Motorsport News!
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Mikki Biasion n Markku Alen?Originally posted by EvilDead:you forgot about Biasion and Alen who are both competing in the Truck category driving Iveco's -
Yep them. The former works Lancia team-mates back in the 80's
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Bad news.....
Volkswagen has lost Juha Kankunnen, who crashed his car on its side on a dune. The back of the Race Touareg being extremely damaged, the Finn has decided to quit the race in Atar despite possibilities to repair. Now all he teams expectations lie on the shoulders of Jutta Kleinschmidt and everything will be done to help her remain on the podium of the car race until Dakar.
damn it Juha!!!!
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Sad news....
13:22 DAKAR OFFICIAL RELEASE
DEATH OF FABRIZIO MEONI
It is with huge sadness that the rally was informed this morning of the death of Fabrizio MEONI (n°4), one of the greatest rally-raid champions ever, after a crash just after CP1, at km 184, at 10h15 (GMT) during stage 11 between Atar and Kiffa.
A medical helicopter of the organisation was immediately sent on the scene of the accident at 10h36 (GMT) and the doctors treated the champion for 45 minutes.
However, the two-time Dakar winner, aged of 47 years, died of his injuries at 11h11 (GMT).
Fabrizio MEONI, a huge figure of the rally, was 2nd overall in the bike standings, behind Cyril Despres and was competing on the race for the 13th time.
His body was taken to Atar.
The entire Dakar caravan wishes to express its sincere condolences to his family, his friends and his many admirers. -
Sad news....
13:22 DAKAR OFFICIAL RELEASE
DEATH OF FABRIZIO MEONI
It is with huge sadness that the rally was informed this morning of the death of Fabrizio MEONI (n°4), one of the greatest rally-raid champions ever, after a crash just after CP1, at km 184, at 10h15 (GMT) during stage 11 between Atar and Kiffa.
A medical helicopter of the organisation was immediately sent on the scene of the accident at 10h36 (GMT) and the doctors treated the champion for 45 minutes.
However, the two-time Dakar winner, aged of 47 years, died of his injuries at 11h11 (GMT).
Fabrizio MEONI, a huge figure of the rally, was 2nd overall in the bike standings, behind Cyril Despres and was competing on the race for the 13th time.
His body was taken to Atar.
The entire Dakar caravan wishes to express its sincere condolences to his family, his friends and his many admirers. -
Shit. thats 2 bikers already. That equals last year's death toll i think.
condolences. -
damn double posting.
yeah its very sad news. Quite shocking to learn about Meoni's death.
R.I.P Meoni
Hope they won't be anymore dakar-related deaths.
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13:59 Trucks – Bekx fastest at CP1
At the first check point of the truck race (km 175), Hans Bekx (DAF) has the best time so far. Second is Jan De Rooy (DAF) at 4'34, followed by Tchaguine (KAM) at 13'15 and Kabirov (KAM) at 19'15.
13:43 Cars – 3 in the lead
After Jutta Kleinschmidt had made it to CP1 (km 175) alone in the lead. At km 245, the German had been caught and overtaken by the two Mitsubishi cars of Peterhansel and Alphand.
13:31 Cars – Jutta fastest at CP1
At the first check point of the car special (km 175), Jutta Kleinschmidt (VW) has the fastest time so far. The German driver has a 5'12 lead on Luc Alphand (MIT) and 9'05 on her Volkswagen team mate Bruno Saby.
Fourth is overall leader Stephane Peterhansel (MIT) at 9'35, followed by Ari Vatanen (NIS) at 11'20.
13:22 DAKAR OFFICIAL RELEASE
DEATH OF FABRIZIO MEONI
It is with huge sadness that the rally was informed this morning of the death of Fabrizio MEONI (n°4), one of the greatest rally-raid champions ever, after a crash just after CP1, at km 184, at 10h15 (GMT) during stage 11 between Atar and Kiffa.
A medical helicopter of the organisation was immediately sent on the scene of the accident at 10h36 (GMT) and the doctors treated the champion for 45 minutes.
However, the two-time Dakar winner, aged of 47 years, died of his injuries at 11h11 (GMT).
Fabrizio MEONI, a huge figure of the rally, was 2nd overall in the bike standings, behind Cyril Despres and was competing on the race for the 13th time.
His body was taken to Atar.
The entire Dakar caravan wishes to express its sincere condolences to his family, his friends and his many admirers.
11:55 Cars – Vatanen to help De Villiers
Taking off 2 minutes before his Nissan team mate, Ari Vatanen has let De Villiers pass him before CP1, probably to help out in case of a problem. Indeed, De Villiers is the best placed member of the Nissan team, 4th overall.
11:47 Cars – Roma stopped
At km 23, Spaniard Nani Roma had a major fright after a dune. The Mitsubishi driver was then stuck in the sand for around 5 minutes.
11:43 Cars – Mitsus together
At km 100 of the car race, both Mitsubishi vehicles of Peterhansel and Alphand are driving together which means that Alphand has gained two minutes on 'Peter'. Jutta Kleinschmidt is some 300m behind.
11:34 Bikes – Coma fastest at CP
At the first and only CP of the day (km 175), a group of 5 riders arrived bunched (Meoni, Despres, Esteve, Frétigné, Coma) meaning that Marc Coma, the latest starter, has the fastest time. Alfie Cox made it to the CP on his own, slightly later.
11:21 Night watch
Mechanical worries, late arrivals, injuries, bad luck and withdrawalsÂ… All you need to know about what happened on the bivouac during the night.
21h15 – Sousa relieved
Carlos Sousa, fourth overall before the start of the Atar-Atar stage has lost all chances of making it on the podium in Dakar. « We had a problem on the front right wheel. We therefore lost six to seven hours. We were finally able to get the wheel of De Mevius who had to retire after his crash. Luckily, Thierry (Delli-Zotti, his co-driver) who is an excellent mechanic managed to repair and got us out of this problem. I’m really happy to have made it and to be able to carry on”, insisted the Portuguese.
21h35 – G.De Rooy once again
Just arrived at the end of the special, Gerard De Rooy once again had troubles during the stage that prevented him from competing until the end with the Kamaz trucks. “I managed a very good start to the race but then broke down and lots twice as much time, first of all because we had to try and repair and then because the truck wasn’t working as well. Anyhow, the most important thing now is that we carry on having fun each day and that it lasts until Dakar.
23h00 – Some work at Mitsu…
In the workshop of the Japanese brand, all are sad about MasuokaÂ’s withdrawal (the first since 1993) but the most important thing is to take care of the two leading cars. The mechanics have done the same checks on both Alphand and PeterhanselÂ’s car after his problems at the end of stage 8. Meanwhile, still no news from Andrea Mayer, stopped on the special with electrical problems.
23h30 – VW with Jutta
Volkswagen has lost Juha Kankunnen, who crashed his car on its side on a dune. The back of the Race Touareg being extremely damaged, the Finn has decided to quit the race in Atar despite possibilities to repair. Now all he teams expectations lie on the shoulders of Jutta Kleinschmidt and everything will be done to help her remain on the podium of the car race until Dakar.
2h30Â… Mitsu still at work
The work continues on Luc Alphand’s car that needs more are then expected. The mechanics decide to take ‘Peter’s Evo out ofr a test. Andrea Mayer still hasn’t made it to the bivouac or to CP2.
3h30 – Late arrivals
116 bikes have made it to the finish out of the 126 that had started the stage. None of the bikers are still on the road. In the car race, 80 crews have arrived on the bivouac and 17 are still expected. 32 trucks out of the 48 have made it to Atar.
07:25 CHANGES FOR STAGE 11 BETWEEN ATAR AND KIFFA
The weather conditions that have shaken the rally since the beginning of the event have made the last stages a lot harder than expected for the 2005 edition. Added to that, the information given by the organisation opening teams indicate that the first half of the special will be a lot tougher, especially if the weather remains this way. La rally officials have therefore decided to shorten stage 11 from Atar to Kiffa that was already expected to be one the hardest of the event. The special will stop at the originally planned CP2 shortening the distance from 656 km to 400,48km. From CP2, the competitors will head to the Kiffa bivouac on a liaison via a asphalt road. -
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Peterhansel still holding the overall lead as of Stage 12.
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no surprise. go mitsu go!
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Can't see a Mitsubishi not winning the dakar.
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Ralf Schumacher at Jerez, on the TF105's maiden run. He did 40 laps cautiously due to some overheating problems.
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The Sauber C24 which was launched today. Look at those intakes!
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Some distractions, courtesy of Sutton Motorsport Images:
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looks good.Originally posted by Kuali Baba:The Sauber C24 which was launched today. Look at those intakes! -
12:57 217 still in the race
217 vehicles are still in the race and have started the day's 14th stage.
- 105 bikes. No longer in the race: Volpari (141),
- 75 cars. No longer in the race: Rentero Cano (459),
- 37 trucks.
12:37 Cars – Vatanen fastest at CP1
At the first check point of the car special (km 189), the best time was for late starter Ari Vatanen (NIS). Second fastest was Jutta Kleinschmidt (VW) at 5'51 followed by Carlos Sousa (NIS) at 6'04. Giniel De Villiers (NIS) was fourth at 7'04 after overtaking both the Mitsubishi cars of Alphand and Peterhansel who stopped to get rid of their water protections for the river crossing.
11:55 Bikes – Frétigné fastest at CP2
At the second checkpoint of the day (km 25
, David Frétigné still had the best time of the bike race. The Frenchman has a 57" lead on Caldecott (who started first and remains alone ahead on the special). Third is Chris Blais at 1'34, followed by Coma at 3'30 and Cox at 3'38.
Overall leader, Cyril Despres is at 7'01...
11:11 Bikes – Frétigné fastest at CP1
At CP1 (km 189), David Frétigné had managed the best time of the bike race. The Frenchman on his Yamaha had a 1'04 lead on Caldecott, followed by Blais at 1'55, Coma at 4'17 and Cox at 4'41. Overall leader Cyril Despres was 6'50 adrift.
11:11 Bikes – Leaders at CP1
The first bikes have made it to the first check point of the day, situated just on small river crossing. The first biker was Andy Caldecott (winner of yesterday's special) who crossed the river on the saddle of his KTM.
Shortly after came David Frétigné who jumped off his bike to cross the 50cm of water. The two first bikers were followed by Chris Blais and Alfie Cox.
10:33 NIGHT WATCH
Mechanical worries, late arrivals, injuries, bad luck and withdrawalsÂ… All you need to know about what happened on the bivouac during the night.
21h45 – Servia, the end
After having hit a tree during stage 12, Josep-Maria Servia lived another misfortune between Bamako and Kayes when he crashed his car and went for a roll. The damage was so bad that the Spaniard was forced to quit a rally that will have been a nightmare for the Schlesser-Ford team following the withdrawal of boss jean-Louis Schlesser on his V8 buggy. Servia looked rather devastated on the Kayes bivouac. “The accident was that bad but I am now forced to go home. I entered a bend too quickly, the car went sideways and it ended up going for a flip. The engine and mechanical parts are fine but the chassis and main cabin are wrecked, and of course we have no more spare parts. It’s tough to have to quit with just three days left, especially because it was very important for Jean-Louis to have at least one car in Dakar.
22h20 – Dessoude satisfied
André Dessoude, team boss of about ten Nissan vehicles on the rally is still directing his 40 mechanics who are working on the cars of his ‘clients’. Three days from the finish, the check-up remains impressive. “It would be terrible to have to break down now for whoever. So we do the maximum so that the end goes as easily as possible, although we’re all tired”. So far, Dessoude has quite a few satisfactions on this 2005 Dakar but has regrets for those who haven’t made it. “I especially happy for Benoit Rousselot who should finish his first Dakar, as well as for Japan’s Jun Mitsuhashi and the Chinese Lang Xu and Yong Zhou. But, I’m also disappointed for Paul Belmondo, Kenjiro Shinozuka and Grégoire De Mevius”.
22h45 – 'Mitsu' at work
In the Mitsubishi team, the perspective of victory to come hasn’t eased the pressure on the mechanics. What happened to Hiroshi Masuoka is still well in the minds of all so everything is done so that Peterhansel doesn’t break his engine. Team boss Dominique Serieys has therefore asked for the pistons on Peter’s engine to be changed again for the remaining three days. «One has to be careful because the last days have their traps like the crossing of the Faleme River for example…
23h15 – Puy first lady
Despite the fact that for this 21-year-old girl the main goal is to get to Dakar for her first participation, Ludivine Puy still has a fierce sense of competition. The only women left in the race with Spaniard Amparo Ausina, she discovered that the penalty time that should have been added to the time of her rival hadnÂ’t been done. FranceÂ’s Enduro champion therefore alerted the officials on this mistake and the standings were immediately modified after many excuses. Ludivine Puy is now in good position to win the womanÂ’s event.
2h05 – Schlesser mechanics give a helping hand
Philippe Gache had already seriously damaged his buggy on the previous day but a driving mistake almost cost him deeply. After falling asleep 20kms from the start of the special, his buggy was trapped in a hole and went for a tumble. “The chassis is wrecked but the engine is still working”, admitted the head mechanic while Gache was enjoying some rest. “We managed to get the door of and front and rear cap of Errandonea’s car that is no longer in the race. The mechanics of Jean-Louis Schlesser have been really nice. They came to help us so that 5 guys could work on the car. Thanks to all the help, Philippe should be able to carry on.
2h30 – Two vehicles still expected
All the vehicles expected had made it to the Kayes bivouac except the truck of Roland Hoebeke and the car of Carlos Rentero, stopped between CP 1 and CP 2 because a damaged front wheel.
07:28 Welcome to Senegal
Statistically, there are often competitors that are forced to quit in the last stages of the rally. The rule will probably again be applied this year. However, those who will make it to Senegal today will have almost managed their challenge. With few difficulties, the stage will crown the strongest and fittest that will manage to remain focused and enjoy the splendid landscapes of black Africa.
For the leaders, the bike race can still have some upsets although on a special with no significant navigation, the big KTMs have a serious advantage. In the car race, the Mitsubishi driver’s have a big enough lead to control things until Dakar. But Stephane Peterhansel is well placed to know that ‘it ain’t over til it’s over! -
hmm
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Massa's Sauber sported an unusual front wing and nose combination at Jerez this morning.
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Sauber will do badly this year, thanks to Jacques-arse Villeneuve
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is that allowed?!
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I think it is...there are no rules about the number of elements in the front wing and I don't think Ferrari would want to get it banned.
Here's a sneak preview of the BAR-Honda 007, to be revealed in whole at 1pm GMT...
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I think it is...there are no rules about the number of elements in the front wing and I don't think Ferrari would want to get it banned.
Here's a sneak preview of the BAR-Honda 007, to be revealed in whole at 1pm GMT (9pm S'pore time)... -
The ceremony will be beamed live from Barcelona at the Autosport International Show in Birmingham, and Jenson Button will also be addressing visitors via satellite link.