Dakar Rally 2011 Starts Today

Alex · January 1st, 2011, 11:21 AM

If you have DirecTV, daily highlights from the rally should be on Versus, channel 603. Online, there are a bunch of places to follow the action:

http://www.dakar.com/index_DAKus.html

http://www.rallyraidio.net/

http://twitter.com/rallyraidio

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=644461

http://thedakar.blogspot.com/

http://rallyraidreview.blogspot.com/

For RU members, there are already a bunch of videos and reports up there as well.

067.jpg

karlosdajackal · January 4th, 2011, 02:00 AM

Got to see some dakar on British Eurosport last night, those boys on the bikes where on the pegs for 3 hours straight! Ouch!

Will be watching again tonight

tiggen · January 4th, 2011, 02:39 PM

After two episodes I have the following to say (if anybody cares):

1. Ines Sainz, please go.

2. Robby Gordon is still a tool, but as the years pass I find myself respecting his drive. The guy just loves to race, and he continues to find a way to do it. That's pretty awesome. (I hope somebody can explain to me why he's in a 2WD car???)

3. The highlights format sucks. I want to see racing, not helo shots of a thousand different things. Put me in a car or on a bike for a good 30 secs or a minute, then switch to another and stay there. I want to see drivers sawing on the steering wheel driving headlong into a cloud of dust at full speed. The countryside is beautiful, but this ain't the travel channel.

4. I don't need to "get psyched" by listening to hard rock and guzzling energy drinks in order to enjoy racing. The Dakar is not an "EXTREME SPORT" so please stop marketing it as such. You guys did a great job with the Tour de France, why not do something similar with this?

Rant complete.

Alex · January 4th, 2011, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tiggen

2. Robby Gordon is still a tool, but as the years pass I find myself respecting his drive. The guy just loves to race, and he continues to find a way to do it. That's pretty awesome. (I hope somebody can explain to me why he's in a 2WD car???)

The racing Hummer has always been 2WD, I think the rules are less restrictive on engines for 2WD vehicles, so he can run with less air restriction and much more power than if they made it 4WD. It's clearly a tradeoff, as in some areas the higher power will allow faster speeds, but in others not having 4WD is clearly a hindrance. I would think that it would be terrible in the dunes, but I also remember reading somewhere that the 2WD vehicles are allowed wider tires than the 4WD, which can also help a bit.

TonyKZ1 · January 5th, 2011, 07:56 AM

Yes, I also enjoy watching it. I missed last years (2010) race due to losing BT download capability. I've since found another way to watch them. I was also wondering about Robby Gordon's 2wd Hummer. I guess that explains why he's still running it in 2wd class. I noticed though that a few times having 4wd would have helped quite a bit. I also enjoy following the motorcycle rider Jonah Street as he makes his way through the rally.

tiggen · January 5th, 2011, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex

The racing Hummer has always been 2WD, I think the rules are less restrictive on engines for 2WD vehicles, so he can run with less air restriction and much more power than if they made it 4WD. It's clearly a tradeoff, as in some areas the higher power will allow faster speeds, but in others not having 4WD is clearly a hindrance. I would think that it would be terrible in the dunes, but I also remember reading somewhere that the 2WD vehicles are allowed wider tires than the 4WD, which can also help a bit.

Interesting, never would have figured a 2WD off road racer. Thanks for the explanation!

tiggen · January 6th, 2011, 07:03 PM

Looks like the gamble did not pay off for RG.

Oh, and

5. Please stop looping/recycling footage.

January 1st, 2011, 11:21 AM	#1
Alex ninjette.org dude Name: 1 guess :-) Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 7	Dakar Rally 2011 Starts Today If you have DirecTV, daily highlights from the rally should be on Versus, channel 603. Online, there are a bunch of places to follow the action: http://www.dakar.com/index_DAKus.html http://www.rallyraidio.net/ http://twitter.com/rallyraidio http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=644461 http://thedakar.blogspot.com/ http://rallyraidreview.blogspot.com/ For RU members, there are already a bunch of videos and reports up there as well. 067.jpg __________________________________________________ Montgomery Street Motorcycle Club / cal24.com / crf250l.org / ninjette.org ninjette.org Terms of Service Shopping for motorcycle parts or equipment? Come here first. The friendliest Ninja 250R/300/400 forum on the internet! (especially Unregistered)

January 4th, 2011, 02:00 AM	#2
karlosdajackal ninjette.org guru Name: Karl Location: Ireland the Hawaii of Europe! Join Date: Jun 2009 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250R Fuel Injected Model 2009 Posts: 357	Got to see some dakar on British Eurosport last night, those boys on the bikes where on the pegs for 3 hours straight! Ouch! Will be watching again tonight __________________________________________________ My vlogs on Youtube are here

January 5th, 2011, 07:56 AM	#5
TonyKZ1 ninjette.org member Name: Anthony Location: Marble Hill, MO Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): 1975 Kawasaki KZ400D (Sold), 1989 Kawasaki Ninja 250 (sold), 1997 Yamaha XJ600s Seca II Posts: 231	Yes, I also enjoy watching it. I missed last years (2010) race due to losing BT download capability. I've since found another way to watch them. I was also wondering about Robby Gordon's 2wd Hummer. I guess that explains why he's still running it in 2wd class. I noticed though that a few times having 4wd would have helped quite a bit. I also enjoy following the motorcycle rider Jonah Street as he makes his way through the rally. __________________________________________________ 1997 Yamaha Seca II - mostly stock, Racetech upgraded forks, FZ6R rear shock, Oxford Heated Grips, Barkbusters Blizzard Handguards, a Scottoiler vSystem chain oiler. My Mileage Tracker Page.

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January 4th, 2011, 02:39 PM	#3
tiggen ninjette.org guru Name: John Location: Atlanta Join Date: Oct 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2003 250 Posts: 333	After two episodes I have the following to say (if anybody cares): 1. Ines Sainz, please go. 2. Robby Gordon is still a tool, but as the years pass I find myself respecting his drive. The guy just loves to race, and he continues to find a way to do it. That's pretty awesome. (I hope somebody can explain to me why he's in a 2WD car???) 3. The highlights format sucks. I want to see racing, not helo shots of a thousand different things. Put me in a car or on a bike for a good 30 secs or a minute, then switch to another and stay there. I want to see drivers sawing on the steering wheel driving headlong into a cloud of dust at full speed. The countryside is beautiful, but this ain't the travel channel. 4. I don't need to "get psyched" by listening to hard rock and guzzling energy drinks in order to enjoy racing. The Dakar is not an "EXTREME SPORT" so please stop marketing it as such. You guys did a great job with the Tour de France, why not do something similar with this? Rant complete.

January 6th, 2011, 07:03 PM	#7
tiggen ninjette.org guru Name: John Location: Atlanta Join Date: Oct 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2003 250 Posts: 333	Looks like the gamble did not pay off for RG. Oh, and 5. Please stop looping/recycling footage.