Dakar 2007

[raybak]

Again this year the Baker Motorsport team will be following the Dakar travels of Peter Jerie in his Livescore Renault.

We will have daily updates throughout the event.

We are going testing this weekend at Stockton beach in the sand dunes.

Will post photos Monday

Ray

[Livewireshock]

I wonder if he will be able to smell "BENZINE!!!!!" like Collin in the truck at Dakar.

Naturally I wouldn't miss a moments action from the Dakar anyway but this is of greater interest.

[raybak]

Went testing yesterday at Stockton beach in the Sand dunes. Played around a bit with tyre pressures and getting used to running in high range 4wd as the Dakar car doesn't have low range.

The engine in the Dakar car is now confirmed as a quad cam V6 same as in Peter's Pajero Safari.

Only got bogged a couple of times but didn't have to call for help once :)

Ray

[Livewireshock]

Sounds good. Have been meaning to check out Stockton Beach myself. My sister leaves down there. Had wedding photos taken on the beach & the bridal car was a giant Hummer that they went over the dunes in.

Hope all goes well for him over there. Would love to do it myself, at least tag along.

[raybak]

Peter took the car through scrutineering yesterday and passed with no problems. The car looks fantastic, let's hope that it goes as well as it looks.

Peter is saying that the first stage will be one of the hardest ever European stages in the Dakar with very tough dunes. Everyone is talking about how the survey vehicle got bogged in the dunes very early on in the stage. Once through the dunes though it will be very much like a normal rally stage so Peter is hoping to have some good pace on the rally roads.

Peter is still familiarising himself with Left hand drive as he hasn't driven much LHD lately.

More news to come.

Ray

[Donney]

Good luck to car 405, keep us podted, this adds more interest to the rally. :up:

[seb_sh]

Yep it's always interesting to follow a competitor through the adventure, car looks good, let's hope they reach Dakar.

Who is everyone supporting for the win? My money is on Despres, Vatanen and Tchaguine this year.

[ozrevhead]

Good Luck with it Ray - you are a entrant or just know someone who is

I cant believe its been a year already

[raybak]

Good Luck with it Ray - you are a entrant or just know someone who is

I normally codrive for Peter Jerie in Australian rallies. Peter is based on the Central Coast and is current NSW and ACT Clubman rally Champion.

I couldn't get the time off to do Dakar so will be looking after all the media releases for the team during the event.

Peter is the only Aussie driver in the event. He is competing on a CAMS licence and has the Aussie flag on the car.

We will be doing the Australian Safari later this year together.

Ray

[Mixa]

Intresting that I havent noticed the Dakar thread earlier.. Anyway I will also wish a good luck for the car 405. As my signature says I will follow mostly the car 310 and even them has a new buggy so I wish a good result for them but anything can happens.Also the ex and current rally drivers will keep me intrested.

What comes to tracking at online I noticed that in English site it goes to last years tracking but if you select the French one you will find the 07 one.. I am sure its will be fixed in some point. Some quads were already passed the stage too.

What comes to bikes I am quite sure that the top fight will be between the old names. Maybe its a Gauloises-KTM turn this time.

In trucks this year we will once again see the battle between Kamaz and De Rooy.

I will maybe leave to desert on some point so then I will not be in here to discuss with the other fans but lets keep this thread up and running!

[ozrevhead]

I normally codrive for Peter Jerie in Australian rallies. Peter is based on the Central Coast and is current NSW and ACT Clubman rally Champion.

I couldn't get the time off to do Dakar so will be looking after all the media releases for the team during the event.

Peter is the only Aussie driver in the event. He is competing on a CAMS licence and has the Aussie flag on the car.

We will be doing the Australian Safari later this year together.

Ray
Well I sure to follow his progress then :) although ive looked and the entry list on eurosport and he isn't anywhere on it :confused: Is this is first Dakar rally or has he been before?

its good to see another Aussie in the event - might help ease the pain of last year :( (i did have a good cry last night :o )

I hope that he and all other riders/driver arrive at the final destination safley

[tassiedevilAB]

Hi guys , good to see an aussie flying our flag over there, go pete!

[vic98auto]

I have sean car 405 this friday in Lisbon. It`s an amazing car. best of luck for the team.

[Mihai]

JERIE/BRUYNKENS finished the inaugural stage in 129th place.

Wow, he is from the Czech Republic! :up:

[Madeira]

Well, fantastic result for Portugal. :bounce: Carlos Sousa was amazing, he gave all to win in his country, as he did last year. He said that his car have the same specifications of Carlos Sainz car, they had been working together. Thousands and thousands of portuguese people had given its support, it was like the good old times of Portugal rally. Tomorrow will be the same in Algarve.
Ruben Faria and Helder Rodrigues have done also a brilliant result in motos competition. :bounce: Ruben Faria is the favourite for tomorrow stage. He was born in Algarve and he knows very well that stages.
Portuguese television is doing a good work. they have made live coverage of the stage and tomorrow they will do the same!!

[Mixa]

It was then the 1st day of the Dakar. It was nice to see VW on top places and Im clad to see Sousa there.Also for the Finnish view its looking ok.. Alen dont have a change to be close to top but maybe Vatanen will do some good times when we will get more to desert stages.

A good start for my favourite Schlesser. Just 18th but as has been seen at earlier years Schless will build up his speed after a few specials. Also hes quite close of ´´2 roues motrices´´ class leader.

What comes to car 405 a nice start.. driver should be proud when he beaten Biasion and Saby :) . I am sure for the fact Fiat team must havent be happy.Ok for the followers it wasnt a surprise as the test footage didnt looked too good.

What comes to bikes good to see Yamaha´s on top but I think KTM will come already tomorrow. In trucks not surprised to see De Rooy and Stacey on top with this specials.

Looking forward to tomorrow and really hope to see Schlesser to move up a few places.

[raybak]

A good solid start by Peter in car 405. This was the first time that he had driven the car competively so watch out for much improved times on stage 2.

Ray

[raybak]

Message just in from Peter.

Was hit by another competitor on the Right hand side of car, quite a bit of damage, then hit another competitor on the Left hand side also a lot of damage. Has broken his rear axle as well which doesn't help a lot.

Was stuck behind a slower competitor causing him to be stuck in the dunes and losing over 40 minutes. Sequential gearbox is playing up but hope to get it fixed before stage 2.

Lets hope that stage 2 is much better for the team.

Ray

[tassiedevilAB]

Sounds more like demo derby than rally racing? without all the banging & bashing & loosing that time being bogged, he should have got a lot better result, lets hope stage 2 is free from any mishaps.

go Pete,

[Rally Hokkaido]

Hi Ray,
Thanks for the greeting.
It sounds like Peter is in a demolition derby.
Could those incidents be caused by the very heavy sandy conditions the lower order cars faced? I read that the first stage course detoriated badly.

I'll be following the progress of Car 340, Jun Mitsuhashi.
He is from Hokkaido and normally drives the Sweepar Car at Rally Japan!

[Rally Hokkaido]

more like demo derby than rally racing? [/QUOTE]

Ah, Mr tassiedevil we share a similar imagination, it seems.

[Mixa]

A good stage for Schlesser once more and all is going well. In some free vids what I have seen for Dakar there are crazy number of people spectating these stages. Dont wonder no more when someone said it reminds the old Rally of Portugal. Anyway a good start for the rally makes me happy. Keep going Schless.

What comes to Finns Vatanen´s staying in a ford dropped him out of the pace. Also the another ex.rally champ Alen is doing ok with Isuzu but on yesterday he run out of fuel and lost a lot of time as diesel needed to be taken for a normal road car.

In bikes its quite even but still surprised for a few names close to top.. the same with trucks. In trucks now will start to wait a legendary De Rooy team vs Kamaz fight..

[paxtech]

Hey guys, you know a good site to watch the daily presentation of Dakar Rally? I missed 3 days already. Please help a Dakar fan. We have no cable here, only broadband internet. Thanks.

[raybak]

Peter Jerie in car 405 is up to 120th now after finishing stage 2 in 115th. Peter said that stage 2 was quite twisty and very narrow, hard to pass.

He is looking forward to Morocco and the longer stages.

He managed to get some TV coverage on SBS tonight, at least 3 secs of him being towed out of a bog with plenty of Portugese spectators surrounding the car.

Ray

[ozrevhead]

saw that ray

Both Dakar and Eurosport have him being from the Czech Republic

[Mixa]

I have the same problem with coverages.. even here in Finland there seems to be a problem to see dakar coverage. I have been trying to find some and in eurosport site there are some.. Also the free ´´download´´ sites can help a little but if someone knows a better way,please let us know.

What comes to car 405 its in dakar entry list and can be founded to tracking too if someone wants to follow them and last time when I checked it car 405 was in the start of the special stage.. also now to tracking has been included car photos if someone wants to watch what kind of cars there are running.

SS3 is up and looks to be ok at the moment.. still the race is long and anything can happen even at todays special. Go Schless! in bikes Blais will probably take a stage win.

[raybak]

saw that ray

Both Dakar and Eurosport have him being from the Czech Republic

Peter was born in the Czech republic but has lived abroad for many years, he competes on an Aussie licence and is current NSW and ACT Clubman Rally Champion.

He is the only Aussie licenced driver in the event.

He's started stage 3 and is making good progress on the tracking.

Ray

[fly_ac]

Good luck to all the drivers of the DAKAR and hopefully no major accidents this year.
The only driver I realy know there is Giniel de Villiers car 301 and therefore the only one I follow and support. :up:

[ozrevhead]

Peter was born in the Czech republic but has lived abroad for many years, he competes on an Aussie licence and is current NSW and ACT Clubman Rally Champion.

He is the only Aussie licenced driver in the event.

He's started stage 3 and is making good progress on the tracking.

Ray
ahh ok :)

you dont mind if I post some of your reports on other forums Im upating on
dakar's progress (non motorsport ones)

[raybak]

Peter finished stage 3 100th putting him up to 107th overall. He's having a steady run getting used to the car.

Ray

[Mixa]

It seems car 405 is going well and the dakar page says he has got a 10 minutes penalty and without it he would be at 106th just 2 mins behind a driver ahead.

Schlesser continued to do well today and now hes 11th overall leading the ´´2 roues motrices´´ so hes doing well.

What comes to tomorrows special its the well known stage for it hardness. The 405km stage will be the first true test and Im sure down there we will see the new leader once again in a few class.

[raybak]

The 10 minute penalty apparently was for them being late to the start of the first stage. They had a disagreement about which direction the first transport was.

I told Peter he needed me as a nav as I haven't been lost on transport ever :)

Ray

[raybak]

Getting some good TV coverage for Peter with another shot of him tonight on SBS as they were loading onto the Ferry.

Peter has started the transport to the start of stage 4, Sainz will be starting in a couple of minutes.

Ray

[miksu]

Does anyone know why Vatanen has been awarded with 5 hour penalty after yesterdays stage?!?!

[White Sauron]

Does anyone know where I can get the official Dakar song (mp3 or whatever)? Mixa told me it's called Sama Amie and is performed by a senegal singer. But I can't find it anywhere((

[miksu]

"Several people have asked why Ari Vatanen and other have been handed five-hour time penalties from stage three. The reason is simply that they crossed the line too late - nearly every runner at the back of the field has picked up a similar penalty." -eurosport

thats f***ing stupid!!!

[Mixa]

yup the Dakar song White Sauron meaned is Same Amie by Wock for the album Kemaan if I remember right.

Unfortunately thats right about Ari. He has been given a 5 hours penalty for beeing late. Still we have Alen there but he cant fight for the win with Isuzu. Hes 22nd now. by dakar site other penalties are: Nobre(5h)-if Im right in one dakar vid you can actually see him doing something to engine,ex dakar star Shinozuka(5h30min) and inocentio and vilar more than 10 hours.

Still a great stage by my favourite Schlesser and also as Schlesser also has one car this year it was great to see him in top. Schlesser is only 58 years old but this just saws how much the experience can do.

In bikes Coma was just so brilliant today. Now he leads by 11 mins. All the guys I expected to top are there and in bikes it will come an intresting race as there you lose time really quickly. all trucks hasnt arrived yet but I quess Kamaz team will take a lead now.

The death was a shame and this are simply the things you dont wanna hear...

[raybak]

Doesn't look good for Peter, he seems to be not moving on the tracking stuck between CP1 and CP2. I will post news as soon as I find out what has happened.

Ray

[ozrevhead]

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,,21037349-23770,00.html

:(

[Livewireshock]

It is a shame to see that Peter has officially withdrawn on stage 5. Together with 19 other cars that are not continuing in the event. Ray, is there any news on the reasons for the troubles they seemed to have had?

Looks like they have still travelled to Tan Tan. It is definitely looking like a car breaker event, yet again. Both Miki Biasion & Bruno Saby are out in their Fiats on Stage 5. Alot of big names in trouble.

[raybak]

No news yet from Peter, hope to get some news today. Seems that Stage 4 there were quite a few issues, don't think that Peter actually started Stage 5 as there was no service at the overnight stop so probably unable to fix what they had wrong with the car.

Ray

[Mixa]

I dont know as yes car 405 run throught the stage and was heading to next point but in the list he has now been informed to withdrawals list so probably he didnt was able to go throught SS5 in time what was given.

Anyway Schlesser keeps doing well.. Small probs in todays special but I am sure SS6 will be better,atleast I hope so. Also the day was terrible to Kamaz team in trucks what puts Stacey to lead and De Rooy to 2nd. In bikes will it be Esteve Pujol who catches Coma tomorrow.. will see then.

[Mixa]

anyone??

Anyway Schlesser was 2nd in the special stage and was happy to his performance. Still he said VW´s are too far ahead but I try to fight with Mitsus and try to attack for tomorrows special and try to keep time loss in minimum. It also seems that for Finnish drivers Dakar aint going nowhere but still its nice to follow them. Also congrats for Gordon to his stage win with Hummer!

Car 405 seems to be retired as by tracking them are still in tan tan so I believe the info for withdrawal was right. It was a shame to see this crew out as here seemed to be a few who followed them.

What comes to other cars today was a stage when some hitted to problems: Masuoka out and even the old JWRC Saxo driver Chicherit is out. Jutta had more problems as were with many others.

In bikes Coma keeped to increase his lead and in trucks Stacey seems to do the same. Atleast the race is different for earlier years as Kamaz dont seem to win this year.

[Lousada]

Robby Gordon :down: His driving yesterday really lost my respect. There is so much talk about safety but mr. superstar from America can barge everyone off if it is not going his way. He collided with 4 cars yesterday plus a bike rider, luckily only material damage. Wauters has launched an official complaint against his behaviour so this story might not be over yet.

On another brighter note, I'm really happy with the great performances of the Fast&Speed buggies of Fast Freddy and Jean-Joseph. They are slowly climbing towards the top20. Also Philippe Gache in the single seater buggy went really well today. I imagine it must be a pain to get that thing out on your own if your stuck in the sand. And of course I'm happy for the Dutch trucks!

[L5->R5/CR]

Robby Gordon :down: His driving yesterday really lost my respect. There is so much talk about safety but mr. superstar from America can barge everyone off if it is not going his way. He collided with 4 cars yesterday plus a bike rider, luckily only material damage. Wauters has launched an official complaint against his behaviour so this story might not be over yet.



That fits his reputation here in the states as well.

You see, in Baja, they just ram the vehicle infront until it gets out of the way, so this kind of BS behavior is what he is used to and what he propogates....

He also has been accused of ramming people in his NASCAR team as well as throwing garbage onto the racing surface to get caution flags for debris.

As far as I am concerned he can stay in the deserts of Africa for a very long time and I won't miss him...

[Mixa]

Yeah I have seen Baja races and there its just like L5->R5/CR told. Those guys just wanna get to finish in a most quickest way. Also many drivers what I have been reading dont like to R.Gordon´s style too much in NASCAR as he cant give up even when guys are lapping him down. Ok in NASCAR you dont never see a driver slowing down if someone is passing you by lap.

Still I know many US fans are watching R.Gordon and cheers for him 110%. Also needs to say that short vids what can be seen to his site/youtube are really nice to watch. Still ramming other cars/bikes dont really belong to Dakar.

What comes to buggies as I have told I am a Schlesser supporter and follow him. in his own category he now leads Scmakov by 1h20 mins or something. Yeah Loix and Jean-Joseph are doing fine.. I also have a full respect for Cache and him driving alone as in old days is hard and far for beeing easy.

After today I need to say some VW driver will probably win but its not over until the guys are in Dakar. I hope to JLS a podium but he needs to fight against VW´s and Mitsubishi´s what isnt easy. So far VW is ahead and going for win but tomorrow will see quite much witch way the race goes so Mitsubishi still has a change as is with JLS. As we know even a hour isnt much if you hit to problems.

[raybak]

Peter in car 405 retired due to alternator failure plus a few other smaller issues. Ran out of late time to get to the Time Control. Not a happy camper!!!

Ray

[raybak]

Stage 7 has been shortened by 134km due to a bad sand storm causing the helicopters to be grounded. Stage will finish at 407km and the competitors will then travel on ashphalt to Atar.

Word from Peter in car 405 and the team is that the car is heading to Casablanca to be shipped straight back to Italy.

Here's a photo of car 405 in action on stage 4 before it died.

Ray

[miksu]

BIG NEWS! Carlos Sousa, stuck for ages in a dune it seems, has left his co-pilot Andreas Schulz in the desert! Schulz has been attempting to locate the furious Portuguese for 45 minutes! heheheheh :D

[Mixa]

yeah,Im sure Andreas dont jump to same car with Sousa except if VW dont offer him a good deal.

What comes to Schlesser as we know he suffered to mechanical problems already after 10 minutes of driving :( . Still he continued to push and actually by tracking passed quite a few cars and last was Masuoka.

In the stage many has been reported to do repairs including Jutta,R.Gordon(stuck),Roma and probably Scmakov and a few others. By unofficial news Ari has becamed the assistance guy to everyone :D

[fly_ac]

Is there somewhere on the internet live updates for the dakar ?

[Erki]

By unofficial news Ari has becamed the assistance guy to everyone :D

You watched the Eurosport coverage last night? Yesterday he helped Chicherit and Kleinschmidt. Very very nice of him, everyone should be like him. :up: :)

[Lousada]

Hopefully someone helped Ari today:

Major scare for Vatanen...
Nr 308, VATANEN/PONS - VOLKSWAGEN, SUPER PRODUCTION The quadruple winner of the Dakar, Finnish driver Ari Vatanen is now seeing his hopes of getting to Lake Rose fade away. His Volkswagen Race Touareg is in flames on km 344 of today’s special stage; fortunately, the crew came to no harm.


Funny, this afternoon the "breaking news" had a few messages about how Carlos Sousa in an angry rage, abandoned his co-driver in the desert :s hock: These messages are now removed though...
Anyway, De Villiers and Sainz still 1-2 with Peterhansel and Alphand 24 and 33 minutes away. Still a comfortable lead for VW.

[Mixa]

yeah it was nice to see that Ari was helping other competititors and before that fire by rumours were helping a few others.

Still Mitsubishi cant challenge VW by driving but anything can happen. Peterhansel and Alphand are still both fighting for the win but the next group of Masuoka and Schlesser might not be.. Schlesser actually would have lost 10 minutes without that repair after 10 minutes of driving but its speculation and I know it.

Sousa´s case sounds weird.. No one wouldnt have driven 45 minutes around without a co-driver and how he can lost him?? weird but only the guys who were there knows it. Still Sousa surprisingly didnt lost so much as I expected.

[Rally Hokkaido]

The guy I'm following Mitsuhashi in #340 is now up to 21st after running steadily around 40th place on the fiorst six days. The 7th stage must have been the most challenging so far!

[Mixa]

Rally Hokkaido,the driver you are following is doing really well when I looked to overall standings and seems to be the best Toyota so far. Yeah the 7th stage was a first Dakar stage what was expected to be harder than the stages before and earlier.As we know it should have been longer than it was but the decision to cut it was ok.

Today the drivers can ´´relax´´ at the ´´rest day´´ but tomorrow we can follow up the racing again and there seems to be a huge 589km of special stage.

[FrankenSchwinn]

this is the program americans get and the website was nice enough to put up the videos.

http://www.versus.com/nw/article/view/673/?UserDef=true&catID=76

[GigiGalliNo1]

Did not know Freddy Loix was competing!

[Mixa]

Yeah Loix is competing once again as he has been used to compete a few years already.

Also thanx to the link for vs programs.. Im sure it will help some fans to watch the coverage.It loads some time but atleast on me it worked.

Today has been a good stage so far.. Schlesser has been pushing ok but lost surprisingly much to first split and is going to keep 6th place because Al Attiyah will pass him but he will take Masuoka´s place. Some unlucky drivers there atm.

[Lousada]

This is the second year for Loix, last year he competed in a bowler but had to retire.

This stage is a real battlefield, the gaps are huge! Esteve Pujol lost 2 hours on his bike. Sainz lost more than an hour yet he's still seventh at the finish! De Villiers again gained some time on Mitsubishi, but Peterhansel and Alphand now move up to second and third overall.

[Mixa]

Yep it was.. Actually it makes this a lot more intresting now as when it was 2 VW´s vs 3 Mitsubishi´s now its 1 VW vs 2 Mitsubishi´s. Also this stage showed that you can really lose time in the desert but unfortunately there isnt much desert stages left. Also for the fans from Portugal this stage was awful to them once more after Sousa hitted to troubles again but Rodrigues in the bikes seems to go quite well. Also even when Schlesser wasnt going too well still in 2wd class he already leads by almost 5 hours what is good!

In bikes it seems to be Coma vs Despres now.. Despres has always been good at the end of the race but Ill think he dont have a change to catch Coma without major problems. In trucks quite a same chase as Stacey tops the charts all the time and Kamaz is just slipping more behind.

[fly_ac]

Geniel de Villiers car caught fire. :(

[Lousada]

And Mitsubishi one and two again :eek: Incredible, Volkswagen started with 5 on top, and now all but Mark Miller are gone. Third place is still exciting as Schlesser and Al-Attiyah are seperated by only a few minutes.
It's also really amazing what Stephane Henrard is doing. He was unsuccesfully operated on a kidney stone the day before start, so he's driving with a lot of pain. Despite this he has now moved up to ninth.

In the bike standings it is rather worrying how much trouble Gauloises KTM is having with their gearboxes. Depres already two times, yesterday Esteve Pujol and today Frans Verhoeven who was lying sixth overall. Repsol is drving with the same bikes, but they are still fine it seems.

[Mixa]

yup! Gauloises KTM has been suffering a lot of problems and Repsol KTM team has stayed out of it. Despres also have had a few falls what hasnt make the time easier.

What comes to cars and to 3rde position fight it is now going to Schlesser as Al Attiyah got a penalty for something I believe. In this stage N10 : Nasser has been 6 minutes quicker so far. Schlesser is quicker in desert parts but Nasser and the rest in rocky parts.. Offcourse as a Schlesser fan I hope that he would keep the 3rd overall to end or even better but as we now move to ´´rally stages´´ there hes 2wd car isnt so quick and will probably lose time a lot compared to 4wd ones.

In trucks its a surprise if someone catches Stacey without him suffering problems.. In trucks the win for Stacey is almost sure but anything can happen in any classes.

[Mihai]

I'm so happy for Schlesser! He needs that 3rd place overall if he is to return next year with a 2-car operation. I hope I'll meet Jean-Louis again this year, he is such a nice person and the conversation with him is very entretaining.

It's really a shame that Al-Attiyah got a 42-minute penalty and I don't know what was the cause for it. Even Kleinschmidt or Roma who had serious problems got smaller penalties. Under these circumstances I don't think Nasser will challenge Schlesser for the 3rd place overall. More important, he and his X-Raid BMW X3 are in 1st place in diesel 4x4 and he's only 13 or so minutes in front of Mark Miller. The Volkswagen team will want to get that win in the diesel 4x4 category as a consolation prize for their massive effort.

[Lousada]

It's really a shame that Al-Attiyah got a 42-minute penalty and I don't know what was the cause for it.

I heard that he speeded back in Marocco.


yup! Gauloises KTM has been suffering a lot of problems and Repsol KTM team has stayed out of it. Despres also have had a few falls what hasnt make the time easier.

What I didn't realize is that Marc Coma is the only Repsol left at the moment. All the more amazing.


Today's stage was not very difficult it seems, only small gaps. Al-Attiyah wins again. Also amazing Freddy Loix on 11th.

[Mixa]

Thanx Mihai for noticing Schless. I havent meet him yet but probably some day and I really would like to meet him. Today Schless done well too and lost just 6 mins to Nasser but still he was once again the quickest 2wd driver and has something like 8 hour lead in that category what is quite amazing. I just wish that in Savanna he dont lose too much time to 4wd cars.BTW could you say hello for Mikko if you see him :) .

Yup in the morning didnt knew for Al Attiyah´s speeding. It was just a shame to lose minutes by that and totally his own fault.

In bikes Coma seems to be leading and was once again quicker than Despres. Actually I havent even realised that hes the only Repsol KTM left. After you said it I started to watch retirement list and yup there them were. Gauloises KTM team has just been suffering a lot problems during the rally but them still remains to be with full squad.

In trucks everything is normally by the top.. Dont actually even think to see big fights there anymore on the top,maybe for 3rd place but thats it.

Tomorrow there will be just the liaison so no changing to results. Atleast I hope so!

[Erki]

I have a question:

what is that service park/camp called? I can't understand what Carlton Kirby is saying, is is some widdle whack or middle whack or what the whack?

Another question is that I saw that the cars have some built-in jacks. I'm not really sure how safe they are. :s Mechanics almost never work under car when they haven't put some proper jacks under the car.

And did you see what Robby Gordon was doing with his jack? The guy either 1) has sun-sized balls or 2) is just plain nuts. :eek: :eek: Somehow I think it's a bit of both. :p :

[Mihai]

I have a question:
what is that service park/camp called? I can't understand what Carlton Kirby is saying, is is some widdle whack or middle whack or what the whack?


I think you're refering to the bivouac (a French word specific for rally-raids).



Another question is that I saw that the cars have some built-in jacks. I'm not really sure how safe they are. :s Mechanics almost never work under car when they haven't put some proper jacks under the car.


I saw Stephane Peterhanse on Eurosport a couple of nights ago operating the on-board jack (hydraulic perhaps) of his Mitsu in the sand. I think its limited purpose is for driver and co-driver to lift the car on one side or the other in no time during the stage. Otherwise, there's no rush on the bivouac and the mechanics can work on the car properly lifted on conventional jacks.

[Rally Hokkaido]

bivouac (spell?) = overnight camp (it's French and maybe its use comes from old days when armies camped outside castles they were attacking)

[Mihai]

And did you see what Robby Gordon was doing with his jack? The guy either 1) has sun-sized balls or 2) is just plain nuts. :eek: :eek: Somehow I think it's a bit of both. :p :

I don't know what you're talking about, but I think your presumption is correct :) . I think you should see this video of him fighting with Kurt Busch in last year's NASCAR Busch race at Watkins Gen. Robby is in the yellow & blue #7 :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wHDuggdVyA

[Erki]

Heh, Mihai, my dear, don't you remember me? ;) I'm a frequent on NASCAR forum, it's just off season at the moment. As soon as first race of the season starts, I'm back up and running(, I think). But yeah, that manouvre was awesome. :up:

Still, not as dangerous as kicking the jack that holds the car in air with your foot hile being underneath the car. :s

[Mihai]

No, I was trying to forget you. :)

I hope I'll get the chance to see that scene you described, in an overview programme on Eurosport after the Dakar. I find it hard to imagine in this moment. :up:

[Lousada]

Funny game:
http://www.miniclip.com/games/bp-ultimate-rally-challenge/en/

[Mixa]

Now when just a few stages are to go,in cars all seems to be quite clear without problems. Mitsubishi´s will take a victory but only what can make things to co upside down is if Mitsubishi drivers will battle out to the end. Ok still Petey has a good lead, For 3rd position I just dont see Al Attiyah catching Schless if the stages are almost similar as today. to Al Attiyah Miller dont know. Miller has been looking quite strong in the end so its possible but only if Nasser dont shine on some stage.

In bikes quite a same chase as in cars. Without problems Coma is the winner and Gauloises KTM doesnt get the result them were wishing to.

In trucks after todays special stage win to Stacey can already happen something and he still wins with his crew. Still to Stacey needs to lift a hat for winning most of the specials! Beating by driving a Kamaz and De Rooy is something,even when them strongest teams were forced to retire.

[Mixa]

Coma taked the wrong track and by tracking he and that polish driver are way behind! Would this be the Gauloises KTM team day? Well see then at the end of the stage.

[Lousada]

1 - It’s all over for Coma...
No. 1, MARC COMA - KTM, SUPER PRODUCTION
Having lost his direction after 34 km of the day’s special stage, and whilst he was following a track parallel to the ideal route, leader of the general rankings Spaniard Marc Coma, has crashed after 57 km of the special stage and has been taken back to the bivouac by helicopter.

4 - No better for Esteve...
No. 4, ISIDRE ESTEVE - KTM, SUPER PRODUCTION
Having fallen 500 m from CP1, but fortunately without injury, Spaniard Isidre Esteve has been forced to drop out since his bike is broken beyond repair.


:s hock: :s hock: :s hock:

[Mixa]

yup that happened and Gauloises KTM now has a 1-2 coming.

In cars nothing special except Mitsubishi hasnt yet won the single stage what is quite surprising. In cars still Mitsubishi seems to be heading for a 1-2 win followed by Schlesser. Today Schlesser beated Al Attiyah and is going for 3rd place.

in trucks Stacey is going for to win without probs. Once again a good special stage time and in overall standings there isnt nothing to worry if the truck dont break down too badly.

A few specials to go and its over then! Lets see what is going to happen!