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#1 |
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: South Mississippi
Posts: 253
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So? Quitters are quitters. Dont attempt it if you dont have what it takes. I am not including injury or mechanical failures. Im talking about fortitude.
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#2 |
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 321
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While I'm not justifying them, the race is really, really hard. They must have severily underestimated the physical aptitude needed.
On the other hand, if it were me, I've dragged my ass at a walking pace until they dequalified me, wich they do anyway if you don't complete the stage within a certain time frame. In the event of me winning the Loto (I must start buying tickets someday...) racing the Dakar as a private is one of the things I intend to do. |
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#3 |
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Western, CT
Posts: 168
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Even the defending DAKAR champion is out of the race, breaking his femur in stage IV - only 150 meters from the finish line. I agree with Peter - live to race another day - no use being a martyr - it's just a race - not worth leaving your family behind because of some sick/fatal quest for glory. We don't know all the facts of why these riders dropped out - and it is foolish to think otherwise.
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Carpe Diem IBA#65836 2005 BMW F650gs 2008 Yamaha XT250 2013 Yamaha XT250 2009 Suzuki Gladius |
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#4 |
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 321
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Fifth member of the Zongshen team is out too:
"07:55 Los (numerosos) abandonos de ayer Si la tercera etapa ya fue difícil para los pilotos, la cuarta jornada hizo estragos de lo lindo. En motos, Thierry Béthys, David Megre, Toby Price, Walter Terblanche, Alessandro Botturi, Rodney Faggotter, Jorge Lacunza, Ronald ter Beek, Armand Monleón y Jurgen van den Goorbergh se vieron obligados a tirar la toalla. En quads, Josef Macháček y Pablo Luis Novara no tomarán hoy la salida, mientras que, en coches, Stefano Marrini, Yazeed Al-Rajhi, Ebert Dollevoet y Carlos Sainz también fueron víctimas de esta demoledora cuarta etapa. Por último, en camiones, el Dakar acabó ayer para Paolo Calabria y Pep Sabaté. " |
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#5 |
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: South Mississippi
Posts: 253
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Well, Peter (and others), I've got to say I agree with you. I was discussing it with my wife, and her comments were almost the same as yours. Upon retrospect, I didn't have enough information to assign them that name. And I remembered that discretion can be the better part of valor. (I hope you took no offense to the military analogy, I used it with my wife during our discussion) I am disappointed that the team is out, for whatever reason.
Last edited by AdventureDad; 01-06-2017 at 10:05 AM. |
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#6 |
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Portsmouth, Virginia, USA
Posts: 632
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AD, absolutely no offense taken. It appears that all five Zong entries are now out of the race. I wish I were fluent in Spanish so I could more fully understand what is going on. Maybe Joe @ CSC can fill in the blanks for us.
Peter Y. |
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#7 | |
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 17
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Quote:
Zongshen Cyclone Rally Team finished in the Dakar Rally for the fourth stage. The last Chinese motorcycle, driven by Thierry Béthysa, caught fire on the way to Tupiza. Bethys not reached the WP2. |
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#8 |
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Volcano, Ca
Posts: 7,106
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Whatever happens with the riders is one thing...it's the bikes I'm concerned about. How many broke? Of course, the term "caught fire" is never a good sign, but if the majority of the bikes went as far as they did without a problem, that's a success in my eyes. Zong is just getting off the ground on the world theater and it was a ballsy move to do this. Go for it next year also.........
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"Light a fire for a man, and you heat him for a day. Light a man on fire, and you heat him for the rest of his life." 2007 Suzuki DRZ400S (SM convert) 2009 Q Link XP 200 1967 BSA B25 250cc Starfire 2022 Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 2023 Royal Enfield Scram 411 1948 Royal Enfield Model G 350 |
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#9 |
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Milpitas, CA. USA
Posts: 775
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Bethys' Inferno
If I understand correctly he had a "go down" and the fuel ignited a little bit.
http://www.ouest-france.fr/pays-de-l...-video-4719782 |
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#10 |
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: George West, Texas
Posts: 4,097
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If the term, man and machine runs true...it takes a thinking man for every machine
Consider the temperatures encountered. I would assume the operators were of the experienced variety? Just not enough info to qualify opinions, we may find out there was a fatal flaw in this new 450. This is not what I expected/hoped for after 4 stages ![]() ![]()
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***************************************** 2015 Bashan"Blaze" BS250GY-31 (DB-07K-250) GONE 2017 Suzuki V Strom 650 XT "We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid." ~Benjamin Franklin~
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#11 |
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Yuma, Arizona
Posts: 9,035
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RIP Zongshen Rally bike...might look worse than it is... (the fire is around 10:58)
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"They say that life's a carousel, spinning fast you got to ride it well..." TGB Delivery Scooter 150 TMEC 200 Enduro--carcass is sadly rotting in the backyard |
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#12 | |
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: FL, GA, NC
Posts: 771
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Quote:
All that remains of the bike is a smoldering pile of metal and ashes.. ![]() jb
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2016 Honda CB500F......2017 Triumph Street Twin 2014 XT 250........ |
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#13 |
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Western, CT
Posts: 168
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Back to the drawing board to Zongshen. It's all good - you can't improve something without testing its limits - all important to the development of the brand which I am sure the engineers at he company know and will scour the failures of the machine to make it better, sounder, more reliable.
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Carpe Diem IBA#65836 2005 BMW F650gs 2008 Yamaha XT250 2013 Yamaha XT250 2009 Suzuki Gladius |
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#14 |
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 17
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Well, the reality is that other than the name, core engine and transmittion none of the bike is the RX4. They were custom one off race machines that were speciffically built for the race. If they went out from drive train issues I would have concerns on the new bike but from what little I can find none of it was. Even the best riders have offs, Jakes, Price and most of the rest of the riders.
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#15 | |
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: George West, Texas
Posts: 4,097
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Quote:
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***************************************** 2015 Bashan"Blaze" BS250GY-31 (DB-07K-250) GONE 2017 Suzuki V Strom 650 XT "We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid." ~Benjamin Franklin~
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