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Post by truenorth on Jan 3, 2020 8:00:22 GMT -8
TALKING DAKAR WITH LAWRENCE HACKING JANUARY 3, 2020 ZAC KURYLYK Canada Moto Guide Guess what? The Dakar Rally is just about ready to start, and to get a rundown on what to expect this year, we’ve contacted Lawrence Hacking, who became the first Canadian rider to finish the Dakar when he completed the rally in 2001. The 2020 Dakar Rally begins this weekend, and there are two major changes this year. First, the rally has moved to Saudi Arabia, after 10 editions in South America. There’s also been a change in management: longtime director Etienne Lavigne announced his departure last March, and former racer David Castera assumed his role. This is a good thing, figures Lawrence Hacking, because Castera has been doing this a long time (along with his considerable experience racing in rally raid events, he organized the Rally du Maroc). Hacking says this means he knows how to build an event that works for riders of all calibers. Lawrence Hacking in his dune-blasting Dakar days. “It’s his life, and he really has a good feeling on how to put on a good event for not only the guys who are racing up front at high speeds and high stakes, but also the amateur entrances that are just trying to complete it, and live their dreams.” Plus, says Hacking, Castera isn’t stuck in the past. “He’s not afraid to make changes. And I think that’s good too because what was working back 20, 30, 40 years ago wouldn’t work today.” What can riders expect with the move to Saudi Arabia? “It’s going to be difficult navigation-wise. I mean, it’s a massive country with a lot of sand,” says Hacking. Legendary Dakar rider/driver Cyril Despres in the driver’s seat, and David Castera in the passenger seat. Castera’s a longtime veteran of the rally scene, and is in charge of the 2020 event. Photo: Red Bull “When there’s a great big sand dune in your way and there’s a waypoint hidden behind it, you’re going to have to get pretty smart. And then your odometer is going to be off … There’s going to be a lot of on the ground decision-making, so whoever is the best at that will do quite well.” The dunescape is going to change things up from the wide-open WRC-style stages that dominated South America, but navigation is going to be even harder due to rule changes for 2020 regarding maps. In previous years, daily roadbooks were available before the start of the stage, allowing the top teams to put significant research into the course, determining areas where they could cut corners and save time and wear on the riders and bikes. This year, some days will see the teams not getting the roadbooks until 15 minutes before the stage starts. That’s going to eliminate a lot of the map-reading skullduggery, and it will even out the playing field. Careful riders like Matthias Walkner will have an advantage in a navigation-intensive rally. Photo: Marcelo Maragni/Red Bull Content Pool “What they’re just trying to do is make it more and more rewarding for the better navigators, and that keeps the speeds down,” Hacking says. “In theory it should make it a little bit safer. If they memorize the road book, they’re spending their hours in advance memorizing it, and they don’t have to slow down to look at it as much.” Hacking reckons Sam Sunderland of the KTM factory team is likely a favourite this year, as he actually lives in Dubai and rides the massive Middle Eastern dunes all the time; he’s also used to the local culture. Toby Price of the KTM squad is another racer who’s expected to compete for a win: his alien-like speed has been proven time and again at Dakar, but he’s got the rest of the racecraft package too. “Toby’s a big, strong, very strong-willed guy,” says Hacking. “Not afraid to take chances, very smart with the road book, and all that.” Having said that, although Hacking won’t be surprised if the KTM team wins (he also rates Matthias Walkner, the third factory rider, very highly), he does figure KTM’s long dominance in the motorcycle category isn’t good for business. “It would be a really great thing to have a new brand win, because people cheer for brands as well as riders.” Pablo Quintanilla is a talented racer who seems unable to win at Dakar, despite winning everywhere else. Of the non-KTM riders, he figures Andrew Short of the Husqvarna team may have a breakthrough year, because he’s proven he can excel in a Castera-directed race by winning the Rally du Maroc. Pablo Quintanilla (Husqvarna) is likely going to run into some bad luck as he has in previous years, Hacking figures, keeping him from winning. And he’s not expecting much out of Honda’s Joan Barreda, due to his emotional style of riding — a combination of race-ending crashes and mechanical failures has kept Barreda from winning in the past few years. It’s not that they, or other factory riders like Ricky Brabec (Honda) or Adrien Van Beveren (Yamaha), aren’t fast. Hacking says it takes more than speed to win Dakar. It’s more like a personality trait, and that mindset is as much key as riding ability. But when you factor everything in — luck, new sponsorship money for some riders this year, and a change in terrain — he says there are probably as many as a dozen riders who could win. The 2020 Dakar runs from January 5-17. CMG will post regular updates to keep you up-to-date on the race standings and the other goings-on in the race pack. Television highlight clips are supposed to run on Sportsnet in Canada this year, and organizers also post daily video updates to their YouTube channel.
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Post by truenorth on Jan 3, 2020 8:17:03 GMT -8
Carlos Sainz: Car test, everything ready !!! Also practice wheel change !! A little longer than in F1
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Post by Pistola on Jan 3, 2020 8:29:29 GMT -8
I see people calling this Dakarabia. Looking foreword to your "Live" coverage. FWIW NBCSN will start their coverage on Monday Jan 6. @ 5pm ET.
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Post by truenorth on Jan 3, 2020 10:15:24 GMT -8
Saudi Arabia: Repressive Site for Dakar Rally As Amaury Sport Race Proceeds, Women Activists Sit in Prison (Paris) – The Amaury Sport Organisation should use its decision to move the Dakar Rally to Saudi Arabia to denounce the persecution of women’s rights advocates in the country, Human Rights Watch, MENA Rights Group, and 11 other international human rights organizations said today. The 2020 Dakar Rally – formerly known as the Paris-Dakar Rally – will begin on January 5, 2020, in Jeddah, and finish on January 17, 2020, 9,000 kilometers later, in Al-Qiddiya. “The Amaury Sport Organisation and race drivers at the Dakar Rally should speak out about the Saudi government’s mistreatment of women’s rights activists for advocating for the right to drive,” said Minky Worden, global initiatives director at Human Rights Watch. “Fans, media, and race teams shouldn’t be blinded by the rally’s spectacle while Saudi Arabia ‘sports-washes’ the kingdom’s jailing of peaceful critics.” The Dakar Rally is an annual off-road endurance race organized by the French Amaury Sport Organisation. In April, the company announced that the 2020 rally would be held throughout Saudi Arabia as part of a five-year partnership with its government. Sponsors, broadcasters, and athletes are affected by sports organizations’ choices to hold major events in countries that violate basic human rights, the groups said. By agreeing to a five-year relationship with Saudi Arabia, the Amaury Sport Organisation should also agree to adopt and carry out a human rights policy that would identify risks and make use of its leverage to promote respect for human rights in Saudi Arabia and across its operations. FIFA, the global football organization, and other major companies have adopted such policies in accordance with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Since the murder of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018, Saudi Arabia has faced increased international criticism over its human rights record – particularly its lack of transparency regarding the investigation of Khashoggi’s murder and its leading role in a military coalition responsible for serious violations of the laws of war in Yemen. Saudi Arabia has also created one of the most hostile environments for human rights defenders in recent years, arbitrarily detaining dozens of rights advocates. They include Loujain al-Hathloul, Samar Badawi, Nassima al-Sadah, and Nouf Abdulaziz, who advocated women’s right to drive and an end to the discriminatory male guardianship system. While some others have been temporarily released, they and the four who remain in detention are still on trial for their peaceful activism. Several activists have alleged that they were tortured in detention, including with electric shocks, flogging, sexual threats, and other ill-treatment. “More than a dozen women drivers will take part in the Dakar Rally while Saudi women activists languish in jail for promoting the right to drive,” said Inès Osman, director of MENA Rights Group. “Saudi Arabia should not get a free lane because it is hosting a prominent sporting event like the Dakar Rally.” Human Rights Watch, MENA Rights Group, and various other groups urge Dakar organizers, participants, and official broadcasters to press Saudi authorities to immediately release all detained Saudi women’s rights defenders and drop the charges against them. The Amaury Sport Organisation should engage with human rights advocates and adopt a human rights policy to ensure that its operations do not contribute to human rights violations. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises outline companies’ duties to prevent or mitigate adverse human rights impacts resulting from business operations. The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights provide that business enterprises have a responsibility to “avoid causing or contributing to adverse human rights impacts through their own activities,” “address such impacts when they occur,” and “seek to prevent them.” “The Amaury Sport Organisation has an opportunity to join other sporting bodies in advancing respect for human rights where they hold events,” said Bénédicte Jeannerod, France director at Human Rights Watch. “Adopting and abiding by a human rights policy will mean avoiding having to endorse a repressive host country’s abusive record.”
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Post by truenorth on Jan 4, 2020 13:32:27 GMT -8
Alonso: "Dakar not for marketing, otherwise I would do as Rossi and Hamilton": Fernando Alonso is at the starting blocks for his first Dakar: "The goal is to finish the race, no matter in which position". The desert is the launching pad for a new challenge. I just love Alonso's shot at Lewham and Rossi.
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Post by truenorth on Jan 5, 2020 8:13:48 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Jan 5, 2020 8:50:57 GMT -8
2020.01.06 Autosport Web The first Middle East 2020 Dakar Rally begins. Alonso's first challenge finishes the first day in 11th overall The 2020 Dakar Rally kicked off on January 5 with stage 1 from Jeddah facing the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia in the Middle East to Al Wadi. In stage one, last year's champion Nassar Al-Athiya (Toyota Hilux) led to the middle but fell back three times due to a puncture. Instead, Baidus Zara, who drives the Mini All 4 Racing, took the overall lead. Fernando Alonso (Toyota Hilux), the first challenge in Dakar, finished 11th overall. The 2020 Dakar Rally has been held in Saudi Arabia for the first time in the history of the Games since the continental South America. A total of 83 cars were entered in the automobile division, which competed for the overall championship, and a total of 144 cars entered the motorcycle division, the highest in all divisions. Stage 1 on the first day of the competition consisted of 319 km of the special stage, which was the competition section, and 433 km of the liaison section, which was the moving section. The 319km stage has a desert area, unpaved tarmac and rock rolling areas. Al-Athiya, who is participating in TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, was at the top when passing the waypoint 208 km from the special start, but then retreated. Zara, the old X-raid machine, took the win on the first day with the best time of 3 hours, 19 minutes and 4 seconds. Stephen Peterhansel, 2nd 14 seconds behind the top, and Carlos Sainz 3rd, 2m 50s behind, will be driving the latest X-raid car, the Mini John Cooper Works Buggy. They followed. Al-Athiyah, who had a lot of punks, was fourth in the stage, 5 minutes and 33 seconds behind the top. Alonso has won the Le Mans 24-hour race for the second time in a row and won the 2018/19 WEC World Endurance Championship championship. He has participated in Toyota Hilux with Marc Koma, who has won the motorcycle category. Alonso was 3 minutes and 19 seconds behind the top waypoint, Al-Athiyah, at the point of 47km, but was gradually pulled apart. Nevertheless, when he successfully completed the stage, he reached the finish in 11th place, just before entering the overall top 10. In this automobile division, WEB fighting Rebellion launched a new machine "Rebellion DXX Buggy". He entered the race with Roman Dumas as the driver, but there was an accident that broke out at about 65 km from the start, forcing him to leave the front. Team Land Cruiser Toyota Auto Body, who is challenging the team for the first time in seven consecutive cars in the four-wheeled vehicle category, is No. 338 in the group of Akira Miura / Roland Listreitcita 338, and Christian Ravier / Jean Pierre Galsan 326. Car No. 51 finishes its first day in overall 51st, one-two division. Hino Team Sugawara, who competes in the truck section, has renewed its structure, including vehicles, for the 2020 Games. Yoshimasa Sugawara, who has been renowned as the "Dakar Iron Man", retires, and his son Teruhito Sugawara drives the No. 512 Hino Ranger as team representative and driver. Ikuo Hanawa was invited to No. 519, his consort aircraft, and the machine was switched to one based on the Hino 600 series of bonnet type that is deployed in the North American market. The new Hino Team Sugawara has also completed Stage 1 on the first day of the competition, with Car 512 ranked 13th and Car 519 ranked 19th. In the motorcycle division, Toby Price (KTM450), who put on number one, took the lead on the first day with a class time of 3 hours 21 minutes 33 seconds. Ricky Brabeck (Honda CRF450 Rally) is in second place, and Macias Walkner (KTM450 Rally) is in third. The 2020 Dakar Rally, which is contested by 12 stages, and the stage 2 on the 6th will have a liaison of 26km and a special stage of 367km.
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Post by truenorth on Jan 5, 2020 9:12:50 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Jan 5, 2020 9:19:00 GMT -8
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Post by Pistola on Jan 5, 2020 12:30:24 GMT -8
Americans second in SSV and bikes.
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Post by Pistola on Jan 5, 2020 13:35:44 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Jan 6, 2020 7:46:16 GMT -8
Dakar 2020: the electric buggy is on fire !: Bad misfortune for Romain Dumas, forced to retire after 65 km from the road due to the flames that enveloped his RD Limited Say, that's looks pretty good for the environment...
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Post by truenorth on Jan 6, 2020 8:14:33 GMT -8
Jacky Ickx: "I would like to see Valentino Rossi at the Dakar Rally": The ex F1 driver and Dakar winner is in Arabia to follow the race. "I told Alonso that he must trust his view more than the roadbook"
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Post by truenorth on Jan 6, 2020 8:21:45 GMT -8
STAGE 2 - Alonso, what bad luck! Break the suspension and collect 1 hour !: AUTO - Serious inconvenience for the two-time F1 world champion between km 159 and 214 of the second stage of the Dakar 2020. De Villers winner of the day with Toyota
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Post by truenorth on Jan 6, 2020 14:49:55 GMT -8
Alonso mechanic in the desert: "Do we have American tape?":Fernando Alonso had to repair his car at km 160 of the second stage of the Dakar. Today I dismantled and reassembled the car": "After hitting something hidden in the sand we had to work on the car, we did it and we left"
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Post by Pistola on Jan 6, 2020 16:55:14 GMT -8
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Post by truenorth on Jan 7, 2020 7:11:48 GMT -8
CAR: 3rd stage in Sainz, great test by Alonso: The Spanish veteran makes Neom's ring his own and also takes the lead in the general classification. Excellent Alonso, 5th day
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Post by truenorth on Jan 7, 2020 7:16:05 GMT -8
Flying Brabec opens massive lead 07.01.2020 BSN Monster Honda’s Ricky Brabec won today’s third Dakar stage by a country mile, opening up a near-ten minute lead over team-mate Ignacio Cornejo as overnight leader Sam Sunderland slipped right down the order. On a day that proved tricky in terms of navigation, America’s Brabec nailed it from the start and was untouchable on a stage which saw the retirement of Adrien van Beveren after a massive crash and yesterday’s stage winner Ross Branch also fall but continue. “The day was good. It was really fast, lots of rocks, lots of stones, really tricky navigation but I just tried my best to stay focused and when it got tricky, to just slow down and kind of take the time to figure out the right direction,” said Brabec. “I just had a lot of fun today. The trail is really nice, one of my favourite styles to ride - the sand and the rocks and the high-speed stuff. “Starting a little bit back today was really nice for me. I didn’t really have too much dust just because the top 10 riders are three minutes apart. “I started 12th so then I passed the 11th rider before 20km and then after that I had clean air all day. So for me the only push was nice easy. Yeah, I’m stoked, you know. “Tomorrow is going to be difficult, opening is always difficult. When you open, everyone is behind you. We are gonna do our best to stay focused.”
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Post by Pistola on Jan 7, 2020 13:08:53 GMT -8
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Post by Pistola on Jan 7, 2020 13:16:17 GMT -8
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