anyone following the dakar? peterhansel is pushing his mini to the top again with al-ayittha running second in a custom buggy. robbie gordon is up and down in the hummer. nbc's coverage is superb. hopefully it's a portend of their f1 coverage.
Yeah, I follow that here in UK on Eurosport. We have 30mn live in the afternoon and 30 mn summary in the evening. The Dakar is different since it moved to South America. I like seeing new countries, new challenges and new sceneries, and the route is just as tough as the Sahara. So, the format is good. But it's the field that has changed, and there is less competition as before, I feel. This year, VW has withdrawn its team and the MINI (BMW in disguise) seem to be the only factory cars against mostly amateur teams and the buggys. It's less intense and more predictable than when Mitsubishi, Peugeot, BMW, Citroen, Porsche and al used to race. Honestly, I cannot see Robbie Gordon ever winning in his spectacular Hummer. It's in fact a 2-wheel dribe buggy with a fake Hummer plastic buggy. Gordon drives like a mad man, and often damages his mount. But he is alone in his effort and can never get the help of a team-mate offering him assistance when in trouble, as the factory teams do. They designate a leader and the other driver must assist him. This year, Gordon broke his gearbox on the first stage and got stuck because of it. A good effort, but unlikely to succeed. A favourite with the crowd though ... I follow the bikes, and there too, the competition is less. The organisers now limit the engine capacity to 450cc, and the bikes aren't so spectacular as when we had 600 or even 800cc proto bikes. I guess they had to do that because of casualties. The trucks are just as crazy as before. Big battle between the Russian KAMAZ and the Czech TATRA; a rivalry that has lasted the last ... 20 years!
gordon has been pushing hard. if he hadn't flipped and lost six hours i think he might have had a shot. i'm still hoping for the husqui's to do well but ktm dominates. the american rider has been doing well. happy to see al ayattah out. seems a bit of a cry baby. just a few more days left and peterhansel looks unbeatable.
Has anyone actually went down there to spectate? Or know anyone who has? I would love to go see it in person, But would be leery about safety. I'm sure it would cost a fortune to send a good truck down there to drive along the stages and view the checkpoints. But, I think it could a trip of a lifetime! Anyone else interested?