Hog Wild update

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

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Hog Wild update

Post by Scott »

It's been a long time since I posted anything here. So, I thought I would give an update on some of the things that I've been doing. Actually, I'm not sure anyone really cares what I'm doing, but the photos are cool, and different from what we normally see here.

Here's what I know about sidecars in marathon rally & long desert races.
No sidecars are going to Dakar 2010.
Gerhard Hey (D) is thinking about "The Africa Race" 2010.
I'm aiming for the Vegas-to-Reno race this August (1600km, 3 days).
I'm also aiming for the 2010 Baja 1000 (1600km, one day).
I'm not sure what Sando Lanaro/Rueid Howald are planning.

Most of these photos are from the rally navigation training events that I help organize. All the solo racers that go to Dakar from USA, Canada, and Mexico attend these training rides to get some practice using the roadbooks for navigating, just like they do in the Dakar. I layout the routes and make the roadbooks, then a few of us pre-run the routes to make sure the roadbooks are correct. Then we get a large group to come out and do the training. So, we usualy ride the sidecar on each route two times. The routes are anywhere from 100km to 500km long. For the training events, we usually ride three routes over three days.

Bivouac in the Nevada desert:
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Sidecar dash:
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Loading the roadbook:
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Roadbook sample:
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Following the roadbook in Death Valley:
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Prerunning a rally route with my helpers (you can see the city of Las Vegas in the background):
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Doing a small repair out on the trail:
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Just hanging loose, Mojave Desert, California:
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Me and my dad:
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A huge sandy downhill that we rode down a few times on the sidecar. It's 400 meters from the top to the bottom, and VERY steep:
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Up in the mountains:
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Evidence of a sidecar in the dunes!
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Exploring:
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Sometimes there IS water in Death Valley:
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The whole group:
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Before the start of the 2008 Baja 1000, with Swiss team beside us:
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6 hours into the Baja 1000:
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25 hours into the Baja 1000, and still going:
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32 hours, at the finish of the Baja 1000:
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Re: Hog Wild update

Post by Kyler »

wow - those are really cool pics - I'm very envious
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Re: Hog Wild update

Post by Scott »

more . . .

Exploring the old gold mines:
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The buggy came with us on this exporation:
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More at the mines:
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Camp in the deset:
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Through the bushes:
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Stop for a beer!
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A few more beers:
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Another bivouac:
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Giving a navigation training lesson:
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Preparing roadbooks for the next day:
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Bottom of a huge mine:
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Beautiful desert:
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Liaison to get to the dirt:
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Dinner time after a long day of riding:
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Map of a short 250km rally stage:
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Re: Hog Wild update

Post by Scott »

and even more . . .

Top of the mountains above Death Valley:
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Following the powerline road:
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Door to nowhere!
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Coming down from the clouds:
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My dog Sparky:
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Jumping the railroad:
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Oops, we had to ride 50km with this problem:
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Sand wash:
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Aqueduct in Arizona:
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Looking down from a dune:
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Typical California desert:
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Old miner's cabin:
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Re: Hog Wild update

Post by stewart lines »

blimey scott that bike looks like a bit of a monster :mrgreen: in the uk theres a few us racing sidecar enduro on more traditional light weight outfits using 525 exc ktm motors mouses folding footrests etc etc how come you dont use some thing like this to tackle the dakar or the baja :?: or maybe a ralleeye engine from ktm
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Re: Hog Wild update

Post by Scott »

stewart lines wrote:blimey scott that bike looks like a bit of a monster :mrgreen: in the uk theres a few us racing sidecar enduro on more traditional light weight outfits using 525 exc ktm motors mouses folding footrests etc etc how come you dont use some thing like this to tackle the dakar or the baja :?: or maybe a ralleeye engine from ktm
It takes a monster motor to take on the big sand dunes. Keep in mind the amount of fuel, water, food, spare parts, and tools that are needed on the sidecar for Dakar or any event where you might have to go 1000 miles (1600km), two days, without any support from your crew. And keep in mind how big the tires have to be to stay on top of the sand. The sand is not like what you see at the beach or in NL. It's amazingly soft and difficult to go through on a sidecar. Your tires would never work on a sidecar in these dunes! My current rear tire is about 8 inches (20cm) wide. I still have problems in the sand, and I'm thinking about making a new rear swingarm to fit one that is 10 inches (25cm) wide. With all this extra weight on the bike, and the reliability you need for such a long race, you need a bigger motor that is not stressed too much.

I was a spectator at Dakar this year in Argentina/Chile. I talked with Daniel Willemsen a little bit while I was there. He finished Dakar on a solo. He said it's probably impossible to go through the tough dunes on any sidecar. If the Master of sidecars in sand said that, you KNOW it's really really difficult!!!

For the Baja 1000, I think it's fine to have a much lighter rig with a smaller motor. But I can only race what I have. If I had a 525 or somewhat bigger KTM, I'd probably use it in Baja. Maybe you enduro blokes can come over here and show us what's possible! Start planning now and you can join me for the 2010 Baja 1000 (November). Better yet, come over a few weeks early and I'll take you out to all these great places where the photos were taken, for some pre-Baja desert practice. Bring extra passengers!
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Re: Hog Wild update

Post by stewart lines »

my new enduro bike is being built as we speak ill post some pictures of it before it is used in the welsh 2 day which is a british championship enduro event in the uk in june :mrgreen: if daniel says it would sink in the sahara desert im a believer ;-) sounds like it could do the baja though :?:
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Re: Hog Wild update

Post by Scott »

stewart lines wrote:sounds like it could do the baja though :?:
Yes, you could be the 2010 Baja 1000 Champion!

I went riding yesterday. Now I'm out for a couple of weeks with a few broken ribs. Damn rocks hiding behind bushes!!! That's my first good crash in about 4 years. Is it really a crash if the sidecar stays upright, and you don't fall off?
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Re: Hog Wild update

Post by Dave Tye »

Hi Scott,

Hope you are feeling better soon mate... Sounds like the plant life came off slightly better this time.

Get the bike and yourself fixed and get back out on it as soon as possible mate.

All the best

Dave
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Re: Hog Wild update

Post by Scott »

A few more photos from this ride...

Pit location: Aerial view map of surrounding desert

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Repairing an electrical problem:
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Dave and Craig:
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Another angle on the Joshua tree cactus:
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Re: Hog Wild update

Post by Pascal »

*ouch"

Scott, I hope you'll go better soon. And tanks for theses great pictures (I mean the first, not the last ones. I don't like crashed sidecars and ribs ;-) )!!

Greetings

Pascal & Silvia
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Re: Hog Wild update

Post by jon rutherford »

hi,fair play that looks like great fun,wish we only lived a little closer,whould love too come and join you men for some off that it looks awesome..
keep the pics coming ,it is great to see what you been up to..speedy recovery and get back out there.. ;-)
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Re: Hog Wild update

Post by Orangehat »

great pics! Get well soon Scott!

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Re: Hog Wild update

Post by fletch »

Hi Scott, good to see you back on line. We have a Safari down here in Western Australia coming up. In all of the years its been held I think only one outfit has finished and from memory the guy rode it by himself! (no passenger is mentioned in the write ups).
I am intrequed by the route sheet- I have driven rally cars before and know the basic route instructions however I am wondering what the instructions are for the dips and hollows and how are you expected to read these on the run ( at speed)?
We would normally have a caution (!) notation fot a bump, a double (!!) if it is bad and a triple (!!!) if extreme i.e. slow right down and take a good look. Is this similar or can you read the fine print at pace and make up your mind if you can jump in and climb out or climb in and jump out as you see it?
I am sure that after 30hrs in Baja you would want to be making double sure of those instructions.
Cheers from down under (long time follower) Fletch.
p.s. what would you estimate the cost is to do Baja? We would love to come.
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Re: Hog Wild update

Post by Scott »

fletch wrote:Hi Scott, good to see you back on line. We have a Safari down here in Western Australia coming up.
I would love to go do that race. But money is tight these days.
fletch wrote:I am intrequed by the route sheet- I have driven rally cars before and know the basic route instructions however I am wondering what the instructions are for the dips and hollows and how are you expected to read these on the run ( at speed)?
We would normally have a caution (!) notation fot a bump, a double (!!) if it is bad and a triple (!!!) if extreme i.e. slow right down and take a good look. Is this similar or can you read the fine print at pace and make up your mind if you can jump in and climb out or climb in and jump out as you see it?
In a marathon rally event, a bump or dip would only be shown in the roadbook if it were a hazard (!). A single ! is just a small hazard for cars, and maybe not a hazard for motos. A !!! means you will die here if you do the wrong thing. For a dip, a symbol similar to a "U" would be used. For a bump, it would be upsidedown. If the edges of the bump or dip are square, such as in a washout, then the symbol would have square corners (see km 28.39 below). The roadbook sample below is one I made for our training events. I add the small print on the right to help in the training. The small print wouldn't be there in a real Dakar style roadbook. Only the larger print, such as the blue French symbols and words would be used (sometimes in English also). At race pace you can't read the small print. For the training, the small print makes them slow down more if they need that extra help. Competitors review their roadbook the night before a stage, and use colored markers to highlight hazards and other important items, so they know when to really pay attention.
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fletch wrote:I am sure that after 30hrs in Baja you would want to be making double sure of those instructions.
In Baja, the race course is marked with ribbons and signs. You don't need a roadbook or any instructions. They also supply a GPS file of the whole course, so you can see on your GPS if you got off course (very helpful while riding at night). They also allow pre-running, which most competitors do in the weeks leading up to the race. The top car/truck teams all make their own course notes while pre-running, where they document hazards, key navigation points, and cheaters lines. For us, the biggest hazard is getting run over by the big trucks!
fletch wrote:what would you estimate the cost is to do Baja? We would love to come.
The top car/truck teams probably spent a quarter million dollars US, and have their own helicopters following them. The lowest budget moto probably spends $3000 US. I probably spent $4000 US, but had about 10 free helpers/friends who paid their own way (gas, food, hotel).

If you want to have pure fun, don't do the Baja race, just come over for a few weeks and go play riding out in the desert. If you want to see what hell is like, come and race Baja!
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