2013 Dakar Rally Prelude To Stage 1

We are now in the final days leading up until the start of the 2013 Dakar Rally here at PlanetRobby. This is the most anticipated rally in recent memory, with MANY subplots ( RG vs the mini's, the king of the energy drinks and the new "Nasser" buggy) and of course, the battle with Peterhensel. This is truly an US vs THEM battle for the ages. Those who have been here during the past Dakar Rallies, we plan on doing what we always have done: Making this a great 'getaway' and destination for all Robby Gordon and Dakar fans.

Looking at the Schedule, the scrutineering sets things in motion:

January 2,3 & 4th, 2013: The beaches of Lima

The site of the technical and administrative checks will be set up in the Magdalena District, where the South-American competitors will assemble on 2nd January in the afternoon. The “Dakar Village”, a meeting place for the competitors, the rally’s sponsors and the spectators, is next to the secure car park where the vehicles will be parked before the start.

Opening hours for the public:

01/02: 11am - 11p
01/03: 11am - 11pm
01/04: 10am - 4pm

5th January 2013: on stage in Chorrillos

Before setting off for the rally’s first special stage, the public will discover the 2013 Dakar’s competitors, on a podium set up on the beach in Chorrillos: the presentation will take place from 8am to 1.30pm.

Stage 1 runs from Lima to Pisco and has a VERY SHORT special section, only 13 km long.

We will have a thread for EACH stage of the rally, as well as the post race quotes, etc. Feel free to discuss your thoughts & predictions leading up to stage 1. Thanks for the support.

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Permalink Reply by geothermaljones on January 2, 2013 at 3:21pm

I bought one for my 45 mile commute... in a minivan

Permalink Reply by TOG on January 2, 2013 at 3:28pm

Soccer dad? :)

Permalink Reply by natron008 on December 30, 2012 at 10:50am

It appears that the gas is already on!!

Permalink Reply by George Ferrer on December 30, 2012 at 12:21pm

Looking forward to a win overall!! The governing body has me worried

Permalink Reply by WJM on December 30, 2012 at 1:04pm

Nah. The ASO is loving the hype. They are doing as much as they can to promote the good vs evil storyline because they know it's good for the show.

Permalink Reply by George pollock on December 30, 2012 at 1:51pm

The Nasser buggy looks to have better aero to me and Nasser says they are 500kg lighter then the Hummer.Is it the Buggy class VS the Open Class of the Hummer the reason of added weight.Does the Hummer have more performance options and is required to have a higher minimum weight.The Nasser Buggy was built by a Baja racer Damen Jefferies.It could be a good match for the Hummer in the desert.I'm a big supporter of Robby I wish him the best.If the Hummer and Jefferies dominate the open desert ,I hope the ASO is OK with it.In my search I found the Hummer is 4440lb and Jefferies Buggy 3300lb am I wrong?.Are they using the same motor.?

Permalink Reply by redlinetech on December 30, 2012 at 2:16pm

I doubt that buggy is 1000 lbs lighter. They use pretty much the same drivetrain as the Hummer, Corvette LS6 with 6 Speed Albins transaxle. Maybe a Desert Tech can chime in here to explain where the weight savings are?

Permalink Reply by WJM on December 30, 2012 at 2:31pm

Nasser's buggy with those low-slung spares is a concern. It looks like they pissed away about 4" of ground clearance. They may wish they had that if they snag a rock and do a nice pirouette (is that where the aero comes in?) or grind to a halt cresting a dune.

Jean-Louis Schlesser built the standard for a Dakar Rally-type 2WD buggy 20 years ago - a design that remains little changed and still wins today.

Permalink Reply by ivanspeed on December 30, 2012 at 2:37pm

From the Dakar.com competitor bios -

Al-attiyah "The idea to start my own team came to me just after the Qatar Baja. I wanted to use my experience with the Hummer. I didn't want to return with a traditional car. So, I began to look around. Thanks to the internet I came across Demon Jefferies' company based in the United States. I needed a small company that would accept all my desires. A larger outfit wouldn't be able to offer me what I was looking for. In June, I went with my own engineer to meet Demon and he knew exactly the buggy I wanted. I followed its construction by video conference on the internet. And then Red Bull wanted to be part of the project and so we then built a second car for Carlos (Sainz). We had a chance to test the buggies together and it went very well. I was very pleasantly surprised by our speed. For the 2013 Dakar, we have a small team and everything is new to us. Ours is a three-year project. For this first year, we have to be intelligent and make sure both cars finish. I hope I will be able to win a stage and we'll have to see about the general classification. In any case, I have a feeling this buggy is better than the Hummer. It is 500 kilograms lighter with a superior potential.”

I wonder if the "Demon" Jefferies will prove to be accurate.

Permalink Reply by WJM on December 30, 2012 at 2:57pm

1100 lbs lighter than the Hummer? Certainly Qatar has the coin to do a titanium and CF build if Nasser wanted it.

Nasser's buggy may be fast, but will it last? I don't think so. I predict one of them will be out before rest day.

Permalink Reply by Kathy Kubara on December 31, 2012 at 12:23pm

I'd love to see him teetering atop a dune.

Permalink Reply by GTX - HEMI on January 2, 2013 at 7:21pm

Kathy........like your YACHT where is it tied up?

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