2016 OFFICIAL DAKAR f5irehose - THANK YOU ALL F5 posters and lurkers!

The "french interpretation" thing was the only last "loophole"; regarding the ASO DAKAR reg's:

Preamble:

Warning:
In any case, the French version is the official version of the regulations.
The translations into English and Spanish are edited to make the preparation of the Competitors easier; therefore, in the event of disputes over the translations and interpretations, the French version is the only one to be considered and applied.

so I checked...

5) CHALLENGE NRJ « ÉNERGIES ALTERNATIVES »
a) Dans les Groupes T1, T2 et T3 il y aura un challenge pour les Véhicules Tout Terrain alimentés aux énergies alternatives (carburant biodégradable, moteurs hybrides, éthanol, gaz, hydrogène, etc.).
Les Véhicules seront acceptés dans ce challenge, sur dépôt de dossier détaillé, à déposer avant le 1er Octobre 2015.
b) Ils devront impérativement avoir l’autonomie nécessaire pour parcourir la distance allant du Bivouac à l’Arrivée du Secteur Sélectif, sauf pour les Véhicules 100% électriques qui pourront effectuer sur demande, et après acceptation, un changement de batterie(s) ou de recharge(s) au ravitaillement motos (point de ravitaillement destiné aux motos répartis le long de l’Épreuve), au Départ du Secteur Sélectif, à l’Arrivée du Secteur Sélectif, et éventuellement aux CP, dans la limite d’un changement de batterie(s) / recharge(s) au maximum tous les 250km. Pour les Véhicules utilisant des carburants biodégradables, le carburant utilisé pour parcourir le Secteur de Liaison du Bivouac au Départ du Secteur Sélectif ainsi que l’intégralité du Secteur Sélectif, devra être le carburant déclaré lors des Vérifications Techniques.

Nope... they're toast.

Only question is how big a time penalty (or slap on the wrist) the french hand out to PEUGEOT.
2015 ISDE all over again... only FIA instead of FIM...???

Let's wait and see?

You're too quick Myway, that was Duclos. I deleted the post but you got it first.

Cherry ripes are on me next time cross and cheeko.

You know I just turned 55 and thought its time I worked out or at least looked at this f5 firehosen thingy

Fark its good

Thank you all

Regards
A

Yay, fantasy-point is back and updated - you have an hour and a half to prepare your teams for todays stage! Go for it!

Stage 8 results:
1st...SafariBerg (Safariberg)...49 pts
2nd...elronriders (elron)...49 pts
3rd...Gordito (Lana)...47 pts

37 degrees tomorrow, all offroad, start of a marathon stage = awesome

Still not much chit chat about the bizarre starting order....

Was it only Peterhansel who did the controversial refuel or all of the pugs?

The next two days should push man and machine....stoked on that

I'll be interested if the penalty is applied and what it is as Coma may have discretion over this and….well…..who was the last alien to cop a big penalty?????

The 1 hour AND three minutes thing has had me "wondering" all the time... but as there has been no Jury report filed by FIA (still under protest?) I have not seen any "explanation" or breakdown of what the time penalty consisted of.

The sentinel thing is a possible explanation.

1 hour for passing the sentinal distress signal.

3 minutes = the speed infringement in a DZ zone.

Robby probably won't chase up the appeal now that he has suffered the other set backs.

The sentinel going off (you manually activate it to transmit at regular intervals) is just to warn other competitors of a potential hazard. You do not have to stop and give assistance if someone is merely stuck, only if they are injured.

However, depending on the circumstances of the 'stuck' car, it is possible that if Robby was the next car on the scene, then one might argue he may have had no real way of checking if the participants were injured or not.

Personally I still think Rubby was mud-running for 600m at 40kph over the limit...

Jx

Wishing Toby all the best as he leads out tonight on what could be a make or break stage for this year's Dakar.
Be interesting to see if KTM keep with their first Marathon stage strategy of keeping the bikes speed to 150kph.
Will Toby go for it Bam Bam style and risk everything or play the waiting game.
Whilst we wait for the fire to be lit in the hole, meet Toby Price:

morn ted!

So far Peterhansel is the only one that I have seen reports that is being "investigated".

And that's part of the thing lat leaves my itch cracking about the whole scenario.

1. By the rules, only moto fuel (petrol) or a battery charger/battery cell (for the NRJ challenge electric car) would be available at the fuel stop on the CH nutralized zone. Why was there diesel (biodiesel) even available at the stop for peterhansel to access?

IF it was by prior arrangement (by PEUGEOT with the ASO), clearly it isd against the rules as written... and Famin/Peugeot are too experienced to make such an elementary boo-boo surely?

If it was just a chance occurence, that Peterhansel "scrounged" some diesel from a bystander or official vehicle... that is outseide servicing - also a penalty bearing offence.

PEUGEOT are too smart to make such an apparent and glaring misstake... If Peterhansel was going to "fudge" the rules, normally he would have the "T's crossed and the "I"s dotted... there must be something else to this.

Someone posted earlier on the refueling "affaire" (can't write the G-word yet...). So rumours have spread already out. But only a few mentioned this story in the press. Why?

Troy, wasn't the CH zone on public roads? If so, maybe he simply pulled in to a servo (gas station)...

See below for yesterday's stage map with the CH zone:

I agree Troy, the only proviso I would add is if there was indeed an arrangement with the Orga to make their 'special' fuel available if required - something the protesting party may not have been aware of?

Does the section in red above not refer to the similar circumstances that some of the top bike teams (certainly used to) do - to have specific drums of their own fuel presented at scrutineering, and made available at the various refuel points as and when required? (at significant extra cost for ASO transportation I might add).

I know this was more important for the bikes, since they typically wouldn't have the range to go the full day from Bivouac to ASS on a full tank (hence the Moto/Quad refuel points along the route depending on the logistics of the day), but as you say, if this refuel was undertaken at a dedicated ASO nominated refuel spot, they would have been aware, and I cannot see how he has broken any rules?

If he was spotted stopping at a servo in the neutralised section on the other hand (suggesting the car is quite capable of running on pump diesel), then I agree he's going to need that Gaelic charm to get out of this one!

Jx

+ this...? maybe the FIA jury interpreted it differently?


29P1 SENTINEL FUNCTION OF GPS

4) All contested cases will be treated by the College of Sporting Stewards, following an audition with the two parties concerned. Depending on the circumstances they may apply other penalties (time or financial), to the Crew as well as to the best placed Crew of the Team of the Crew at fault.

5) In case of dispute, the data from the Sentinel is downloaded, after a written request to the Clerk of Course, 30 minutes at the latest after the infraction has been transmitted.

29P2 ACCIDENT

1) In the case of an accident involving injuries, it is imperative that Competitors inform the Race Control (PCO) by all possible means as quickly as possible so that appropriate means can be sent as quickly as possible. 39/144 Car – Truck Regulations / Dakar 2016 www.dakar.com
2) As Crew, if at least one of its members is conscious and capable of moving:
§ make the area safe by simultaneously pushing the two blue buttons on the GPS, so as to activate the Sentinel alarm function and inform other Competitors arriving in the area;
3) If the Vehicle represents a danger to other Vehicles or, to make safe the area of the accident, a Crew member must, after having pressed the 2 blue alarm buttons on the GPS, place a red reflective triangle in an appropriate position, at least 50 metres before the Vehicle, so as to warn other Crews. All Crews failing to respect this rule are liable to penalties at the discretion of the Sporting Stewards.

4) Any Crew involved in an accident which results in physical harm or not, can be subject to an investigation by the College of Sporting Stewards. Depending on the circumstances, penalties may be applied, including Disqualification.

Any Crew who does not respect the prescriptions of the present Article 29P2 will be the subject of a report to the Sporting Stewards, who will be able to decide on penalties as detailed in the Sporting Code.

29P3 ASSISTANCE IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT OF AN OTHER RIDER / COMPETITOR

1) It must be remembered that ethics demand that a Crew which sees that an accident has occurred must stop in order to provide assistance in the most appropriate manner until the rescue service arrives.

Also, it must be remembered that major means are implemented to shorten the intervention times.

2) Any Crew that witnesses an accident placing another Crew or a bike/quad Rider in physical danger must in the following order:

§ make the area safe by pushing simultaneously the two blue buttons on the GPS so as to activate the Sentinel’s alarm function, to inform the Crews/Riders who arrive on the spot;

If it is impossible to communicate with the PCO via the Iritrack, the Crew arriving at the scene of the accident must let off the Sarsat distress beacon of the crashed Vehicle, or if this cannot be found, their own distress beacon.

The Crew who witnesses the accident, do not risk being disqualified if they let off their own Sarsat distress beacon for the injured Crew.

3) The total stopping time (if more than 3 minutes) between the two Iritrack alerts (red button on arriving and green on restarting) will be subtracted from the time taken to cover the Selective Section on the same day, but only for the first two Crews to stop at the scene of the accident, upon the request of the Competitor to the Clerk of Course, made within a maximum of 30 minutes after the Crew finishes the day’s Stage (Cf. Article 38P4).

The total stopping time can be checked and validated by the Iritrack and/or by the GPS Unik II. 40/144 Car – Truck Regulations / Dakar 2016 www.dakar.com

4) Any Crew which fails to comply with the prescriptions of the present Article 29P3 will be reported to the Sporting Stewards who may impose penalties as provided for in the Code.

§ 1 hour for Vehicles classified among the top 20 in the General Car Classification, the top 10 in the general truck classification, and/or A.S.O. Elite Drivers;
§ €300 for the other Vehicles.

With all that in the file... seem's that the ASO did not like Robby's "foot in it" through the mud for 600m in a DZ zone, past a vehicle that had set off it's sentinal.

My opinion: (RG ain't gonna' win this appeal either)

Doesn't matter... any nutralized zone on the ss (even if it is a public road) is deemed to be part of the special stage, and as such falls under the "no service" rules.

^^^ That's what I'm thinking - maybe Pug thought they'd get away with popping in to a servo for a top up on the long CH zone without the orga seeing, but one of the Mini's spotted them in the act?

Or perhaps the Cherry Ripe wrappers on the floor of the pug at the ASS gave it away!

Ummmmmm... about 70% (at a guess) of the media present on the DAKAR is either ASO, RedBull or PEUGEOT affiliated...?

It fall's under the motor journalist hypocratic oath; "don't bit the hand that is feeding you".