paris d'akar

News about sidecars competing in the Dakar Rally and other enduro related items

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Zixel

paris d'akar

Post by Zixel »

Oh oh, i always wanted to ask, whats the purpose of riding sidecars and quadbikes in paris d'akar ralley,if solos are faster???
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Post by Orangehat »

off course! There's a whole subforum about the dakar rally, just scroll beneat at the index-page of the forum.........

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Post by Scott »

Zixel wrote:Oh oh, i always wanted to ask, whats the purpose of riding sidecars and quadbikes in paris d'akar ralley,if solos are faster???
Why climb Mt Everest, when there are many other mountains that you can climb much faster? If you are most interested in speed, then why race Dakar when you can go road racing? If you are most interested in speed, why race motocross on a sidecar or quad, when the solos are much faster? Dakar is not so much a race of speed, it is a race of challenge, endurance, mechanic skills, mental strength, organizational skills, navigation, adventure, team work, and much more. It is a much bigger challenge to race Dakar on a sidecar than a solo. I wanted to do Dakar on a sidecar, precisely because it is the most difficult race, and a sidecar is the most difficult machine for that race. So that’s what I did. Dream big, then go do it!

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Post by Zixel »

WHat passanger do in d'akar racing? Is he executing the role of regular passenger (like sin sidecross) or he is a navigator (like the car's passenger)?
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Post by Scott »

Zixel wrote:WHat passanger do in d'akar racing? Is he executing the role of regular passenger (like sin sidecross) or he is a navigator (like the car's passenger)?
My Dakar passenger is Duane McDowell. He has 15 years experience in sidecarcross. Half that time was as driver, and half as passenger. In more recent years he has been doing adventure racing, like Eco-Challenge. So, he has good experience on sidecars, and he's in excellent physical condition. In Dakar, we both were doing the navigating. Riding passenger in Dakar is nothing like riding passenger in sidecarcross. In Dakar, there are very few turns, so there is not much “hanging outâ€
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Post by Zixel »

Oh, i forget that u can swich the places with passenger. OK, so why dont use a sidecar with sitting place for passenger then?
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Post by Scott »

Zixel wrote:Oh, i forget that u can swich the places with passenger. OK, so why dont use a sidecar with sitting place for passenger then?
My sidecar DOES have a small seat for the passenger (see here). But we don't switch positions. :-)
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Post by Zixel »

Hey! I know your site!
U mean the seat on the side wheels wing? Nice idea =)
So as i can see u can carry some stuff comparing to solos.
So the question was about is there any advantages?
As far as i know, quad bikes are slower then solos, but the can walk though sands and durt better (cus they have large wheels).
So we can see what's whorse, and what better riding quad compearing bikes. So what about sidecars? And is side wheel has drive?
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Post by Scott »

Zixel wrote:Hey! I know your site! U mean the seat on the side wheels wing? Nice idea =) So as i can see u can carry some stuff comparing to solos. So the question was about is there any advantages? As far as i know, quad bikes are slower then solos, but the can walk though sands and durt better (cus they have large wheels). So we can see what's whorse, and what better riding quad compearing bikes. So what about sidecars? And is side wheel has drive?
Riding a sidecar in Dakar is THE BEST because it is the MOST DIFFICULT! Some of the specific advantages of a sidecar are:
- It gets stuck in the sand easier.
- It's heavier, and harder to handle.
- It drives poorly on very rough terrain.
- The driver has to listen to the passenger complain all the time.
- In Dakar, sidecars have to pay for TWO entry fees.
- The driver has to pay for everything, including the passenger's entry fee.
- You have to design and fabricate everything yourself, because there are no parts for a Dakar sidecar at any dealership.
- In Dakar, the rules say that the race organization will not pick up a sidecar (or quad) if it is broken in the desert.
- It's almost impossible to get a big sponsor for a Dakar sidecar.
- It's almost impossible to finish Dakar on a sidecar.
Now you know why it's so great to ride a sidecar in Dakar!

For Dakar, it is allowed to have 2WD on a sidecar, but we don't have that. In my opinion it's too complicated and has too much chance of mechanical problems.

There is a whole discussion about my passenger seat here:
http://www.hogwildracing.com/blog/index.php?itemid=5
Image

So, now I have a question for you Zixel, . . . why is someone from Eastern Canada so interested in off-road sidecars?
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Post by Scott »

Ahh, or is it Russia, not Canada?
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Post by Zixel »

I donno about canada. Im from Russia. I just always interested about sidecars whan wached it Dakar on TV, but nowbody knows the answers. and im angry why there is no sidecars in dakar PC games.

In Dakar, the rules say that the race organization will not pick up a sidecar (or quad) if it is broken in the desert.

is this good, or not? And what about solos?

- It's almost impossible to finish Dakar on a sidecar.
Why that?

Is all this list of bad things (exept about pessenger) fit to quads too?

And is there ANY good side of riding sidebike comparing to solos? :-D
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Post by Scott »

Zixel wrote: I donno about canada. Im from Russia. I just always interested about sidecars whan wached it Dakar on TV, but nowbody knows the answers. and im angry why there is no sidecars in dakar PC games.
Yes, I figured out my mistake just before you posted.
Zixel wrote: In Dakar, the rules say that the race organization will not pick up a sidecar (or quad) if it is broken in the desert.
is this good, or not? And what about solos?
It’s bad if your sidecar is broken, and you have no way to get it out of the desert. Then your sidecar is lost for ever! This rule does not apply to solos. Normally ASO will pick up any broken solos and take them to France where you can get them after the race.
Zixel wrote: - It's almost impossible to finish Dakar on a sidecar.
Why that?
Because of all the difficulties I described earlier, and because each custom built sidecar does not have the many years of factory testing like KTM and others have. There is MUCH more chance of mechanical breakdown. Plus, no other competitor has any mechanical parts that will work on a sidecar, so it’s not so easy for others to help you.
Zixel wrote:Is all this list of bad things (exept about pessenger) fit to quads too?
Some things yes, some things no. For example, quads have it easier in the sand than sidecars.
Zixel wrote:And is there ANY good side of riding sidebike comparing to solos? :-D
Yes, as I said many times already. Those things I listed above make it a bigger challenge for a sidecar to race in Dakar. And Dakar is all about CHALLENGE. The bigger the challenge, the better the race. And there is no bigger challenge than doing Dakar on a sidecar. If you are looking for an EASY race, don’t go to Dakar. If you want to experience Dakar the easy way, stay home and watch it on TV.

I understand the question you are asking, but it misses the whole idea of Dakar. It’s like asking a mountain climber if it’s easier to get to the top by helicopter, or by climbing with your own arms and legs. Of course it’s easier by helicopter, but mountain climbers are not looking for the easy way up. They look for a big challenge, and enjoy the process of overcoming that challenge.
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Post by Zixel »

I get what u mean.
But isnt sidecar better in sends then solos? And as far as i see some teams carrys a spare wheel. Oh, and how u can hear each other. Radio?
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Post by Scott »

Zixel wrote:I get what u mean.
But isnt sidecar better in sends then solos? And as far as i see some teams carrys a spare wheel. Oh, and how u can hear each other. Radio?
Again I must remind you that for me racing in Dakar, easy is bad and hard is good! "Better" is the wrong word. Why don't you ask "Isn't an airplane better (easier and faster) than a motorcycle? You still don't understand Dakar. There is no point in asking which is "better". It all depends on what your goals are. They are different machines, and they both have different challenges. Sidecars don't compete against the solos, they compete against other sidecars and mother nature. I like a big challenge, so a sidecar is BETTER for me. For some people, watching Dakar on TV is better.

Sends? Or is it SAND? In sand it is easier on a solo because sidecars have twice the weight, but still only one wheel drive. Plus, with the sidecar on the side, it is always pulling the bike a little bit to the side. There are also other challenges for sidecars in the sand, especially trying to turn on steep hill. That's VERY difficult on a sidecar, and normally not a good idea.

Yes, some Dakar sidecars carry an extra wheel. That's a nice idea, but it's hard to find a place to put the spare wheel, plus that's just more weight that we don't like. There are positive and negative aspects to everything. And normally the wheels on a sidecar are not all the same. So which wheel do you carry, front, back, or side?

To communicate we talk real loud. In Dakar it is not allowed to have any radio communications. So, all intercoms must have wires connected. That doesn't work very well on a motorcycle or sidecar where the riders move around a lot.
Zixel

Post by Zixel »

Hey! I just go one morequesion! I sidecarcross they use kind of a regular solo bike as a donor for sidecar chassis.
So, u said :
because each custom built sidecar does not have the many years of factory testing like KTM and others have. There is MUCH more chance of mechanical breakdown. Plus, no other competitor has any mechanical parts that will work on a sidecar, so it’s not so easy for others to help you.

So, why dont u use a regular KTM (4 exempl), but with a sidecar attached, sidecar engine and other stuff, just like they do in sidecarcross?
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