Jan 6th Dakar Rally Stage 4 Race Chat.

Join us for the Dakar Rally's fourth day on Jan 6, 2009 , right here and chat about the action during the 4th stage.Robby sits in 9th overall,only 34 minutes from the lead.

Stage 4 - Tuesday, January 6
Jacobacci > Neuquen
Connection: 4 km | Special: 459 km | Connection: 25 km | Total: 488 km
At the start of this stage, the rocky passageways will make heavy demands on the arms of motorcyclists, while those who are accustomed to “wadis” will be obliged to negotiate the Argentinian “rios” with the same careful attention. Next, the first sandy portions and the long kilometers of off-road will thrill those who love driving them. Careful now! Mistakes can begin to be costly: the stage toward Neuquen has all the ingredients of a trap. By taking on more or less of a lead, the favorites can begin to show themselves and provide indications of a ranking that just might last.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by bighead on January 5, 2009 at 1:30pm

ITS TIME TO GEAUX. Looks like some really fast track in this stage and the wadi could trap some of the leaders.......

Permalink Reply by Kevin Meyer on January 5, 2009 at 4:06pm

Its about time this field runs into sand and do some offroading. Could work in robs favor!

Permalink Reply by FlyHiFlyLo on January 5, 2009 at 4:52pm

last 100 KMs is the recipe we are looking for.

Permalink Reply by FlyHiFlyLo on January 5, 2009 at 4:55pm

Should see one of the top 10 out after this.

Permalink Reply by alan4s on January 5, 2009 at 4:55pm

Robby just needs to keep the leaders in sight the first 350km or so, so he can take advantage of them in the good stuff at the end.

Permalink Reply by MikeNIN7 on January 5, 2009 at 6:35pm

Is it starting at 7:30 - 8:00am ETS tomorrow?

Permalink Reply by Mario on January 5, 2009 at 6:41pm

Right now it appears to be starting around 6:08am EST (8:08am local) according to the Dakar website. But as we have seen the past couple of days, they have started the cars around 20 to 30 minutes later than originally listed.

Permalink Reply by zoomsss on January 5, 2009 at 8:25pm

This might be at the request of some of the car's drivers that were overtaking the bikes so fast at that start and wanting to be able to run more open than being conservative not being able to see the bike riders.

They showed a brief shot of the silt that Ramses described on Stage 2, unreal!!! Like seeing a vehicle belly-dive into a pool of powdered sand.

Had no idea what 'wadis' were, did a quick search, dry riverbed, but in this case, maybe wet riverbed as they had already changed one course because of mud and recent rains.

I love following this from a distance, Robby and the gang have just got to be enjoying the crap out of all this new territory to run on, can't wait til they get to the Andes.

Permalink Reply by IndyTim on January 5, 2009 at 7:41pm

Make fun of me....but please at least answer....

Why is the last 100km going to be good for Robby? (new to the off-road stuff)

Permalink Reply by alan4s on January 5, 2009 at 7:59pm

The Hummer is much better suited to the "wadis" and the offroad segments. Wadis, in this context, if I have it right, are a series of small undulating hills and valley's - the greater suspension travel of the Hummer lets it go faster than the 4x4 cars of VW, Mitsu, and BMW that have a much shorter suspension.

Permalink Reply by FlyHiFlyLo on January 5, 2009 at 9:13pm

Yes, this is where the the little wind up cars get bucked off the podium.

Permalink Reply by IndyTim on January 6, 2009 at 7:52am

Alan/Fly....thanks