Dakar 2011 Discussion Thread

Derek

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We're finally gonna need a car where we're going.
Dakar is about to start and we didn't have a thread on this yet, so I felt free to open one.

This year's route:
sHJYR.jpg


New car in the field:
vWfoP.jpg


Classes:
Moto class
The Moto class is divided between three groups. Group 1 is Marathon, which are nearly unmodified production motorcycles, subdivided between engines of greater and less than 451 cc (28 cu in). Group 2 is Super-Production bikes, which are more substantially modified than Marathon bikes, subdivided between engines of greater and less than 451 cc. Group 3 for quads, subdivided between engines of greater and less than 500 cc.
Car class?T1, T2 and Open
The car class is made up of vehicles weighing less than 3,500 kg (7,716 lb) and subdivided into several categories. The T1 Group is made up of Improved Cross Country Vehicles and the T2 Group is made up of Cross Country Series Production vehicles. The Open class accepts weight-qualifying vehicles such as SCORE International trucks.
Truck class?T4 and T5
T4 class trucks participate in the competition, while T5 trucks travel from bivouac to bivouac to support the competition vehicles. T4 trucks may provide assistance during the special stages but must be homologated vehicles. The T4.1 class covers production trucks, and the T4.2 class covers modified trucks.

T5 vehicles do not have to be homologated.

Rider's list:
Bikes (pdf)
Quads (pdf)
Cars (pdf)
Trucks (pdf)

Teaser video:

Official website: http://www.dakar.com/
 
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No long now! :D
profilepic11340_4.gif
 
Some more teaser video's. :eek:










 
Dakar Rally ups the stakes
-------------------------


The Dakar Rally prides itself in being a tough race, one designed to "to challenge, surprise and excite," by organisers' own account.

For the third year in succession, the prestigious, though controversial, off-road race is to take place in South America from Saturday.

"The Dakar continues its exploration in 2011 of a continent which has impressive potential for new discovery," the race web site says. "It's a cascade of colour."

The Dakar Rally will begin on Saturday in Buenos Aires and ends on 15 January also in the Argentine capital, where winners are to be celebrated a day later. This race, like its predecessors, will feature key stages in northern Chile's challenging Atacama Desert.

"The Atacama Desert immediately captivated Dakar competitors. Its vast stretches serve to satisfy their thirst for dunes and sand," organisers said. "At the heart of the rally, the desert stages often prove determining. The difficulties in getting over mix with some tricky navigational choices. It's here that the expert stands out."

Organisers expect 430 vehicles, an increase of nearly 20 per cent over the 2010 race. A total of 146 cars, 183 motorbikes, 33 quads and 68 trucks are to seek Dakar Rally glory away from Africa, where the race was held from 1979 to 2007.

The off-road endurance race was moved to Argentina and Chile from North Africa after fears of terrorist attacks in Mauritania led to a cancellation of the until-then annual event in 2008. This year, competitors of 51 nationalities are to drive over more than 9,500 kilometres, with 5,000 kilometres of special stages.

Spain's Carlos Sainz and France's Cyril Despr?s are to defend their 2010 titles in the car and motorbike categories, with Volkswagen seeking a third consecutive win in cars and KTM aiming to consolidate a domination on two wheels that stretches back to 2001.

"Every rally, every year is different," Sainz, a double winner of the World Rally Championship, told Spanish newspaper El Mundo Deportivo in an interview this week, and he issued a warning to all his rivals.

"I still feel the same urge to win as last year, and the one before that, and the one before, and the one before," he said.

Beyond racing, a further challenge remains for an event that has claimed scores of lives over the years. The two South American races so far have also been deadly. Motorcyclist Pascal Terry died in 2009 from a medical condition unrelated to the race, while a year later a spectator was killed when she was run over by a race vehicle, both in Argentina.

Even before racing starts Saturday, Chilean driver Ignacio Casale Silva crashed his competition car against another vehicle in the early hours of Wednesday in the Buenos Aires suburb of Ramos Mejia.
 
I'm going to do my best to keep track of it this year. I don't normally have a chance to watch it on Eurosport so I have to download it from somewhere. The Mini should be interesting. :)
 
Can't wait :D One of my fav times of the year (along with June & November :) )

Hopefully the last 2 days won't feel as rushed as last years <_<
 
I expect VW to dominate. BMW have been fast over the last few years and they theoretically could spring a surprise (and I suppose same goes for the Mini since I presume it's the same car with different bodywork) but in reality I don't expect them to challenge for overall win.
 
Myself, jok and Derek are doing Dakar before 2020. Weapon of choice: Bowler (model TBA).

I'm so in :).

Can't wait to watch the Dakar this year though. It will be interesting to see the Mini in action.
 
Came across a couple more Mini videos:



I'll be rooting for it this year, unless it turns out to be crap then it's back to Robby Gordon. <3
 
Mini looks good. I'm still glad though that Robby is in a Hummer. I :love: seeing that thing in the Dakar.
 
is their going to be any canadian tv coverage of the dakar? i'v scoured OLN's programing and the tv guide no dakar. so where's a good live feed for the race?
 
If you can't find any coverage. The scene usually rips the daily summary from Eurosport. If I'm not mistaking TechZ will be uploading it to his FTP again this year.
 
In case you've missed the best part of the rider's presentation:

 
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Is Mitsubishi/ralliart running a works team this year or is it all privateers? I scanned the cars PDF but didn't see anything that looked like a works team.
 
^Mitsibushi is not running a factory team, they pulled out 2 years ago.
Also, the mini is not a rebodied BMW. The mini is being developed for next years regulations and it has a mere 300km worth of testing before the race...
 
The Mini looks like crap. There should be more focus on the trucks too. Last i know Mitsubishi pulled out around 07 or 08, and that's the end of the Pajero awesome stomping.
 
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