Mountains of Mountains down here that help too :)

Andy Caldecot :(

Yep....very sad. RIP. Massive neck trauma....died instantly.

Obviously the speed limits introduced after Meoni and that Spanish dude died last year can only do so much.

Hasn;t there been something like 23 deaths in 28 years?? Crikey.

Must've been pressing real hard to try to make up some of the 2hour penalty he received the other day.

I see one of the trucks copped 10 hours for missing all checkpoints the other day. Obviously the satnav got a bit of sand in it, or the crew were sampling some of Marrakech's finest the night before....

speed limit - what is it exactly? They said he was doing probably 150 km/h at the time.

Changes for 2006 Dakar....

The rule changes, however, are all part of a wider picture. The Dakar had lost its appeal to its hardened competitors - the amateurs - in recent years due to the fact that stages were extended in order to challenge the technologically advanced factory teams.

The event was no longer a challenge of endurance, navigation and survivability but a sprint race for the major manufacturers: Mitsubishi, Volkswagen, Nissan and the KTM armada.

So severe were the stages on the previous two editions that almost 50% of the amateurs had been forced to abandon by the rest day, forcing organisers to take action. "The Dakar is not a speed race," ASO said in a statement.

To counteract the expanding gulf between the amateurs and the factory teams, the ever-increasing speeds and to improve safety in the wake of the deaths of Fabrizio Meoni and Richard Sainct, drastic measures have been taken.

GPS OUT - ROAD BOOK IN

The Dakar will return to its roots this year thanks re-introduction of the road book. No longer will competitors be able to rely on the Global Positions Systems and the STE Corridor that kept them safely on the right road.

Therefore the true navigators will shine as checkpoints will only be found by those taking the right track, and once within a radius of three kilometres, the GPS system will confirm its presence. Average speed should therefore be reduced.

For those getting lost, a de-blocking code can be entered to show the way back onto the track, incurring a penalty. Abusive use of this code will bring about sanctions that can go as far as exclusion from the race.

A speed limit of 50kph will be applied to all vehicles entering any settlement, while all vehicle will be fitted with the IriTrack technology, which shows the position of a vehi¬cle to be tracked over the race course.

MOTO - 150KPH SPEED LIMIT

The deaths of Fabrizio Meoni and Richard Sainct have forced the organisers to introduce a speed limit of 150kph for the Moto category. Also, fuel range has been reduced from 350km to 250km while neck supports will be mandatory for all riders.

In addition, mechanics may no longer bypass certain sections of the course by flying from point to point and mustcope with the same conditions as the riders themselves.

Also, to enable the moto amateurs to finish the stages earlier, a reverse departure rule has been implemented. Overall classification leaders will therefore leave last, enabling amateurs to "make tracks".

AUTO - TWO-WHEEL CARS ADVANTAGED

Two-wheel drive cars will be allowed to introduce the automatic deflation/inflation systems that were outlawed last year, while the automated air admission systems have now been made fixed.

Also, cars will be restricted to a pre-determined top speed in certain sections of the rally, which will be monitored by the GPS system. Severe penalties will be handed out for any competitor caught speeding.

Found a natty little site with interesting tidbits and facts, like "Mosquitoes have 47 teeth" at www.hiljaiset.sci.fi/faf/ If you're into that sort thing.

How about a warning about the scantily-clad 3-wheelers on the homepage for those of us at work**********

(ed makes mental note to come in early tomorrow to get a "head-start" on the day....)

:D

I would have thought that it would have been patently obvious. I'll try harder next time.

I do seem to recall having done that once before. Recently....

I did a guided 10 day ride thru morocco in 2000, sitting at 130KM in the desert is a scary proposition, never mind close to 200KM! :eek:

Sad day indeed, seems like almost every year now :(

That would've been awesome. Are you watching Ewan McGregor on Foxtel ride from London to New York??

damn Foxtel !! don't have it... read the book though, an amazing effort to get across.

that link's not working.

how can I find it from here?http://www.dailypeloton.com/default.asp

Bummer....it's a great ad for BMW, can't believe KTM said no to supplying the bikes.

It's mandatory viewing at my place...along with:

-Entourage
-Deadwood (2004-2005)
-Chappelle's Show

Anything else, the missus can take over....

Did you lot see they buggered up the Hobart Wheelrace and ran it over 5 laps, instead of the four laps it was supposed to be run over.

Can't they count in Tassie? I rode the carnivals one year, I reckon it happened at least once a day. A mate of mine rode there this year and was *****ing about it, along with the fact that the heats get changed around on the start line to suit the scratchmen and the Tasmanians always get the close decisions!

mmm, let's see, HobartDave, how many stars do you see ?

****

:)

That really sucks, 5 versus 4 is a BIG mistake.

Geez....I hope Dave wasn't on the lap counter! He'd be related to whoever was though

Dopey peanuts.


I hear what you're saying about the heats being changed to help the backmarkers.....they were doing that 10 years ago!!!

I was at Launceston one year and for some reason Gilmore was home for Xmas and came out to the centre wth Matty Allan tagging along....bugger me, it was like Tiger Woods walking into your local Drummond Golf.

Anything excitin happen in the 20/20 last night Expat? :D

Ummm... Errr.... ah, fore :p

Huh?

Yeah right. You can't hide behind the yank veil forever. Just come out and admit that you're an armchair cricket expert

Shhh.

I was at the games last night bl00dy excellent game!!