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General Moto | Off-Topic Posts
Dakar has started...Yam 450 2 wheel in first!!
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[QUOTE="Tony Eeds, post: 718267, member: 32023"] [b][i]Stage Twelve[/i][/b] Thanks to Tom for the posts. :thumb: Stage 12 - 13 January 2004 - BOBO-DIOULASSO > BAMAKO Liaison 85 km Special 213 km Liaison 368 km Total 666 km Today's special had the competitors racing through new terrain, with turning tracks and valleys. A special that should go fast, testing riding skills, with numerous hazzards on the road through he tropical forest of Banfora. The finish of the stage is the city of Bamako. Founded in 1640, in the heart of the mandingue country, Bamako, « the river of caïmans » in old Bambara dialect, is settled between mountains and rivers in a splendid landscape. Bambaras, Kogoras, Markas, Malinkés, Maures, Peuls and Sarakolés cross paths on the colored old market, and full of the typical thousand perfumes of western Africa. The Rally has taken its toll: Organisers said 77 bikes, 72 cars and 41 trucks were authorised to start the stage. In the motorcycle category, France's Cyril Despres won the stage, despite riding with an injured foot, possibly broken toes. He trails Roma by 38 min in the overall, but is gaining. Cyril Despres: "Taking off first helped me, especially on this kind of course. We had to slalom a bit between the chicken, the turkeys and the wild boars. I can imagine that the others have a strategy but I have no tactic. I have to attack as much as I can without taking risks, riding my own stages without thinking about the overall. It'll be a good thing anyhow starting in front tomorrow because it suits me well. When I have no track to follow, I'm more focused. Nothing is completely decided for victory. There still are 5 stages and still possibilities to take off and make a difference." Nani Roma (SPA - KTM, 3rd) - 004 "It wasn't a nice special. There was a lot of dust and when you ride behind you have to go slowly. It was quite dangerous with many people and animals. . . The difficult stages start tomorrow and anything can happen." Alfie Cox (RSA - KTM, 4th) - 010 "I could smell Despres' dust at the beginning. In the last 50kms, it had disappeared. I didn't realise he was doing so well. But it might not be a very clever thing as he will start first tomorrow. If I get him tomorrow, I'll gain the same time he took on me today. Unless he rides like a man possessed. The stage wasn't nice, full of ditches and holes." Marc Coma (SPA - KTM, 2nd) - 011 "It was a very dangerous special : many people and animals on the road." Both of the Scandinavian KTM motorbike riders Per-Gunnar Lundmark (place 5 today) and Pal Anders Ullevalseter (place 6 today) did well today. PG Lundmark: "I hit the bottom in a wash-out, where rains have taken away parts of the road surface. It wasn't marked in the roadbook and my speed was rather good. The Öhlins shock took most of it, but the swinging arm is cracked. Håkan will have some extra work tonight. This is how I broke down in 2001." "Saincts chose to ride slowly near the end today, to start further back tomorrow. This is at least my theory because he was in the clear, without dust and was still slow. If he starts behind Roma tomorrow he will have the opportunity to catch him. There is a play going on between Saincts and Roma right now. I feel the hot-tempered Roma deserves this win, because he has been so close so many times and Saincts has won three times. Despres is not to be discarded either, because he's been going wild the last few stages." Lundmark is worried about a time penalty for speeding. Apparently, they use the GPS units to monitor speed through the check points, and villages, etc: ". . . I had just stopped to have my card punched and then accelerated in first gear up to 45kph, before I realised this was one of the places restricted to 30, like in every village south of Morocco. I pulled the brakes but this happened to be the stage, the 30 metres, where speed was measured. It had still 200 metres to go to the village. My GPS reports 56. I feel frustration only thinking of getting a time penalty and a fine. I still don't know how it will go, but expect to be informed at the briefing tonight." Team Red Bull KTM USA, Larry Roeseler placed 9th today, his best stage finish so far. The track was made for the Dakar-newcomer. It had a fast and firm surface and lots of zigzags - much like the tracks that the 46-year-old Californian is used to. "I liked the heat and the dust. That is what reminds me of home. Today everything was working out well. I want to climb on that podium in Dakar. That is my biggest goal. I'm collecting lots of experiences here. This Dakar rally is the climax of my racing career. It is just like the Super Bowl." (Wow, this is a guy that's won the Baja how many times?) Some follow up on 115 Charlie Rauseo, attorney from San Francisco. His friend, Carrie Lawson reports the problems he had during stage 8. His GPS broke, so unable to navigate. Then, while helping a couple lost japanese riders, his bike battery died, too. Ultimately, he was picked up by the sweep truck. Bummer, for sure, but look for him again next year. Quad rider, Pascal Ferrand was one of many who had lots of trouble on stage 9, between Tidjikja and Nema: Since three days, I've spent 60 hours out of 72 on my quad. Add to that the fact that I didn't eat for 48 hours. Something completely crazy". After a meal and a good night's sleep, Pascal will be back on the road. "Nothing can stop me now from getting to Dakar. Unless my engine breaks down." In the cars, former World Cup downhill skier Luc Alphand won the 12th stage of the Dakar Rally. The Frenchman, driving a BMW, recouped five minutes from compatriot and overall leader Stephane Peterhansel in the first competitive action since Monday's rest day and the cancellation of the weekend timed stages. Peterhansel leads Mitsubishi team mate Hiroshi Masuoka by one hour, four minutes and 43 seconds after the 213km special on turning tracks and through tropical forest between Bobo Dioulasso to Bamako in Mali. Overall, Alphand is fourth, nearly four hours behind the leading Mitsubishi. Luc Alphand ( FRA - BMW - 1st) - 207 "I knew I had won once I got to the bivouac. 48 victories to go and I'll be like Vatanen. Before, I drove for special victory, now I'm a lot more careful. I want to make it to Dakar. . . I'm very happy with BMW and my contract is signed for this year's World cup." Jean-Louis Schlesser ( FRA - SCHLESSER FORD - 2nd) - 200 "It was an enjoyable special with a lot of piloting. It's better than steps and stones. Going out of a village, Jutta Kleinschmidt nicely let us go past. After that I was behind Peterhansel and Masuoka. I couldn't do better because of the dust. I'm therefore satisfied because I managed not to make any mistakes. The car is doing well. We now have to prepare for tomorrow because we have to wake up early. I don't know if the race will be decided in the next three days because on this rally things happen every day." Hiroshi Masuoka (JAP - Mitsubishi - 4th) - 201 "The course allowed us to go quite fast. But we had to be careful at the many people and animals on the way. I managed to avoid a villager just in time. Now, the race will be difficult until Nouakchott. I am over an hour behind Peterhansel. Even at my maximum, I can't catch him, so I'll be as careful as possible. It would be a shame to have a problem and lose everything." Jutta Kleinschmidt (GER - Volkswagen - 6th) - 204 "The special was very fast and dangerous with long stretches followed by holes and narrow bridges. In the villages it was terrible. . . The base of the car is very good. Now we have to work on power and suspensions." Another who had trouble with stage 9 was Colin McRae, who reached the rally bivouac two hours and 40 minutes before the deadline, after getting stuck in the desert sands and suffering mechanical problems. "It's a love-hate relationship," the Nissan driver said of his debut in the event. "But it's not put me off. I'd definitely come back again." Tomorrow the fight for the top of the overalls will go on in the next level. The 13th stage leads back to Mauritania, towards Ayoún El Altroús. Time is only taken of 478 km of the 734 km route. The course is new to the rally crews. Again it is important to know how to navigate properly. Overall Standings: Team Gauloises KTM France 001 Richard Sainct 2nd +10 min 002 Cyril Despres 4th +38 min 009 Jean Brucy withdrew, broken collarbone in stage 9 Gauloises KTM International 003 Fabrizio Meoni 11th +2hr 49min 007 Giovani Sala withdrew after stage 6 010 Alfie Cox 3rd +29 min Repson KTM Spain 004 Juan Roma 1st 011 Marc Coma 7th +2 hr 17 min 019 Esteve Pujol 33rd +10hr 44 min, including 1 hour penalty Red Bull KTM USA 016 Larry Roeseler 16th +4hr 22 min 017 Paul Krause 20th +5hr 57 min 025 Scott Harden withdrew, broken ankle in stage 9 Team Farmerlips 006 Per Gunner Lundmark 6th +1hr, 2 min 015 Pal andedrs Ullevalseter 5th +1hr, 1 min Yamaha France 012 David Fretigne on the 2wd Yamaha, 12th +3hr 8 min Off Road Adventure 041 David Casteu, riding Cagiva 900 Elefant 28th +9hr 4 min Privateer, works for Dutsche Bank 171 Andy Coaker, Australian, 24th, +7hr, 20 min Rally Raid UK 170 Bertil Marcusson XR650, he rode to the start of the rally, in Clermont from Sweden - no info on stage 12 130 Yuki Tanaka Didn't start stage 12 - too bad! Cars (look at all this factory sponsorship): SCHLESSER - FORD 200 Jean-louis Schlesser 3rd +2hr 18 min 209 Josep maria Servia 22nd 18hr, 46 min MITSUBISHI MOTORS 201 Hiroshi Masuoka 2nd + 1hr, 4 min 203 Stephan Peterhansel 1st 206 Miki Biasion, withdrawn, stage 7 211 Andrea Mayer 6th, 4hr 56 min NISSON 202 Colin McRea 21st 17hr, 38 min 205 Ari Vatanen Hasn't finished stage 12 yet 208 Giniel De Villiers 12th 8 hr, 9 min VOLKSWAGEN MOTORSPORT 204 Jutta Kleinschmidt 26th 20hr, 42 min 224 Bruno Saby 7th 5 hr, 21 min X - RAID BMW 207 Luc Alphand 4th 3 hr, 54 min 212 Gregiore DeMavius 5th 4 hr, 15 min PRO SYSTEM 232 Eric Vigouroux, hasn't finished stage 12, yet 233 Mark Miller, hasn't finished stage 12, yet Tom Warr [/QUOTE]
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General Moto | Off-Topic Posts
Dakar has started...Yam 450 2 wheel in first!!
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