Dakar 2006 - Stage 8

[dezracer9]

it sux not knowing...wish there was a better way to follow each driver..but i do realize it is in another country

[SPONSOR]

Membership in the largest desert racing community has its advantages - Participate in Forum Discussions - Send and Receive Private Messages - Maintain Public Photo Albums - Access to Groups - User Profile in our Social Network - Increased Access to more Sub Forums - Reduced Online Advertisements Join our community today

[tractoR]

Earlier today the truck wasn't appearing on Iritrack, now it is at km.0, which would mean they are not lost anymore. The penalty for skipping a stage (you still have to take the start) is huge, but is not really a concern for whoever has no ambition (anymore) for the overall classification.

[dezracer9]

maybe we should send the weatherman to africa next year so we can follow whats goin on

[elsancho1976]

One possible scenario about Robby : He may have just gone to the starting line, getting his control card stamped to stay within the race, skip the whole stage and head straight to tonights bivouac and get to work repairing the truck.

i imagine it would be the same scenario as stage 7... you are given the max allotted time that was set to complete the stage with a 1 hour time penalty

[duchessofthedirt]

Hi All, Here is what I know...Darren and Robby slept in the desert all night as the chase truck couldn't find them until daylight. They fixed the problem and headed to the start. The start time had been extended until 1pm and they missed that by 1 hour. They are sitting at the start and the officials will not let them go. As of right now it looks like the race is over for them.
What happened, when the hit the camel grass - the bar protecting the radiator broke and poked a hole in the radiator.
That is what I know so far....

[duchessofthedirt]

Darren and I just hung up. They are in Atar waiting for two additional support cars. They will spend the night there and then head to Nouakchott tomorrow which is about a 5 hour drive. From there they plan to head straight to Dakar. They are still fighting to stay in the race, but the chances are incredibly slim.

[allwaysbaja]

Thanks for the news. Were you able to speak to Darren via SAT phone?

[duchessofthedirt]

Yes, I just hung up. Darren said that it was REALLY cold and they had to keep each other warm - Ha Ha : )
At least he had a sense of humor

[bufeo]

duchess-

If you don't mind my asking, what kind of satellite phone is Darrin using. Diana and I leave for Africa on Wednesday and I don't want to take my old Magellan sat/phone as it's too cumbersome. Thought I'd get another one, and if you're talking to Darrin while he's in the middle of the Sahara, that's the phone I want.

[duchessofthedirt]

I'm not sure who he is using as it was Robby's team that arranged all that. BUT! Last year Darren used Iridium phones and I spoke with him all through the race. We rented them from a place online... http://www.outfittersatellite.com
Hope that helps!