2012 Dakar Rally

[Ferrari333SP]

Dakar starts on Sunday! Get excited people!

[NewYankee01]

Originally Posted by kober

Two more X-Raid's BMWs:
- Mironenko/Lebedev
- Schott/Schmidt

A total of eight cars! Quite a fleet

good spot but if you were the head of volkswagen motorsport what would you do, id avoid it like the plague like they have, the dakar certainly isnt the event it used to be,

for a start the dakar has huge cost for developing the product, then the buyer who's strapped for cash will have to make a huge purchase to actually be on the start line

then the rally is in a place no one cares about, it might have a superior range of conditions but viewings are way down, no viewers really cares too much about the dakar nowadays, plus with the terrorist threat from 2008?

its cast future applications into doubt especially with the privateers, once in a lifetime event for them if the event gets cancelled, id be bricking it if i tried entering into the event, that's were the dakar is at the moment, this once iconic rally will in years to come will cease to exist. id hate to see the entry list in 2013!

[NewYankee01]

Originally Posted by Ferrari333SP

Dakar starts on Sunday! Get excited people!

cant get excited about it, its lost its identity and not just for the change of place, last year i fast forwarded anything to do with cars and watched it for the trucks and the bikes but not the quads which hardly get televised. the silk way rally is probably the best raid in the world not this tripe!

[mountainstar]

Of all the coverage I saw last year, it was a let down. Privateers were almost no existent and I'd like to see more coverage of some of the other classes and bikes plus the big trucks.

One of my favorite docos is Charley Boorman's "Race to Dakar" and it's one of the few programs I've ever seen that really gets into how tough the Dakar is. I'd like to see the TV coverage get more into that nitty gritty.

[Ferrari333SP]

Originally Posted by NewYankee01

good spot but if you were the head of volkswagen motorsport what would you do, id avoid it like the plague like they have, the dakar certainly isnt the event it used to be,

for a start the dakar has huge cost for developing the product, then the buyer who's strapped for cash will have to make a huge purchase to actually be on the start line

then the rally is in a place no one cares about, it might have a superior range of conditions but viewings are way down, no viewers really cares too much about the dakar nowadays, plus with the terrorist threat from 2008?

its cast future applications into doubt especially with the privateers, once in a lifetime event for them if the event gets cancelled, id be bricking it if i tried entering into the event, that's were the dakar is at the moment, this once iconic rally will in years to come will cease to exist. id hate to see the entry list in 2013!

The reality is the complete opposite of this; last year in Buenos Aires over 5 million people watched either the start, finish, or stages of the race; never got anywhere near those numbers in Africa. Argentina and Chile are much more developed economically than any of the African countries, so in terms of marketing advertising for companies involved, it makes infinite more sense to go to South America than it does Africa. Especially with the carmakers like BMW and VW, or energy drink companies like Monster, Red Bull, and Robby Gordon's Speed Energy.

I've watched every Dakar since 2001, and I'd say the editions in South America have been just as good as the Africa editions were. Some of the dunes in western Argentina and in Chile are absolutely massive, and all three editions they have had high attrition rates. 742 competitors are in this year's race, most of which is made up of privateers. The reason VW are out is that they've won the race the last 3 years, and now they're devoting their resources to their WRC program, where they'll be racing the Polo. Simple as that. $280 million economic windfall generated by the Dakar last year for Argentina and Chile. I'd say overall the Dakar Rally is as vibrant as it's ever been, and I'm excited to see it finish in Lima this year. I watched the program on Eurosport that showed the team that developed the route, and the route looks to be as tough as it's ever been this year. CAN't WAIT!

Figures supplied by Dakar.com
DAKAR in figures :

4: the number of titles up for grabs at the Dakar, including the motorcycle, quad, car and truck categories
9: the record number of victories at the rally, held by Stéphane Peterhansel with six wins on motorcycles and three in cars. Vladimir Chagin holds the record for the most victories in a single category, with seven wins in trucks.
14: the number of racing days at the 2012 Dakar. Timed specials will be contested on each stage, from January 1 to January 15.
27: the number of countries visited by the Dakar since its inception, with Peru making its debut this year
20, 3, 5: the age in years, months and days of the youngest competitor in the rally, Argentinean Lucas Bonetto (quads)
50: the number of nationalities present at the rally
71, 3, 19: the age in years, months and days of the oldest competitor in the rally, Francisco Claudio Regunaschi (cars)
133: the number of French competitors in the race, representing the biggest national group with 18% of the total
190: the number of countries where pictures of the Dakar will be broadcast, by a total of 70 TV broadcasters
210: the number of organisation vehicles used at the rally on a daily basis (40 cars, 11 helicopters, 12 airplanes, 55 trucks, 5 buses, etc.)
260: the number of journalists following the entire rally, with 1,800 accredited members of the media (technicians, consultants, occasional visitors, etc.)
450: in cubic centimetres, the maximum permitted cylinder capacity for the engines of motorcycles taking part in the rally. This is the first time that this limit is imposed on all the competitors.
742: the number of competitors taking part in the race (pilots, co-pilots and mechanics)
980: the number of competitors participating as members of assistance teams
1,200: the estimated total hours of Dakar footage broadcast by TV channels from all over the world (based on 2011 data)
1978: the 1st edition, dated 1979, kicked off on December 26 of that year
8,373: the number of kilometres covered between Mar del Plata and Lima, with 4,406 kilometres' worth of special stages for motorcycles and 4,191 for cars
15,500: the number of carbon equivalent tonnes offset by the Dakar as part of the Madre de Dios project against deforestation, for a total sum of USD 200,000
510,000: in dollars, the grant paid by the Dakar over four years to the Un Techo Para Mi Pa�*s foundation, devoted to building emergency housing in South America
710,000: in euros, the amount dedicated over seven years to the Actions Dakar projects, which promote good environmental practices in eastern Senegal
5 million: the number of spectators who came to see the Dakar start, finish or pass by in 2011, in Argentina and Chile
73.5 million: the number of page views on the www.dakar.com website during the 2011 edition of the rally
280 million: in dollars, the direct and indirect economic windfall generated by the Dakar for Argentina, as estimated by a study conducted by this country's government in 2011
1 billion: the number of TV viewers who watched pictures of the Dakar in 2011

[Ferrari333SP]

Now I will admit Eurosport could definitely be improved; last few years I've noticed they've tended to focus only on the front-runners more than anyone else, and I'd assume that's down to advertisment pressure more than anything. Sometimes last year a whole 30 minute stage review show would be dedicated to the front running VW's. "We KNOW they're leading! Show us the people towards the back!" But now that VW is gone, hopefully things can change this year. Some level of parity has returned to the bike class, with the engine sized capped at 450cc, and more manufacturers participating, so someone other than Marc Coma or Cyril Desprese has a better chance at winning this year I think.

Car class is still my fav this year, and I'm really hoping Robby Gordon or Nassar can win in the Hummer; they're just the sickest looking off-roaders out there.

Here's a great interview Robby Gordon did recently, talking about his team and why he likes having the Dakar in South America:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sza9E...layer_embedded

[Ferrari333SP]

The Hummers getting prepped at the shop:



Video from inside the shop:
http://youtu.be/ZiQOB1VE1zc

Also, "Dakar Rally Is Anyone’s Game In 2012"
http://www.race-dezert.com/home/daka...012-25781.html

Article from Sports Illustrated:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201.../Robby.Gordon/

[Ferrari333SP]

.

[NaBUru38]

Let's not forget that Fox Sports has been covering the Dakar for Latin America since the race is held here. They are one of the leading sports channels (next to ESPN), they show UEFA CL and EL, Copa Libertadores and Sudamericana, several English Premier League matches, Fifa Club World Cup, Formula 1, GP2 and World Rally Championship.

They are giving massive coverage, with 60min shows in prime time during the two weeks, interviewing leaders, Latin American drivers/riders and the rest of the field from all four car types. The journalist team is the same as in F1 / GP2 / WRC, it's not brilliant as ESPN IndyCar's Andrés Agulla and Alex Pombo but they are fairly proficient.

[Paradise City]

Why do they still call it the Dakar if its away in South America? I doubt they'll ever be back in Africa what with unrest there.

[FIRE]

Because Dakar is a well known "brand".

[Ferrari333SP]

What Fire said; the name Dakar has transcended from just being a rally in Africa to something bigger, and that's why they can take the name to South America.

[FIRE]

I am sure there are plenty of people not knowing Dakar is the capital city of an African country.

[rich_cooper]

For me this isnt the same since moving from africa. I still watch on TV but it just doesnt feel the same

[NaBUru38]

Argentine motorbike rider Jorge Mart�*nez Boero got killed during the first stage.

[mickey29]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-16379068

First event, first and hopefully last Motorsport death of the year

[dank]

I see the BBC claim it was his first Dakar, when in actual fact he took part last year and retired during the sixth stage. Idiots.

That aside, sad way to start the year and, like many have said, hopefully it'll be the last bit of bad news in 2012.

Edit: and now they've changed it since I contacted them...

[FIRE]

RIP

[Paradise City]

Originally Posted by rich_cooper

For me this isnt the same since moving from africa. I still watch on TV but it just doesnt feel the same

Same. I don't mind a hiatus of a couple of years in South America but going to South America indefinitely and calling it Dakar takes a bit of neck. The more the organisers strain themselves with their Dakar 2.0 marketing talk trying to convince the less impressed I become. They are rallying away in Morocco so there's no reason known to me that they can't go back to East Africa at least.

I do think the landscape is awe inspiring out there but Carlton Kirby is already driving me slightly nuts.

[Paradise City]

Originally Posted by mickey29

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-16379068

First event, first and hopefully last Motorsport death of the year

Terrible tragedy.

[NaBUru38]

I like keeping the word Dakar.

We are used to endurance races on public roads. Argentina had the Gran premio Argentino, held over about two weeks with 800km timed stages and no assistance (cars had to be repaired on the road). In the sixtes, Swedish female drivers Ewy Rosqvist and Ursula Wirth won the race for the Mercedes works team. Here in Uruguay, we had the 19 Capitales with a similar format, although on a shorter course (we are tiny!) Mexico of course had the Carrera Panamericana.

[kurski]

Krzysztof Holowczyc took the lead of the Dakar Rally.

1. Krzysztof Holowczyc (Mini), 05:51:06
2. Robby Gordon (Hummer), 05:52:00
3. Giniel de Villiers (Toyota), 05:52:46
4. Nani Roma (Mini), 05:52:56
5. Stephane Peterhansel (Mini), 05:53:47
6. Nasser Al Attiyah (Hummer), 05:57:40
7. Leonid Novitskiy (Mini), 06:05:59
8. Lucio Alvarez (Toyota), 06:11:45
9. Carlos Sousa (Great Wall-BMW), 06:12:52
10. Erik Wevers (Mitsubischi), 06:17:12

Other notable:
24. Orlando Terranova (Toyota), 07:19:44
40. Norberto Fontana (Volkswagen), 08:12:48
51. Adam Malysz (Mitsubischi), 008:44:25
104. Tom Coronel (Mcrae Proto), 012:56:28
110. Alister Mcrae (Mcrae Proto), 015:48:41
116. Jurgen van den Goorbergh (GoKoBra), 018:18:28

Citroen returns to Dakar Rally?

[kober]

Originally Posted by kurski

Krzysztof Holowczyc took the lead of the Dakar Rally.

Great to see him at the front. If you've never heard about Holowczyc, he's three times Polish Rally Champion, 1997 European Rally Champion, finished top ten in WRC rallies thrice, won Silk Way Rally last year, and has been starting in the Dakar since 2005 - fifth in '09 (Overdrive's Navara), fifth in '11 (X-raid's X3). He might not have the experience of Peterhansel, but he's quick enough to actually win it. Either this year or never

[Paradise City]

Interesting to see Robby Gordon in with a shout. It'd be quite an achievement for him to win one of the worlds most toughest and famous rallies. Of course there's the classic Gordon lousy luck that he'll have to overcome.

[FIRE]

Without major improvements Gordon or his teammates will never win the Dakar.
It's a fast car but way to much technical problems.

Originally Posted by kurski

Krzysztof Holowczyc took the lead of the Dakar Rally.

Citroen returns to Dakar Rally?

It's Tim Coronel, not Tom.


Todays stage is canceled due to snow.