Hog Wild - Entry accepted
Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2005 2:19 am
YaaaaaHoooooooooo!
This "Long Road to Dakar" began for me in July of 2000. We were at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb going for a win against a tough sidecar team from Sweden. In practice we were struggling to keep up with them. We just didn't have the horsepower compared to their GSXR 1100 powered rig, and our chassis was not well suited for that kind of race. A quarter of the way up the mountain in the race, just behind the Swedes, our Sportster powered rig blew up. We had given everything we had, and it still was not enough for a win. While sitting on the side of the course watching all the other competitors blast by, my thoughts drifted towards building a new sidecar that could beat the hot Swedish team at Pikes Peak. In the weeks that followed I began to see that my other dream, competing in the Dakar Rally, could be fulfilled by the same very custom built sidecar. It took a year but we completed the new rig just in time for Pikes Peak 2001. We fulfilled the first half of my dream by beating the Swedish team, and setting a new record time for a sidecar at Pikes Peak. We repeated in 2003 with V-Rod power. Now five years after starting this project, after many changes to the sidecar, many "bumps in the road", years of testing, and picking up a new partner, we are on track to fulfill the second half of this dream. The just received letter below means we are one step closer, and it’s got me totally psyched. I can't wait for the December 31 start date!!!
This "Long Road to Dakar" began for me in July of 2000. We were at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb going for a win against a tough sidecar team from Sweden. In practice we were struggling to keep up with them. We just didn't have the horsepower compared to their GSXR 1100 powered rig, and our chassis was not well suited for that kind of race. A quarter of the way up the mountain in the race, just behind the Swedes, our Sportster powered rig blew up. We had given everything we had, and it still was not enough for a win. While sitting on the side of the course watching all the other competitors blast by, my thoughts drifted towards building a new sidecar that could beat the hot Swedish team at Pikes Peak. In the weeks that followed I began to see that my other dream, competing in the Dakar Rally, could be fulfilled by the same very custom built sidecar. It took a year but we completed the new rig just in time for Pikes Peak 2001. We fulfilled the first half of my dream by beating the Swedish team, and setting a new record time for a sidecar at Pikes Peak. We repeated in 2003 with V-Rod power. Now five years after starting this project, after many changes to the sidecar, many "bumps in the road", years of testing, and picking up a new partner, we are on track to fulfill the second half of this dream. The just received letter below means we are one step closer, and it’s got me totally psyched. I can't wait for the December 31 start date!!!
