Archive for Dakar
Frenchman Guerlain Chicherit had an accident behind the wheel of his Monster Energy All4racing Mini Countryman during a test drive he took on the rest day in Arica. The X-Raid Team driver suffers from a head trauma, which – fortunately – did not need for him to be taken to the Arica hospital; Chicherit was just kept under observation in the medical antenna of the rally organization on Saturday evening. As for the Mini Countryman, seriously damaged, it will not be able to get back in the race. ‘Guerlain is not seriously injured’, says Sven Quandt, the X-Raid Team Manager reassuringly, ‘but the car somersaulted once or twice. We don’t have time to repair and anyway we don’t have all the parts we need.’
View the destroyed All4Racing Mini here at Puro Dakar
Baja 1000 winner and Dakar Rally Raid newbie Quinn Cody talks about stage 6 of the Dakar 2011 Rally in Chile.
Get your daily fix of rally Raid @ Puro Dakar with constant race updates, no B.S., unbiased race the deserts discussion forum and Live stream Read More→
After mechanical problems at the 238 km point on the day’s special, American Robby Gordon (Hummer) was able to resume racing, but lost more than 35 minutes at the roadside. Robby Gordon finished 47th in the stage after a delay for mechanical problems and fell to 21st overall, more than one hour behind the front-runners. Also bad luck for the other US American Mark Miller which rolled his VW race Touareg. O-tone Mark Miller tweet” “More rain and today it caught me out and I had a big crash, but we continued and VW team fixin car for tomorrow! Great team” Driver interviews, stage summary news bulletins, Dakar Google map and more at Puro Dakar covering the #Dakar2011 Read More→
Born in the scorching sands of Africa, motorsport’s ultimate endurance event will once again test the mettle of some of the world’s bravest drivers next month. Its late creator described it as “a challenge for those who go, a dream for those who stay behind” — and the Dakar Rally has lost none of its daring appeal since moving to South America three years ago. On Saturday, 430 vehicles cars, motorcycles, trucks and quad bikes — will line up on Buenos Aires’ Avenue of July 9 to begin a 15-day trek through the Andes mountains and Atacama desert into northern Chile, then back down into Argentina. The race has been contested since 1978, after Frenchman Thierry Sabine lost his way during the previous year’s Abidjan-Nice rally. Sabine was so captivated by his experience in the Libyan Desert that he sought to create an event where competitors could enjoy such a stunning setting, and the Paris-Dakar rally was born – a grueling 6,000-mile route from France to Senegal. Read More→
South African off-road racing legend and KTM ‘supremo’ Alfie Cox has once again set his sights on the world’s most famous off-road motorsport event … the Dakar rally. Alfie together with his good friend Juergen Schroeder will be racing a South African prepared Nissan Navara over the tortuous 9500km 13 stage course through South America. This is very much an international collaboration between South Africa based Alfie Cox Racing and German based PS Laser Racing who are the key sponsors. Not only will Alfie and Juergen be tackling the hardest rally in the world but they will also be challenging themselves to make a difference in their support of the Cipla Miles for Smiles Foundation. Through their efforts they hope to raise funds and awareness of under-privileged children afflicted with facial deformity. Joining them on this goodwill crusade will also be Iain Stevenson, a KwaZulu Natal based wireless communications entrepreneur who is meeting his ‘Everest’ as he tackles his first Dakar on a KTM motorbike supplied and prepared by Alfie. Read More→
When is a Hummer, not just a Hummer? When it’s tricked out for racing by NASCAR driver Robby Gordon’s crew. Robby Gordon heading to South America for the 2011 Dakar Rally. A TV interview with Robby Gordon prior to shipping out the Speed Energy Hummers for the Dakar Rally Raid. Team Dakar USA showed that they a serious contender in the Dakar and could compete with the best off-road teams in the world if there are no technical challenges. Also more VW Motorsports pre-race logistics. On December 10 Volkswagen Motorsport employees carefully monitored how three of the four 228 kW (310 hp) desert prototypes were loaded and securely lashed onto special open containers. Read More→
Without Aral and BP the Volkswagen train would not roll a single metre during the Dakar Rally. In January Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E), Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D), Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA) and Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZA/D) and their four new Race Touareg 3 rely on fuels supplied by the internationally active company, which numbers among the partners in Volkswagen’s “Dakar” program. The two Race Trucks also entered in the competition are supplied with the same fuel, while the remaining chase vehicles are supplied from public fuel stations along the route. Before Volkswagen fights again in 2011 for victory in the world’s toughest desert rally using Aral Ultimate Diesel fuel, the products start a long journey. The liquid energy is transported by sea to South America. “Since transport between Argentina and Chile is prohibited, every country is supplied by ship,” Read More→
Monster Energy and the BMW X-raid Team have joined forces to create the Monster Energy X-raid Team, which will tackle January’s 33rd Personal Dakar Argentina-Chile (2011 Dakar Rally) in South America. The Trebur-based operation will field seven cars in the world’s most famous off-road rally, with Monster Energy supporting three of the teams. Peterhansel is the most successful driver in the history of the Dakar Rally. He won the race six times on a motorcycle, before switching to racing on four-wheels in 1999. Partnered by Jean-Paul Cottret, Peterhansel claimed three victories in the Dakar on four wheels and finished fourth overall with the X-raid Team on the 2010 Dakar in South America – his first with the German team. Read More→
The 2011 Dakar Rally is scheduled for January 1st – 16th, our suggestion for transportation. We would like to recommend the 2011 Mercedes-Benz Unimog for your vehicle of choice. The Unimog is technically considered a commercial vehicle but anyone who has had the privilege of driving one knows they are unlike any commercial truck sold in The States. They are to the Europeans what a full size 4wd 1-ton truck is to Americans… except, they are bigger, stronger, and tougher in just about every way. They are built to climb 45 degree grades with a full load, cross rivers (they come from the factory with a snorkel kit), and are equipped with terrain adapting tire pressure regulators. The front and rear axles have a full 30 degrees of travel as well as torque interruption sensing automatic differential lockers to make sure all four wheels Read More→
