Dakar 2013

[popeye]

Good luck to all the Australian riders in the Dakar..  I think there are 5-6 of them....

Go Ben Grabham on the KTM..

[EML]

Yep, got a good group of riders there this year.
GHR have a good team in.
Alas no Kiwis.
Geoff Oholm in a Landcruiser, he's from up you old ground popeye.

[Davey Crocket]

Yea, go the boys.

[Tony T]

You home yet, Tatey?

[Davey Crocket]

Last night, went back to Griffith for some more of that lovely Italian food.....fark its hot in Qld, we did 5200km all up....had a ball...I'll write a road-trip blog up one night soon after I unpack all the pickings out of the van.

[SUZUKI311]

Dont forget Matt Fish on the factory Husqvarna team too.

[XC83]

TV coverage....

Eurosport 9.00am AEDST 6/1/13

SBS 5.30pm AEDST 6/1/13

Hope the Bully Frontera finishes this year!

[David Lahey]

if you use Facebook this link should get you to the page for the Bultaco rider

https://www.facebook.com/david.lahey/favorites#!/BultacoDakar?fref=ts

[Tony T]

I'll write a road-trip blog up one night soon

Excellent, but you keep your distance from now on!
My wife keeps going on about what a nice bloke you are...... 

 

As for Dakar, I'll admit that I was way off when I said the event was doomed when it moved to South America.
It's still reckon the massive bikes of the 80's were the coolest, but it's still one hell of a race. 

For example:

[David Lahey]

I'm also keen on seeing how well that young (World Champ) trials rider Laia Sanz goes this time.

[XC83]

Tony
I have a soft spotfor BMW's..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOKAwnCwQg0
But like the fat elephants as well

[Tony T]

Thanks a heap for that link. 
That's the era of Dakar that I love most!

They don't breed 'em like that anymore. I reckon it was '86 when Gaston Rahier broke his collarbone and 3 ribs, but still finished the following week of the event!!! 

[Tony T]

Actually, that video shows the year it was really close between Cyril Neveu on the Honda and Hubert Auriol on the Cagiva.
At the end you see Auriol arrive at the end of a stage and I think he had both legs broken from memory. 

Still riding though! 

FWIW, the one rider I'll be following is Franco Picco.
Google him sometime....... 

[evo550]

Rod Faggotter, Longreach, CWQ. Go son !!!!!

[Davey Crocket]

Your wife has impecable tastes Tony.......where did she go wrong? ....and she makes a lovelly cuppa tea.
My painter has just changed the color on a 07 690 KTM factory Dakar bike from the original Orange to the Gallouese (farked if I can spell it) blue....it looks awesome...I restored the exhaust back to new on it and a few other things......ill try and post some pictures of it.....80 hp std...94 db at idle on the twin exhaust (no noise retrictions out there), carbon fibre everywhere, footpegs big enough to hold an elephant, the engineering on the bike is amazing...no wonder they keep winning.....this bike is definately one for the poolroom now.