Motorcycle Nation Podcast » Seel

Bad News Before Stage 8

Steve — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 18:01:55 +0000

Talk about bad decisions. Spain’s Mark Coma has consistently found himself at the top of the overall standings throughout the first half of the Dakar Rally making it to the rest day in second overall with two stage wins under his belt. On rest day, he was handed a very harsh penalty of 6 hours for accepting help during a non race portion of a stage. Coma had a new tire installed prior to Stage 7 which is viewed as a major advantage. After the penalty was handed down, Coma was said to be considering withdrawing from the rally.

But, as the riders began Stage 8, Coma was lined up and ready to go. He must have taken some aggression out as he finished the stage 42″ behind Chile’s Lopez Contardo to place second for the stage. Overall rally leader Cyril Despres finished 6′01 behind Coma in fifth position. Amazingly, Coma’s finish brought him five spots up the overall leaderboard to nineteenth.

Jonah Street completed the stage in thirteenth position holding on to seventh overall. Ludovic Boinnard hangs out in forty-fifth overall as he continues to plug along. The ladies remain in the rally. Meier is in 89th position, Giannetti in sixty-eighth, and Seel in fiftieth overall. Stage 9 is under way as I finish this post up and you will see it either tonight to tomorrow. Stick around as competition heats up on the race back to Buenos Aires!

Stage 7 – Cruisin’ the Coast

Steve — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 00:49:17 +0000

Stage 7 set up a long run down the coast of Chile that will end closer to Santiago but today took the participants from Iquique back to Antofagasta. It was another stellar run by Spaniard Mark Coma who led the bike class out of Iquique but found himself dropped to as low as twentieth position. At km 355 he had fought back to fourth position, km 448 found him in second, and he was back in the lead by km 509 ending the stage in second position 29 seconds behind stage winner Cyril Despres.
Frenchman David Fretigne spent some time at the front of this stage as well and has been riding strong since Stage 3 where he found himself in twentieth position. He completed Stage 7 in the seventh overall position. Jonah Street, riding for the Stars and Stripes, completed the stage in sixteenth position 42′06 off pace which leaves him in the top ten overall at number eight. Fellow rider Boinnard remains towards the middle of the pack reeling off forty-fifth position.

Annie Seel completed the stage in sixty third position which places her in the forty-third position overall. The other lady riders, Giannetti (70th overall) and Meier (89th overall) are well out of contention but must be commended on their riding ability and stamina. As of this writing, only 90 bikes have checked in which means the class has lost sixty bikes since leaving Buenos Aires. Anyone still riding must be considered tough.

Stage 8 will commence on Sunday with a run from Antofagast to Copiapo. Tomorrow will be a welcomed rest day for the riders and their equipment as well. We will check back in with the rally Sunday afternoon. See you all back here.

(Picture of Cyril Despres used under Creative Commons from Flikr)

Stage 6 – Where Am I?

Steve — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:07:55 +0000

It was a game of follow the leader in Stage 6 and unfortunately it was along the wrong path. Chilean Lopez Contardo, who started off the stage this morning for the bikes, veered off course around km 23 and many followed him including Spanish KTM rider Mark Coma. Not a good way to start the day. Coma put on a great show for the rest of the stage and was able to pull off the stage win with some quick, aggressive riding. The overall standings find Cyril Despres in first followed by Contardo. Coma’s save places him in fourth. The USA’s Jonah Street continues to put on an impressive showing in seventh position.

Stage 6 was not without spills as Portugese rider Paulo Goncalves suffered a broken collar bone in a crash at km 195 on the special. Goncalves left Antofagasta as sixth rider. Only 106 motorcycles started the stage this morning, down fifty-four from the original rally start. Injuries and mechanical problems are taking their toll.

We will check back in with the ladies and our other remaining US rider Boinnard during Stage 7.

Da-what? Dakar

Steve — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 16:51:47 +0000

2010 kicks off with various rides all over the US with names like Hangover Rally and Frozen Bun Runs to name a few. But the biggest news in motorcycling to kick off the new year comes from Buenos Aires, Argentina as the 2010 Dakar rally kicks off. The Dakar Rally, seventeen days of the most rigorous off road motor racing, started today and will bring those lucky enough to finish the grueling race right back to Buenos Aires for the podium on January 17. Entrants race either motorcycles, quads, cars, or trucks. Merely saying trucks does not do justice to the monsters that tackle this course. Check out this so called truck.

But, we are here because we are enthusiasts of the two wheel kind, so our focus will be on the motorcycles. In the motorcycle class there are 34 countries and 12 different manufacturers represented. I plan on following the rally and will watch the leader board with my main focus on the American riders.

As I write this, Stage 1 shows that Frenchman David Casteu lead his fellow countryman Cyril Despres by 3 seconds at the end of the stage. Casteu finished the stage in 1h50′42″ over the 219 km sand and gravel covered terrain. American rider Jonah Street leads the home boys finishing the stage in 14th position. Fellow Americans Ludovic Boinnard pulled in 29th, 12′04″ behind the leader and Dirk Kessler completes 58′57″ behind the leader earning him the 139th position.

I am impressed that, in what may just be the most rigorous, physically taxing motorcycle races in the world, there are at least three female entrants in the bike class. Well, I think there are three. I don’t proclaim to be an expert on foreign female names so when I read through the entrants I leaned the way of a male when faced with one that could possibly go either way. Swede Annie Seel leads the ladies across the line in 45th position, 18′35″ behind Casteu.

Stage 2 will run on Sunday taking the participants from Cordoba to La Rioja. The terrain of the stage will change slightly while covering 294 km. We will be back with you tomorrow to check in on the Americans.

Ride Safe