Not Dakar, but getting there.

[JayBoRover]

A bit bored tonight and stumbled across the photo's I got while competing in the 2012 Australasian Safari. Thought it might be nice to share them as we lead up to the Dakar Rally about 28 days away.
The Prologue just outside of Geraldton:


A relatively typical stage start:


Clearing firebreak boundary??:



Can get a bit dusty out there with no air-con!:


It's all about gassing it for the photographers:



But sometimes you just have to take a nano-second to check out the outback beauty:



Let me know if you want to see more.
Ciao
John B

[uninformed]

awesome, having never riden a moto I can only imagine how hard that is. what % are you seated/standing?

some of the footage I have seen of dakar it looks as if they stand 98% of the time? must be fit

[Landy Smurf]

of course we want to see more. I love the dakar but do they still show it on tv or do they just do the 30 min highlight stuff.
I would love to have ago on one of those bikes and even more those races

[Landy Smurf]

20k entry plus getting there and bike etc that is a lot of money but i suppose if you are good you can get sponsors. i see there is a few aussies on the bikes next year

[JayBoRover]

20k entry plus getting there and bike etc that is a lot of money but i suppose if you are good you can get sponsors. i see there is a few aussies on the bikes next year

The entry fee, large as it is, is only a very small part of the cost of competing in the Dakar. By the time you add in the bike itself (I paid a whisker over $50k for my KTM 450 Rally), service crew and vehicle, airfares, accommodation, freight (either direct from here to the start or from here to France to pick up the ASO "free" boat) and all the small miscellaneous costs it pretty much gets to about $85k is a bottom dollar effort. My budget (planning for 2014 as work got in the way for 2013) is based on $150k including the bike. Sponsors are really a necessity, not a luxury.

SBS do the 30 minute highlights package each day. Surprisingly, the rest of the world is generally pretty jealous of the coverage we get. Only the "traditional" Dakar Rally countries like France and Spain get a fair chunk. The USA gets almost nothing.

awesome, having never riden a moto I can only imagine how hard that is. what % are you seated/standing?

some of the footage I have seen of dakar it looks as if they stand 98% of the time? must be fit

I reckon I'm standing about 95% of the time. You really only sit for the tight corners and maybe the odd rest on a smooth bit. Of course, that's only in the "Selective Sections" (competitive stages). There are also many "Road Stages" (or Liaisons in Dakar speak) where you can rest easy - if you have a comfy seat! I find the cycling I do helps hugely, both with cardio fitness, the mental strength and the leg strength. Unfortunately my upper body is nowhere near strong enough to be Dakar ready - something for me to work on over the next year.

More Photo's soon (probably tomorrow evening).
Ciao
John B

[uninformed]

since working out in a gym can be boring, and you seem the type to want to actually do something when exercising, If you are near some water you should have a go at Stand Up Paddling. It can be great excercise both strength, core and fitness.

My hats off to you for doing something that really is Tough!

[JayBoRover]

since working out in a gym can be boring, and you seem the type to want to actually do something when exercising, If you are near some water you should have a go at Stand Up Paddling. It can be great excercise both strength, core and fitness.

My hats off to you for doing something that really is Tough!

Unfortunately, water and I don't get along very well. Even less so since I almost destroyed my left shoulder with a posterior dislocation and resultant 7/8'th tear of the rotator cuff. Even my swimming pool has been allowed to degrade to a green and lumpy frog condo.

I do however have a Concept 2D rower, and that is brilliant workout for core and upper body to complement the leg work my cycling gives me. I just need to knuckle down and do it regularly. I used to play a lot of squash which is something I could get back into to limber up a little.

Anyway, some more happy snaps from the 2012 torture session:
They threw a bit of sand into this years Safari:






Sure do stand while riding a lot!:






All that effort to get to the finish arch:


Of course, it would be faaar more difficult without a few sponsors along the way:
"Tyres for Bikes" in Victoria Park -


"Causeway KTM & Ducati" also in Victoria Park -


and of course my company "MO Consultants" for all your specialist Project Management and Commissioning Management needs in the process control space -


and finally the mighty D90 did stirling service as the trailer tower, my accommodation and service crew chase truck:


There's a bunch of awesome generic photo's around here too somewhere. I'll dig them out and post a few of them up. Some awesome car ones that also really show some of the terrain the course went through this time. It was a tough event this year, with a pretty high attrition rate.

Ciao for now.

[MacMan]

I'll dig up some of mine from this year John too. Got some good ones of you.

[powerband]

4137449551949916312.jpg

[Yorkie]

great pics and excellent effort if you get to dakar, i would love a crack at one of those trucks.
there some aussies doing well in the cars and bikes, good to see in with the euro teams.
will look out for you in the 2014 event, all the best.