Joined
·
1,013 Posts
I've always had the greatest respect for Dakar competitors and think that there must be as much specialized technique to shooting dunes and navigating all the surfaces as there is to drifting a rally car, probably more. But two things in tonight's broadcast were weird:
1. That Belgian Landrover that rolled 5 times - it takes them what seems like an eternity to get sideways and the driver, although he's shifting the wheel in his hands a bit, doesn't countersteer at all before they go over, and in fact appears to turn into the skid during the time it's all going pear-shaped. Is there something about sand I don't know, or something about basic skid control that he doesn't?
2. Is the codriver of the second VW explaining to Jutta Kleinschmidt what the SPARKPLUGS look like so that she can remove them to get the water out of the engine? I think so. When she first gets out of the car she doesn't even open the hood. Can you really be on a desert rally and not know how to remove sparkplugs? And Pons? She used to codrive for Michelle Mouton for heaven's sake. Surely some of the Audi rally team knowledge rubbed off as they were changing the doors of the Quattro to a fresh chase car on the Safari?
Sorry. Rant. Didn't know what conference to post in. World? Thought that any rallyist who's not watching the Dakar should be. It really is the most amazing event.
ACP
Flirting with the laws of physics.
1. That Belgian Landrover that rolled 5 times - it takes them what seems like an eternity to get sideways and the driver, although he's shifting the wheel in his hands a bit, doesn't countersteer at all before they go over, and in fact appears to turn into the skid during the time it's all going pear-shaped. Is there something about sand I don't know, or something about basic skid control that he doesn't?
2. Is the codriver of the second VW explaining to Jutta Kleinschmidt what the SPARKPLUGS look like so that she can remove them to get the water out of the engine? I think so. When she first gets out of the car she doesn't even open the hood. Can you really be on a desert rally and not know how to remove sparkplugs? And Pons? She used to codrive for Michelle Mouton for heaven's sake. Surely some of the Audi rally team knowledge rubbed off as they were changing the doors of the Quattro to a fresh chase car on the Safari?
Sorry. Rant. Didn't know what conference to post in. World? Thought that any rallyist who's not watching the Dakar should be. It really is the most amazing event.
ACP
Flirting with the laws of physics.