Dakar 2009 (South American Style)

For sure winning a stage is a big deal. In 30 years only 4 other Americans have done that on a bike.

If a rider wins a stage, but doesnt finish the race, they still have bragging rights. If Jonah DNF's he has still made a big statement. Sponsors WILL line up now for him, including possibly a factory. There is also a payout for winning a stage, so many tangible benefits.

Plus when its time to hand out the starting numbers each year, stuff like winning a past stage is given a lot of credit.

Perhaps most impressive in winning a stage is it means a rider has navigated well.

Guys like Ullevasetter (for example, and nothing against him, at all!) are known as fast riders, but tend to follow others tracks and not do a lot of 'breaking trail'

Jonah is now navigating and doing it well, and thats going to get him lots of attention and respect, more so than just finishing in the top 5-10
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But overall its total time. Not total position each race/stage for points, as in Baja 'series' racing for example.

my buddy Annie Seel had one hell of a day-it fills in the blanks about whats 'really going on'.
Read this report from the Dakar.com site of her ride yesterday:

Annie Seel is used to hard luck. For example, the Swedish biker, amongst other motorcycling adventures, finished the Dakar in 2002 with a broken hand after injuring herself on the fourth day of the race. She will not be ready to forget the stage between Neuquen and San Rafael, which started to become a nightmare after 350 km of the special stage: “I had a nasty fall, which made my day absolutely infernal. My helmet was damaged, I had a nose bleed, a bust lip, and especially the bike was in a really bad state. The brake cable was stuck in the front wheel and the mud guard was shattered so I took it off. What’s more, my handlebars were all bent. When I arrived at the dunes section, I couldn’t handle the bike properly, because I’m too small, so I took off the seat and left it there. I think I must have fallen at least a hundred times!” It was just at the same time as it started to rain and hail on the special stage route. This little lady, who is only five foot two, could hardly imagine that the situation could get any worse: “When I saw the weather, I told myself to just take everything as it comes, thinking back to the Dakar in 2002 when I was wondering how I managed to finish with a broken hand. Thinking ‘you managed to do it then, so you can do it today’ helped me through. What surprised me the most is that for the first time on the Dakar, I brought a spare helmet with me!”

Annie is a real racer.

Break your face open after 200 miles of silt, after 5 long days or racing, fix your trashed bike, crash 100 times in the dunes, chuck the seat, and motor on.

That nice TV coverage just doesnt capture whats really going on...

Our Husky bro is going strong. Finished the day in 71st position. Im sure he has had lots of drama as well...

The guy in last place, from China, on a Jinchiang is my hero. He has raced over 70 hours total. The leader has raced 24 hours total...everyone out there is a bad ass. Its fun up front at 60mph with no dust. Being in last place with trucks and cars and riding a course that is now totally beat up with your lights on is a very different experience. Been there.

Just won one stage, but positioned second overall.
Thats awesome riding up against factory bikes, who have now changed their mufflers from the quiet FIM standard to the more open\shorter\louder\faster pipes. (Factory teams basically cheating a little).

There's also an XR400 & a few 250's in there. I just checked 2 #'s for the heck of it (#106-XR400 & #168-WRF250) They're both still in it (pos. 81 & 79)

Husky is in 71st position

Just a bit of background info:

Jonah is racing in the open Marathon class (there is also a 450 marathon, 250 marathon). The pro's he is up against are entered in the 'sp' or Super Production class, both open SP, like Marc Coma, and like Fretigne in the 450 SP class. (There is also a 250 SP)

Look for little M or SP on the front numbers.

Before he got out of scrutineering Johans (joke) bike had paint and numbers scratched on his exhaust, triple clamps, motor, frame, forks, etc. None of those parts can be changed to be a Marathon class competitor.

On SP class everything can be changed. Hence the removal of exhausts, etc. Its true there is a noise restriction, but its only tested at scrutineering before the race.

One interesting thing about Dakar is ya can change from Marathon to SP during the race. So some will start out as Marathon, but if they wad it or blow an engine, they can switch over to SP.

Anyway-thats just some background stuff, and most likely thats whats going on with the exhausts.

Mike?
I've been curious about the 450 class. I seem to recall full motor replacement was allowed more often than the big bores. Is that correct? Or am I getting early Alzhiemers?:devil:
If I'm correct, how often for the 450's & how often for the big bores?

I honestly think its unlimited motor exchanges for both 450 and open in the SP classes. BUT Dakar rules are just never ending, there is litterally a book with all kinds of rules, even the event stewards dont know them all, there is litterally an airplane with judges who do nothing but weed thru the rules and the situation as it comes up for each driver/rider--its SO complicated. SO i am not sure, and my books are in storage right now, cant even look it up. I really think its unlimited motor exchange for both, but could be wrong.

I remember talking to Franz about him winning the 450 SP class in '05. He used 5, thats right, 5 Yamaha 450 motors!!

My buddy Sunny used 3 motors as the '06 rally in his 450 yamaha. Its VERY common, if not the norm, for the 450 guys to use 2-5 motors. They have those things pinned all day, and in the sand, its just wide open churning sand for hours. Plus the air is SUPER dusty in the back of the line, and that takes a toll as well.

But--for sure the biggest toll on the small motors is the endless hours of high speed, at the legal limit of 60mph, constant speed, on the liasons. 450 motors hate that. Remember before and after each special there is 100-200 miles of boring as hell paved roads, and there is a speed limit and major penalties for going over 100kph/60mph.

Anyway--just some colorful commentary. Everyone still in the running is a hero. Its so incredibly tuff. Dakar is the real thing in a world full of fluff and marketing...

Thanks for the info, I thought I remembered something about unlimited motors for the 450's but didn't know it applied to the big bikes also. Figured it was an incentive to get more people on a 450

Thanks. Im a bit unsure about 'hogging' this thread. Obviously its something im passionate about, but its not my dakar and i dont want to clog it up.

Plus--there are a couple guys on here who know a lot more about Dakar than i do, and i am aware that i might be in some way keeping them away.

If Mr. Hardin,. Mr Walsh and company want to jump in, it would be an honor to share a string with that level of understanding and achievement of this incredible event.