2007 Dakar Daily by Scott Cox dakar@resmarket.com
Monday January 15, 2007

Stage 9 - Monday 1/15/07
Tichit - Nema
4 km liason - 542 km special - 34km liason - 580 km TOTAL DISTANCE

Stage 9 according to www.dakar.com -- Searching for the route
"This big chunk of desert may seen hard to swallow. Here we are on one of the great classics of the Dakar, revisited and improved for the occasion. Landmarks are extremely few and far between - the finest navigators are going to have their say. For the less inspired, Plan B involves picking the right tyre-tracks to follow. Reaching Nema in daylight is a victory in itself, for after nightfall, everything seems to take twice as long."

IN HIS OWN WORDS: Chris Blais via satellite phone from Monday's Stage 9 bivouac in Nema, Mauritania. Still on the gas after many days of punishment, he finished 6th today and is now 4th overall.
Photo J. Van Oers.

"After 9 stages I'm still here, I still feel pretty good, and I have to agree that as the promoters advertised things have gotten serious. Yesterday (stage #8) was definitely the longest and most difficult day so far. Very early yesterday I got stuck 3-times and really found it tough to dig myself out. By kilometer 30 I thought I'd used up everything I had but somehow I got my act together and pushed on. Those sand dunes were really kicking my ass but even in spite of losing a little time it still turned out to be a pretty good day for me.

"Fortunately I haven't had to suffer like many of the other guys have. Marc Coma (Respol KTM #1) went down in the rocks hard and banged himself up and that was true for some of the other fast guys, too. There have been a lot of mechanical breakdowns and each day more riders are forced to drop out. Today Cyril Despres (Gauloises KTM #2) crashed and had trouble with his navigation gear from the start.

NOTE: As it turns out, Despres had to navigate manually scrolling his roadbook throughout today's special test section. Here's how Despres described it:
"Yesterday (Sunday) during the assistance evening, I must have lost my mechanical skills. This morning (Monday) at the start of the special stage, there was a wire loose in the road book. I had to scroll through it manually all day. It’s as if I had to twist candy-frost on a stick for 7 hours straight at a fun fair. So I had to pay even closer attention. Additionally, being physically tired, I had to be extra focused!

Blais: "Today (Monday, 1/15/07) was a good day. I rode better than yesterday but I crashed like an idiot when reaching to get a drink of water. I should have been paying better attention but I'm Ok -- a little sore now, sitting here talking to you on the phone, but when I'm on the bike and racing I don't have any problems. Matt (Spencer) has been doing an awesome job on my bike and equipment and the Doc (Dr. Johnathan Edwards) is all over the place making sure that I'm taken care of and ready to go for the next stage. We really have a great team.


An old friend checks in:
Andy Grider, 2006 Red Bull KTM U.S. Dakar team veteran
2007 navigator for #320 Robby Gordon Hummer

This year Andy Grider has traded his KTM in for a shotgun ride in Robby Gordon's #320 Hummer. Andy's ride was cut short last year after a fantastic early stage performances when he crashed out in Morocco.

"It's been a lot of fun this year," said Andy. "A lot different riding in a car (the Hummer) a lot less taxing than piloting a motorcycle. I have gotten to know Robby (Gordon) and find him to be a very likable guy. Not at all what you sometimes read about in the press. Ours is a team of Dakar rookies, other than Robby and one of the other guys, but so far we are doing pretty well."

"Overall our Hummer has been a very good vehicle. We could use a little more top end (175 kilometers per hour max versus 190 kph for the Misubishis and 215 khp for the Jean-Marie Schlesser car) but it really does a great job in the technical stuff and Robby is a fantastic driver.
Yeah, we can just all get along.

Love in the dunes

When I spoke with Chris and Andy this morning...They both made a point about how much the teams, riders and drivers do in fact get along and support each other. Imagine, Americans reporting from abroad with good news about their own international relations.

Chris Blais: "I hang out with the other the other riders and teams including the Respol (Coma) and Gauloises (Despres) teams. And we get along, no problem. I haven't experienced any negativity."

Andy Grider: "I want people to know how much the Dakar is like good old fashioned off-road racing bacl home. Regardless of who you are or who you ride or drive for, we're all in this together and every day our fellow competitors look in on us to see if we're Ok, and to ask if they can help us. The VW team is huge here - the main show - and each night they check up on us. It's great."
LOOKING BACK: Saturday 1/13/07 was a rest day - a welcome opportunity to repair, relax and get ready for Stage 8. Hoping that Chris, Doc and the rest of our compatriots would just like to kick it for a few hours I didn't make any calls over there and harrass them for the latest poop. - SC

Stage 8 - Sunday 1/14/07
Atar - Tichit
35 km liason - 589 km special - 2km liason - 626 km TOTAL DISTANCE
stage 8 - Sunday 14 January 2007 | Atar - Tichit

Stage 8 according to www.dakar.com -- En route for the oasis
"This special has several facets. The course is quite well-marked, with stony tracks at the beginning of the course; then the enthusiasts will be entitled to a dose of sand in the middle of their day. Patience will be the drivers' best ally for finding the oasis: the final track has no hidden traps, just so long as you keep your eyes peeled. The panorama that awaits the competitors is more than worth it. Backup vehicles are not allowed in Tichit."

CHASING DAKAR: GET THE BOOK!
What's it take to do the Dakar? Find out on the pages of CHASING DAKAR, the handbook that gives you an inside line on adventure and rally racing written by guys who've been there: Dr. Johnathan Edwards M.D., with multi-time Dakar and Baja veteran Scot Harden
www.ChasingDakar.com

Add these websites to your Dakar reading list:
www.resmarket.com/dakar Daily Dakar report archive
www.dakar.com official website for the 2007 Euromilhoes Dakar Rally
www.blaisracing.com Chris Blais' website

Header photo by J. Van Oers courtesy KTMimages.com

 

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Contact: Scott Cox dakar@resmarket.com