Dakar, the hard way

Dakar is certainly about multi million dollar corporate showcases but perhaps the true spirit of the raids of old are with privateers like rider Lyndon Poskitt.

I posted a picture of Lyndon in the previous Dakar article, quite by chance... we like KTMs and orange here at Axis,  I did not know his story until I  received an email from Jack McCormack alerting me to Poskitt's quest.   For the 2013 Dakar, Poskitt is riding a blue KTM 450RR.

So as you follow the race for the next two weeks, why not keep an eye out for Lyndon's updates on his BLOG  or twitter  or FB and maybe see the Dakar from a point of view different from that of the big wigs up front.



Axis riders might like a peak at how a bike might be prepared for the Dakar.  

Racing on the Moon, Chased by Helicopters

That what the Dakar seems like. The race ended today without surprises, VW dominated the car class for the 12th time in 13 tries.

Quatari prince Nasser Al-Attiyah finally defeated El Matador, Carlos Sainz who was faster but ran into trouble and ended up third, behind the other VW of South African De Villiers. The BMW X3 challenger finished 4th with Stephane Peterhansel ruing some navigation errors and technical issues but vowing to be back in 2012.

Aprilia's challenge to Red Bull KTM's domination went nowhere and the Russians won the truck class again.

No big surprises but check out some spectacular pictures after the jump

01. Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (QAT/GER Volkswagen) 45hr 04min 07sec
02. Giniel de Villiers/Dirk Von Zitzewitz (RSA/GER/Volkswagen) at 49:41
03. Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (ESP/Volkswagen) 1hr 20min 38sec
04. Stephane Peterhansel/Jean-Paul Cottret (FRA/BMW) 1h 43:48
05. Krzysztof Holowczyc/Jean-Marc Fortin (POL/BEL/BMW) 4h 11:21
06. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/RSA/Volkswagen) 4 h 54:40













(photos: ap, VW, forocoches.com)

El Matador Wins the Dakar!

"El Matador" Carlos Sainz finally added a Dakar win to his WRC championship today. Volkswagen sweeped the podium with Sainz ahead of UAE's Nasser Al-Attiyah and the USA's Mark Miller. VW main rival was BMW who would have been very close with Stephane Peterhansel but for his driveshaft failing and forcing the Frenchman to complete the stage, after a heroic repair, with just the front wheels driven.

The Bike race went to KTM's Cyril Despres ahead of Norwegian Pal Anders Ullevalseter (also KTM) and Chilean Francisco "Chaleco" Lopez Contardo (Aprilia).

Trucks were mostly a Russian affair with the win going to Vladimir Chagin (Kamaz), his ninth Dakar win. Two Argentinian brothers came in first and second in the quad category on Yamahas.








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Dakar 2010 Video Gallery

We'll leave it up to other sites to bring you the stunning pictures from this year's Dakar Rally (Don't miss Boston.com's Big picture, amazing stuff), we thought we would gather some video for you.

I have to say, after my initial skepticism over a Dakar run in South America, I am totally won over. The scenery in the high deserts of Chile and Argentina is breathtaking and the terrain as challenging as anything in Africa and with the added bonus of not having to deal with terrorists and kidnappers.

There are a few videos here and many more after the jump, enough to keep you busy for a while including recaps of the latest stage, have fun.

KTM xBow by Roberto Blank

Sebastian Vettel has a Crossbow.

Just in case being the youngest formula 1 winner, the youngest ever on pole, having most of the motoring press proclaim you heir to a seven time World Champion yet declining such silly comparisons all the while managing your own motorsports career at age 21....if all that was not cool enough, Sebastian Vettel arrived in Monza in his own KTM X-Bow!

Ultimate tracktard cool!
(photos: RedBulletin)

Not familiar with the X-bow? Imagine an Ariel Atom but with a Dallara designed carbon fiber chassis instead of two garden trestles welded together.





Vettel loves the Beatles and races with a saint's icon.
From Gazzetta Dello Sport by Marco Degl'Innocenti

It took 714 days for another German driver to win a GP after Michael Schumacher's retirement. And the morning after Sebastian Vettel's triumph at Monza Bild, the country's largest daily paper, opened with a front-page headline which left little room for doubt: "We have a new Schumi!". Meanwhile Sebastian himself has returned from Monza to Walchwil, a Swiss village of some 3000 inhabitants on Lake Zug near Zurich, where he lives in a small flat with his girlfriend Hanna.

PROTOTYPE - His voyage to Italy was made on board a showy single seat sports car, the Ktm X-Bow, perhaps the 21 year old's only extravagance. Today he set off once more for Jerez where he will be driving with Red Bull, for whom he is due to race next season. It will be hard for them to hold on to him afterwards though: Mercedes, BMW and Ferrari are already lining up to sign him.

BACKGROUND - Like Michael Schumacher, who was born at Kerpen, he is from a small provincial town in Germany: Heppenheim has only 25,000 inhabitants and is 60km south of Frankfurt. His father Norbert is a 40 year old carpenter specialising in interior furnishings, while his mother Heike is a housewife and mother to three other children: Stefanie (25), Melanie (23) and Fabian (9).

GO-KART - Norbert Vettel used to race for fun, and he gave his son his first kart when he was three years old. For serious go-karting there was only one track: the already famous Kerpen-Manheim, where the Schumacher brothers also began racing. And in 1994 it was Michael himself who awarded Sebastian a cup, albeit for second place, in his first real race. Sebastian was just seven years old. Since then, Schumi's poster has stayed fixed to his wall, and he has maintained a friendship with his idol: "I am honoured to know him, but enough with the comparisons!", repeats Sebastian.

PATRONS - On the track at Kerpen, Vettel also met Gerhard Noack, who had been Schumi's first mentor. He also took an interest in Vettel along with Norbert, who recalls: "The first season karting wasn't too expensive, it was about 7,000 marks in those days, but then I had to sell my racing car and stop competing myself in order to support Sebastian." The rest is history: his single-seater debut with Formula BMW and the patronage of Red Bull who now have him under contract.

SCHOOL - Vettel completed his secondary education at one of Germany's prestigious Gymnasium schools. His passions include the Beatles (he collects their work on original vinyl) and doing imitations of German celebrities: Beckenbauer is his speciality. He is also a fitness fanatic, as his friend physiotherapist and regular tennis partner Raniero Giannotti confirms. One of the driver's few real investments so far has been an €8,000 exercise bike for training at home. Sebastian is also superstitious: allegedly he crosses the street to avoid a black cat crossing his path. And when he races, he keeps a small talisman inside his right shoe: a medal of drivers' patron Saint Christopher, which his grandmother Margarete brought him from Lourdes. Currently including prize money he earns €1.5 million a year, which will increase substantially at Red Bull. Vettel has no manager, but Willi Weber, who created a genuine cash factory around Michael Schumacher, has declared his interest: "Seb is a nice boy, I'd enjoy working with him." Can he really be the new Schumi?

Schumacher is shopping.

"Grandpa" Michael is listening to Jean Todt and Jean Alesi's advice about as much as little brother Ralf listened to him about not racing in DTM.  Today and tomorrow herr Schumi will be taking part in another semi-pro motorcycle race on the Misano circuit.   This time he's riding a KTM SuperDuke as part of the Trofeo KTM, that manufacturer's racing league.   Recently Schumacher had raced in Hungary on a Honda and in Spain on a Triumph.  Perhaps he is shopping for a new bike and this is how seven time world champions do test rides? 

Schumacher, who landed yesterday in rainy Rimini with a private jet and drove to the circuit in style in a Maserati simply said:  "I'm here to have fun,  I today I will learn the track and the lines.  Tomorow hopefully the weather will improve and we can have even more fun."

Misano circuit promoters will undoubtedly be happy as this is likely to be the best attended amateur race ever!