage for the Dakar competitors. A cloudy sky with some rainfalls at the beginning of the day was a blessing for the riders that tackled todays’ stage characterized by sandy dunes mixed with some rocky paths and difficult navigation.
Shortened by 30 km due to the bad weather conditions of the last few days over the region of Catamarca, today’s strategy for the HRC Team was to attack to close the gap from the front runners. Starting in 9th position, Helder Rodrigues gave a tremendous performance both in the first rocky part as well on the dunes, without making any navigation mistakes. He was 1st at CP1 and 2nd at CP2 but bad luck prevented him from a well deserved result that would have allowed him to make a big step forward towards the podium. A branch caught one of the wires of his bike and broke it. The bike stopped and it took Helder at least 48 minutes to find out the problem and repair it. Finishing 29th, Rodrigues lost 3 positions and now sits in 9th place overall.
A navigation mistake at the start of the stage complicated today’s performance for team mate Javier Pizzolito, but the Argentinian was able to recover positions, finishing the stage in 21st position that assured him a place in the top 10 overall. Even if the sand was harder due to the rainfalls of the last few days, it was a very challenging stage for Johnny Campbell, who suffered a lot from the injuries of the previous stages. Despite the intense pain from suspected broken ribs, the “Baja 1000” legend finished 34th and sits now 45th in the overall standings.

Javier Pizzolito SS11 21st +36’29”, 10th overall: “Everything is possible in Fiambala and the cloudy sky helped us a lot as it was not as hot as we expected. The navigation was very difficult today and I got lost with a bunch of riders at the beginning of the stage, where the path was rocky and there were a lot of tracks. It took us a while to find the first way point, but afterwards I took my rhythm, recovering some positions. I enjoyed a lot the dunes and I look forward to the next stages in Chile. Being 10th overall is a good result but we need to maintain the concentration as tomorrow’s stage in Copiapo will be really crucial for the final result of the race”.

Helder Rodrigues SS11 29th +48’29”, 9th overall: “I’m very disappointed because today I was flying. I was very fast on the stony paths as well as on the dunes, I made no navigation mistakes but it was just an unlucky day for us. A branch caught a wire of the machine, ripping it out and the machine stopped. It took me a lot of time to fix the problem. It’s a pity because today’s plan was to attack and I did it but it was definitely not our day”.

Johnny Campbell, SS11 34th +52’52, 45th overall: “The cloudy sky was a true blessing because I was not fit and the heat would have complicated my stage. My navigation was perfect but I suffered a lot from the pain in my ribs, especially on the dunes and the “off piste” tracks. I fought with my body on the river crossings as there was a lot of water and I was happy to get to the finish”.

Katsumi Yamazaki, Team HRC Director: “It was a bad day for us. We had planned to attack with Helder in order to close the gap with the first riders and to get closer to a podium finish. Unfortunately he had an issue with the machine that made him loose valuable time spoiling his stage result and compromising his position in the overall. It’s a pity but Dakar may be like this.”


S11 Unofficial results: 1. Caselli (KTM), 2, Goncalves (Husqvarna) +4’45, 3. Despres (KTM) +06’24”, 4. Pedrero (KTM) +10’18, 5. Lopez (KTM) 10’51…21. Javier Pizzoltito Team HRC (Honda) + 36’29, 29. Rodrigues Team HRC (Honda) +48’29, 34. Johnny Campbell Team HRC (Honda) + 52’52.
Overall Standing 1. Despres (KTM) 2. Faria (KTM) +13’19”, 3, Lopez (KTM) +18.08, 4, Jakes (KTM) +23’33”, 5. Botturi (Husqvarna) +29’32” … 9. Rodrigues Team HRC (Honda) 1h16’24”, 10. Pizzoltito Team HRC (Honda) +1h23’13”, 45. Johnny Campbell Team HRC (Honda) +6h55’43”.

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Originally Posted by kaia

Stage 11 Beauty Shots - La Rioja - Fiambala




Stage 11 Top Moment - La Rioja - Fiambala

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Originally Posted by knybanjo

....and the floods begin....

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Originally Posted by knybanjo

F2 would be more interesting if I understood French.

Lots of behind the scenes interviews....




and some extra footage, like how that buggy got off the collapsed riverbed.

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Originally Posted by 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

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