Two of what are perhaps my favorite things - Dakar and motorcycle  - combined in a way that has never been done before to produce something pretty spectacular! Those crazy folks at Red Bull have been at it again.

Here's what you get when you combine Russian FMX rider Alexey Kolesnikov and Dakar 2010 winner, pilot of KAMAZ-master team Vladimir Chagin, 500 tons of dirt and some really big ramps.

You've got to see this one for yourself - the embed option doesn't seem to work for me so here's the LINK.

Who doesn't love pictures of motorcycles?

Montrealer Patrick Trahan has just joined an elite group of only six Canadians who've completed the Dakar Rally!

As of stage 5 , the Montreal native Patrick Trahan is the sole Canadian rider remaining in the 2010 Dakar Rally motorcycle field.

Don Hatton finished 69th today, the first day of competition in the Dakar 2010 Rally in Argentina, up from his 74th starting position.

Yesterday was the ceremonial start to the rally in Buenos Aires with a relatively short transit to the inland city of Colon. Don arrived late to the bivouac due to the extremely heavy traffic and after grabbing a less than spectacular dinner (2 chunks of meat and a sausage) he was off to prepare for the next days competition.

Due to his early start time, he had to be at the start line at 5:00 AM, Don retired to his tent to prepare the next days route book and get some sleep as he had to be up at 4:00 AM !

Today’s stage one of the race consisted of a transit stage of 317 km, the special of 219 km, followed by another transit stage of 84 km for a total of 652 km for the day. A transit or connection stage is how the competitor gets from the bivouac to the start of the competition stage known as the special. These are held on public roads with all the hazards of riding a motorcycle in Argentina !!

The special today was mainly good gravel conditions, slightly damp due to the recent heavy rains in the area. Temperatures here are in the low 30 C. Excellent riding conditions and Don has not reported any issues

Dakar Racing Factoid – things you might not know or thought of :

As part of your entrance cost to the Dakar the organizers provided basic meals, bivouac services (shower, toilet, medical personal, etc) along with most of your fuel. But due to the global nature of the event some of the services might not be up to what we would expect for this caliber of event. A constant complaint from most of the privateer participants is the food. It varies greatly in quality and quantities. It has been referred as “poor at best, horrible at worst”

Patrick Trahan is a Canadian hailing from Montreal. He's doing something that many people have have tried but relatively very few have done - he's going to compete in the Dakar on a motorcycle.

Okay - this isn't really two wheel news but I suspect it'll be of interest to many 2 wheel fans...

Lawrence Hacking - the Canadian Off Road Legend and one of the visionaries behind World Enduro Canada - is on his way to Buenos Aires to start his next Dakar adventure. A few years ago Lawrence became the first Canadian to finish Dakar on a motorcycle and is now looking to do the same on 4 wheels.

See this LINK for more information on his plans. Be sure to follow his progress on line www.dakar.com the race begins on January 1st.

Team Destination Dakar’s Don Hatton is heading off to race the Dakar 2010 race in Argentina and is inviting fans and media contacts to come to his going away celebration on December 23rd, 2009 from 6PM to 9PM

We got an email from BC resident - Don Hatton's, Team Destination Dakar with some updates that will have all the Dakar fans out their on the edge of their seat.

Press Release:

The bike is built and loaded on the ship in France heading for Argentina. Entrance fee is paid. The medical shots are all done. Moose’s – a motorcycle endurance racer’s version of a tire inner tube - are located and being shipped via a courier company to a motorcycle dealer in South America that he has only met once.

A thousand little details are being looked after by various people around the globe all cumulating in Canadian Don Hatton starting in the 2010 Dakar Race on January 1, 2010 in Buenos Aires Argentina. The race lasts 17 days and covers nearly 10,000 kilometers in Argentina and Chile.

“I’m nervous about the race but really excited about being back in the Dakar” Don said in a recent interview. This will be Don’s third attempt at the fabled endurance race.

His first attempt was preempted by the cancellation of the race in 2008 when it was still held in North Africa by the organizing body – ASO – due to terrorist threats against the race participants. In the 2009 Dakar race held in Argentina Don crashed on day five severely injuring himself.

Don is fully recovered from his injuries and recently finished fourth in the 2009 NPO Shamrock Rally de Maroc (Rally of Morocco)

Don’s new KTM 690 Rally bike was recently on display at his dealership, Duncan Motorsports, in Duncan BC where team mechanic Bernie Wright prepared the bike prior to shipping it to France. It will be loaded along with his replacement parts and personal racing equipment onto a ship by the ASO so that all the competitors bikes clear Argentina customs at one time. This will greatly simplify some of the logistical challenges faced by Don and his team last year.

Don is inviting his friends, fans and media to a gala send off party to be held December 23, 2009 at Duncan Motorsports in Duncan BC. Time to be advised.

Don Hatton, Canada’s own international motorcycle racer, would like to invite the public to come and watch the creation of his new KTM690 race bike being built in Duncan BC.

Don has hired KTM factory trained motorcycle mechanic Bernie Wright to come to Duncan Motorsports, Don’s motorcycle shop in Duncan BC, to build the new race bike. They have opened a part of the shop to allow the public to view and talk to Bernie while he performs the upgrades necessary for the KTM to survive the grueling 14 day Dakar race.

Bernie was the mechanic on the Dessert Rose team that Don was riding with in his recently successful completion of the 2009 NPO Shamrock Rally de Maroc (Rally of Morocco). Bernie was also the team mechanic in Don’s two previous Dakar attempts.

We all look forward to meeting Bernie and watching the transformation of the KTM 690 Rally bike into a true Dakar contender.

The location of Duncan Motorsports is:

1603 Canada Ave
Duncan BC, V9L 1V2
Ph: 250-716-7148

For more information and photos check out www.destinationdakar.com

Don Hatton, Cowichan Valleys own international motorcycle racer has entered the 2009 Morocco Rally set to start October 24, 2009.

“I’m glad to be racing again” Don says.

He was severely injured on stage 5 of the 2009 Dakar race held in Argentina in January 2009.

“I just recently got my medical clearance from the FIM – the governing body for motorcycle rally racing including the Dakar – and I am ready to get back racing”

Don competed in the 2008 Morocco Rally successfully completing the seven day endurance event in 127th place.

Don will be racing for England’s Patzy Quick race team about a KTM690. Patzy Quick is famous for being the first English women rider to complete the grueling 14 day Paris Dakar Rally and by being featured in the TV series Race to Dakar.

Don is planning to compete in this years Dakar race starting on January 1, 2010. He will be riding a specially prepared KTM motorcycle which will be built in the show room of Duncan Motorsports, a local motorcycle dealership which Don and his wife Natalie purchased earlier this year.

“We are inviting the public to come and see Bernie my mechanic build the bike to race specifications right in the show room. For anyone interested in motorsports, not just motorcycle racing, it should be very interesting and informative”

For more information check out www.destinationdakar.ca

Simon Pavey, multiple time entrant and finisher in the Dakar, trainer of Ewan McGreggor and Charley Boorman, and manager of BMW Motorrad's off-road training facility in south Wales, will be coming to Duncan Motorsports in Duncan, BC on June 20th. At 6PM on the 20th Pavey will be giving a talk and presentation. Rumor is it's just $15 to attend with proceeds going to the Association for Injured Motorcyclists.

He'll also be presenting a mini version of his Adventure rider school on June 21st. Contact Duncan Motorsports for further details.

Duncan Motorsports
1063 Canada Ave
Duncan BC V9L 1V2 Canada
866-746-2453 (toll free)

Looks like it'll be a great opportunity to get some rare Dakar insider information and a chance to brush up on your off-road skills from a pro!

Well, after yesterdays shocking news of KTM's withdrawal from the Dakar we went looking for a bit of information on the rule changes. We found some, but it reads a little like a bad google translation - all the information is there but it just isn't quite clear enough to be exactly sure what it means.

We thought we'd post the direct quote from the ASO here regarding the rule changes, as they apply to motorcycles:


Bikes: on equal terms
For several years, more and more of the top bikers have won specials or finished in the leading ten overall positions using under 450cc bikes. At the same time, the smaller capacity machines have been more and more present, representing 40% of the registered riders at the start of the 2009 Dakar. Financially more accessible and more reliable than the older bikes of the previous generations and now more adapted to the demands of off-road rallies, the 450cc still have a deficit in performance that prevent them from reaching even higher ambitions. This difference will be totally erased for the 2011 Dakar during which only bikes with engines under 450cc will be accepted.

A bridle in 2010 for the amateurs over 450cc
In order to reach this objective of levelness between competitors that will open the number of potential victory contenders, a transition measure has been taken for the 2010 Dakar. Aware of the important number of competitors already having bikes of over 450cc, the organisers have decided to accept them for this edition with the obligation to set up a bridle reducing the power of the engine. This bridle, conceived to limit the performance to the level of the 450cc, will be provided by the rally organisation.

The champions on 450cc in 2010
This modification aiming to support the amateur riders that want to line up at the start of the rally will not be applicable to a certain number of professionals and semi-professionals for which a list will be established later. The possible winners will therefore be forced to use as soon as 2010 a bike of under 450cc. On equal terms, they will battle it out using the qualities that define champions in the discipline: physical endurance, piloting, navigation.

Some shocking news from KTM in response to rule changes by the ASO on the displacement size of motorcycles allowed in the Dakar.

Full release...

"Rally Dakar” – KTM withdraws!

The limiting of motorcycles with a displacement of 450 cc forces the long term dominator of the Dakar Rally to withdraw.

Following the announcement at a press conference on June 4, 2009 of the French “ASO” - the organisers of the “South American Dakar“ that from 2010, only motorcycles with a maximum displacement of 450 cc will be permitted to compete, KTM, after eight consecutive victories, has decided to immediately accept the consequences and announces its withdrawal from the “Dakar”.

The company will no longer be represented at the rally in South America either with an official factory team or a KTM-supported team. At the same time, KTM underlines that the company remains committed to rally sport and will now concentrate its efforts on the world championship and other important rallies.

The organiser’s short term change to the rules, designed to end the dominance of KTM, and which comes without any advance warning, hits the KTM factory hard. Today, just six months before the start – and at a time when not only the factory team but also dozens of private teams are deep in preparations for this extremely complex rally, the immediate withdrawal of the worldwide market leader of offroad sports motorcycle is the only possible consequence.

“Every sport regulation needs changes and adjustments to new developments to retain an interest in it, but this also require the appropriate lead times. We have the entire material for the 690 Rally motorcycles for our factory team as well as that for 50 customers’ motorcycles in our storage facility ready to be constructed in June. Riders’ contracts have been finalised and all the team members have been engaged. The financial consequences that results from this decision are enormous. Quite apart from this, we are shocked by the organiser’s lack of loyalty, above all because of the huge efforts we made following the cancellation of the Dakar in 2008 by contributing to the new edition - even during a period of extreme economic crisis,” said KTM Motor Sport Advisor and “Rally Legend” Heinz Kinigadner in a first statement.

Following the decision for the deployment of 450cc motorcycles, which are unthinkably unsuitable for use in long distance rallies, KTM can no longer economically justify a commitment to be engaged in the Dakar in the future. KTM Motor Sport Director Winfried Kerschhaggl: “Rally sport serves to prove the efficiency and stability of our large volume series single cylinder. There is no question that we will remain active in rally sport! Having said that, for KTM, the rally in South America is now history. We will now fully concentrate on the Rally World Championship and we will seek out alternatives. Maybe we will soon again see full KTM Rally engagement on African soil – back to the roots!”

With its commitment to rally sports, KTM naturally takes the obligations to its long term worldwide customers seriously because it is they who have decided to put their trust in the products and in the unique service of the Austrian company for rally sport by choosing KTM motorcycles.

We received word from Canadian rider Don Hatton himself that he's planning on tackling the Dakar again in 2010. The event doesn't take place until early in teh new year but it's never too early to be starting to think about the Dakar - especially if you plan on competing in it!

His 2009 Dakar attempt in Argentina and Chile ended earlier than he anticipated due to a navigational issue which lead him to a big crash! What looked like a bump in the road through all the dust was actually a jump; and a big one at that. Hitting it at about 100 km/hr sent him 10 meters into the air - like being dropped off a second story. It resulted in some pretty serious injuries which he's still recovering from.

Here's some of the details from his correspondence with us:

Hi guys just wanted to drop you a quick note to bring you up to speed on what is happening with Team Destination Dakar.

First I would like to thank all the readers who have e-mailed me their kind words and support these last couple years, you have no idea how much your support helps I have had an amazing year, I successfully competed in the Shamrock Rally in Morocco, and the Desert Challenge in Dubai UAE, before competing in the Dakar Rally in Argentina.

I was having a very good ride in the Dakar until a Navigation error caused me to crash out of the rally on Stage four, I have some very serious injuries which I am still recovering from, Doctors are hopeful that I will be riding in the next 4 to 6 weeks.

I have every intention of returning to compete in the 2010 Dakar Rally held again in Argentina, how big of a team we take will be determined by how much sponsorship money we are able to raise. I am also planing on participating in the Egypt Pharoans Rally and the Moroccan Shamrock Rally in October 2009.

I must apologize for my web site I messed it up just before the 2009 Dakar and have not yet found a technician to fix it for me. Thank you again for our interest in my team.
---

So if you're interested in helping Don get to the Dakar for 2010 and promoting your products and services in this worldwide media attention garnering event you should get in contact with Don directly.

Don Hatton dhatton**@shaw.ca . Take out the '**'

The Dakar Rally, held in South America for the first time in its history, is over. It was an exciting route for spectators and thousands of South Americans showed up on a daily basis to cheer on competitors. It was clear they enjoyed themselves.

All of ASO's work in planning the South American Dakar appears to have been warranted. The route seems to have been a success and proved tough on competitors and equipment. 217 motorcyclists started the Dakar but only 113 made it to the finish line.

Spaniard Marc Coma, riding his factory KTM, took home the top honor in the moto division beating his nearest rival (and team mate) Cyril Depres by nearly an hour and a half. This is the second win for 32 year old Marc Coma, who also won in 2006. A perhaps surprising third place finisher was French rider, David Fretigne. Fretigne was riding a Yamaha WR450 that was certainly outmatched in the pure horsepower department by the larger KTM's of the two top finishers.

KTM has a history of success in the Dakar with this year being no exception. The Austrian motorcycle company produced "the" motorcycle if you wanted to be successful in the Dakar this year. KTM riders took a whopping eight of the top ten spots. The Yamaha of Fretigne and Portugese rider, Paulo Goncalves, on his Honda were the only riders of non-KTM's to make it into the top ten.

In the moto division, the Volkswagon Toureg was the vehicle of choice for the top two finishers. South-African Giniel De Villiers and German co-driver Dirk Von Zitzewitz took the top spot. US driver Mark Miller and co-driver Ralph Pitchford (South Africa) took the second spot. Third place finisher was the US Hummer team, Robby Gordon and co-driver Andy Grider.

Robby Gordon is perhaps more famous for his Nascar exploits was the only top three finisher in a two-wheel drive in the car division. No doubt the third sport will be bitter-sweet for Gordon. He desperately wants to be the first North American to win the event - I'm sure the same can be said of Mark Miller though!

Yamaha motorcycle rider Pascal Terry, age 49, died during the Dakar while in the race. He was found 15 meters away from his motorcycle, sitting in the shade in an area of dense vegetation, with his helmet off, and with food and water.

He went missing on Sunday during the second stage of the race, between Santa Rosa and Puerto Madryn.

Local police performed an investigation as to the cause of death and it was determined he died of pulmonary edema. According to the Argentinian military body charged with police duties, his life could have been saved if he would have been treated immediately.

Dakar organizers (ASO) indicate there was an unfortunate breakdown in communications between the local event organizers, the local head office, and the French based head office. The breakdown in communications caused a prolonged delay before a search was held to try to find Terry. Terry had called race organizers Sunday on a Sat phone, to indicated that he had run out of gas but then obtained some from another rider. It's not clear what happened after that call and the time up to his death.

The tracking device was showing his bike in one place but there was reportedly some confusion as to whether he had made it back to the base camp without his bike. This delayed rescue attempts.

Before the race he spoke about his long-held desire to compete in the event.

“I’ve dreamed about being in the Dakar since it started,” said Terry, who had been racing motorcycles for 29 years. “I think it’s going to be great. ... I’m going to do all I can to take full advantage of all the legs of the race.”

His body was found on Wednesday and the ASO have vowed to review their communication procedures.

It's a very unfortunate incident that highlights the dangers of the race. Even with all the modern technology and tracking devices available to us that things like this can happen.

Sadly, it appears the two Canadian's in the Dakar have both withdrawn from the event.

Don Hatton and Pierre Navarro are both listed on the withdrawals page of the Dakar website here.

No word yet as to what the specific reasons were for the withdrawals but we'll let you know as soon as we find out more.

Update: Don Hatton was reportedly injured and airlifted from the stage. He cracked his C4 and thoractic (I don't know what a thoratic is but it doesn't sound plesant!) and had to have surgery. He's apparently going to be OK though.

Still no word about Pierre Navarro though.

Expanding our "who to cheer for" list slightly beyond our Canadian border to the south we've got Jonah Street. He's from the USA and appears to be one to watch. Currently sitting in the number 4 spot in the rankings (as of Stage 4). He's near the top and a contender to be on the podium at the finish.

To learn more about Jonah Street check out his website here.

Spaniard, Marc Coma racing under the Team Repsol KTM banner, has won the first stage of the 2009 Dakar. Coma finished the stage with a commanding 22 minute lead over the second placed rider, Jacek Czachor.

Tire problems seemed to be the common issue many riders faced on the first stage but Coma luckily made it through unscathed. Many other riders ended the stage on ruined rubber, or in many cases, on their rims. Such was the fate of famed rider, and one of the top contenders, Cyril Despres. He crossed the line with the rim bare on his rear wheel, 41 minutes behind Coma!

Stage 1 saw the competitors making their way from Buenos Aires to Santa Rosa de la Pampa which consisted of 371 km's of special stage.

For full details of the first stage check out the Dakar website here.

Stage 2 of the Dakar took competitors from Santa Rosa de la Pampa > Puerto Madryn with 237 km's of special stage. The stage was mostly quick but Marc Coma lost some of his lead, due is part to a radiator problem. Frans Verhoeven won the day taking his first ever special stage in the Dakar.

Coma is still has a 13.47 lead over Verhoeven. Provisional third place on the podium went to Jonah Street, who was 5th to cross the finishing line.

For full details of stage two check out the Dakar website here.

As for the Canadian content in the Dakar. Well, Don Hatton was 115 of 212 riders at the end of stage 2 (just behind Simon Pavey - BMW off road instructor, off-road skills trainer to Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, and multi-year participant in the Dakar). Stage 2 saw Hatton lose a few spots and he's down to 176th spot. That's out of 192 riders now though. Looks like 20 riders have dropped out after the first day.

Pierre Navarro (who's indicated to be from France but he's living in Quebec, so we'll claim him as a Canadian) may be out it appears. He's listed as being 208 of 212 at the end of stage 1 but he's missing from the stage rankings for stage 2. No doubt that'll be a big disappointment.

Pierre gained a little fame when he helped out a fellow competitor who was mere kilometers from the finish line. Here's a quote from the Dakar website of what happened:

"The first stage was especially difficult for the most experienced bikers, whose day was disrupted by tire problems. It was also hard for Belgian Stéphane Charlier, who ground to a halt 5 km before the end of the special, due to engine problems. But in South America, just like in Africa, solidarity is alive and well on the Dakar. “I managed to finish thanks to Pierre (Navarro) who towed me home using a strap that the Argentines found for us”, explained the rider.

“I found him lying down by the side of the track. I thought he was having a nap, but he told me he thought he had broken his engine”, said Pierre Navarro, the day’s good Samaritan. “I checked my road-book and saw that there were only 5 km left. It would have been such a shame to have to give it all up there and then. That’s also why I’m taking part in the Dakar, for its human values, but I never thought I would end up in that sort of situation on my first Dakar…”"

The Dakar is not won on the first (or second!) day so there will be plenty of time to gain some ground so long as you manage to stay in the event. Go Canada! Go Don!