Dakar Rally, Jan 2nd - 15th, 2021 **SPOILERS!!**

[SFMCjohn]

well, we’ll see ... sounds as if the rally is on, for now.

2021 Dakar route announced featuring 12 stages in Saudi Arabia
nbcsports.com, 11/25/2020

With a time of 40 hours, two minutes and 36 seconds, American rider Ricky Brabec won last year’s bike division over Chile’s Pablo Quintanilla. “My first experience was huge,” Brabec said. “It was like the desert back home! It’s insane. Rocky terrain, dry riverbeds and open deserts are what I love, so I hope we’ll be visiting them again.”

see if Mr Brabec and Honda can repeat, or if KTM can get some payback this time ...?

[SFMCjohn]

youtu.be/0J4NZDygAys



youtu.be/cGytgLkmwW4

[budman]

Looking forward to it.. kicks off the 2021 Race season the right way.

One Stage is over 500 miles...

Go Ricky!
I think Shorty will be hitting his stride and may surprise too.

[SFMCjohn]

Originally Posted by budman

Looking forward to it.. kicks off the 2021 Race season the right way.

One Stage is over 500 miles...

Go Ricky!
I think Shorty will be hitting his stride and may surprise too.

if the rally goes, I’ll be able to root for Mr Brabec and KTM and be covered either way, probably ...

although Mr Short on a Yamaha would be super-awesome ...

will add a **spoiler** alert on 01/01/2021 ...

[budman]

You think it might be cancelled??

[SFMCjohn]

Originally Posted by budman

You think it might be cancelled??

the French managed to get my Vendée Globe non-stop solo circumnavigation sailboat race off this November, but it was touch and go for a bit, with the entire race fleet in social-distance lockdown a week before the start.

If anyone can pull off a Covid-era 2021 Dakar Rally a month from now, it’s the French folks, god bless them ...

anyway, we’ll see ...

[SFMCjohn]

for those of us who like to root for the factories:



December 1st and 2nd Scruteneering and Shiping from Marseille, underway, today:



so, progress! race vehicles may be mostly scrutineered and on their way to SA in a day or so.

go KTM! kind of excited about YAMAHA, too ...

[budman]

Originally Posted by SFMCjohn

for those of us who like to root for the factories:

<snip>

go KTM! kind of excited about YAMAHA, too ...

Anyone but Marques KTM!

I like KTM but man they need to share the love.

I am all about the

[SFMCjohn]

Originally Posted by budman

Anyone but Marques KTM!

I like KTM but man they need to share the love.

I am all about the

go Mr Short! pretty sure he’s on a YAMAHA ... be fun to see if Mr Brabec and HONDA can repeat with just five bikes.

notice that between KTM and Husqvarna it’s basically 80% “ready-to-race” bikes engineered in Austria. would say that’s the kind of factory commitment needed to win DAKAR eighteen times in a row.

how can we not love KTM, between Moto3, MotoGP and Dakar and all the way back to Penton, ftw.

reading 40% of the racers are from France and Spain this year.

[budman]

Agree 100% and I do love what KTM has done.

Almost to the point of buying one at this point.
Ain't no Duc in Dakar...

[budman]

Daniel Sanders Style

[SFMCjohn]

Originally Posted by budman

Daniel Sanders Style

awesome!

"$55,995 for the ultimate adventure bike"



"The rear self-supporting fuel tanks double as the sub-frame. Combined with the main tank the fuel capacity is a huge 8.7 gallons."
307 lb claimed dry weight.

[budman]

Who is going to compete for the overall win... one of these guys will.


youtu.be/jKS4aDv2vcs

[WoodsChick]

I’ll be rooting for #44 on her GasGas

On a completely unrelated note, BARF does not have a checkered flag smilie

[budman]

Yeah



Our smilie Mod left... I need a new one.