Dakar,Leg 2: Peterhansel in command / étape 2 : Peterhansel prend la tête

The 2014 Dakar’s second stage was won by Stéphane Peterhansel (Mini/Michelin), ahead of two other former winners: Carlos Sainz (SMG Buggy, +46s) and Giniel de Villiers (Toyota Hilux, +5m34s). Today’s result sees the Frenchman take over at the top of the leaderboard, 28s clear of the Spanish two-time world rally champion. Four Mini/Michelins figure in tonight’s top five.

Stéphane Peterhansel (Mini/Michelin) a remporté la deuxième étape du Rallye Dakar 2014 devant Carlos Sainz (Buggy SMG, +46s) et un autre ancien vainqueur, le Sud-Africain Giniel de Villiers (Toyota Hilux, +5min34s). Le Français s’installe en tête pour 28 secondes devant le double champion du monde des rallyes. Quatre Mini/Michelin figurent dans le top-five provisoire.

The grey El Nihuil dunes some 100km from San Rafael count among Mendoza province’s chief tourist attractions. Today, they were visited by the 2014 Dakar’s competitors, 259km into the event’s second stage (433km) which climbed to as high as 2,000 metres in the Sierra Nevado.

Tonight, San Rafael’s typical autodromo is hosting an overnight camp on the Dakar for the third time. In 2010, Carlos Sainz led when he showed up here, while Stéphane Peterhansel emerged in front in San Rafael in 2012 despite the day’s stage being won by Nasser Al-Attiyah in his powerful Hummer.

Today, the same three drivers figured among the front-runners during the early part of today’s stage. After covering the first 259km at an average speed of 121kph (!), it was Peterhansel who led as they started to tackle the famous dunes, however. At this point, he was 10 seconds clear of Carlos Sainz and 6m52s ahead of his team-mate Al-Attiyah who had been slowed by punctures. Spain’s Nani Roma had dropped time because of hanging dust, while the overnight leader Carlos Sousa (Haval H8) was halted by a broken turbo at Km33.

Peterhansel pushed hard through the dunes to lay the foundations for his first stage win of the rally which, in a repeat of 2012’s scenario, allowed him to take provisional first place in San Rafael. The 11-time Dakar victor beat Carlos Sainz by 46s and now leads the Spaniard by 28s.

Giniel de Villiers (Toyota Hilux) started the morning in 16^th place but managed to ease past a raft of rivals to claim third spot on today’s test, ahead of Mini ALL4-Racing drivers Roma (+7m25s), Al-Attiyah (+7m44s) and Orlando Terranova (+12m41s). Sainz’s team-mate Ronan Chabot (SMG Buggy) was seventh, ahead of Christian Lavieille (Haval) and Argentina's Lucio Alvarez (Ford Ranger). South Africa’s Leeroy Poulter (Toyota Hilux) dropped almost three-quarters of an hour.

Leg 3 (596km) will take competitors north to San Juan. Wednesday’s stage (301km) will start near Mendoza and climb to an altitude of more than 3,000 metres in the Andean foothills before a tricky descent back into the heat of San Juan. The first car is due to leave San Rafael at 6:08am local time, and the stage is scheduled to begin at 10:48am after a 292km run-out

A une petite centaine de kilomètres de San Rafael, les dunes grises d’El Nihuil sont une des nombreuses attractions touristiques de la province de Mendoza. Elles étaient proposées aux concurrents du Dakar 2014 au Km 259 de cette 2^e étape, une boucle longue de 433 km, qui grimpait jusqu’à 2000 mètres d’altitude dans la Sierra Nevado.

San Rafael et son authentique Autodromo accueillaient pour la 3^e fois le Rallye Dakar. En 2010, Carlos Sainz y était arrivé en vainqueur. En 2012, Nasser Al-Attiyah avait fait parler la puissance de son Hummer pour remporter l’étape, mais c’est Stéphane Peterhansel qui avait pris les rênes de l’épreuve.

Ces trois mêmes pilotes ont animé la 1^ère partie de l’étape. Après 259 km engloutis à 121 km/h de moyenne (!!), Peterhansel s’est présenté au pied des dunes grises avec 10s d’avance sur le Buggy de Carlos Sainz et 6min52s sur son équipier Al-Attiyah, victime de crevaisons. L’Espagnol Nani Roma avait perdu du temps dans la poussière, alors que le leader du rallye ce matin, Carlos Sousa, avait dû s’arrêter à cause d’un turbo cassé sur son Haval H8 au Km 33.

Dans le cordon de dunes, le « onzuple » vainqueur Dakar Stéphane Peterhansel a attaqué de plus belle pour remporter la 2^e étape et, comme en 2012, prendre la tête de la course à San Rafael. Il s’est imposé avec 46s d’avance sur Carlos Sainz qui pointe à seulement 28s au classement général. Parti en 16^e position ce matin, le Sud-Africain a doublé de nombreux concurrents pour terminer à la 3^e place du jour sur son Toyota Hilux, devant trois Mini ALL4-Racing : Nani Roma (+7min25s), Nasser Al-Attiyah (+7min44s) et Orlando Terranova (+12min41s). L’équipier de Sainz, Ronan Chabot, (Buggy SMG) a pris la 7^e place devant Christian Lavieille (Haval) et l’Argentin Lucio Alvarez (Ford Ranger). Le Sud-Africain Leeroy Poulter (Toyota Hilux) a perdu près de ¾ d’heure.

Demain, le Dakar prend de la hauteur et met le cap au Nord pour la 3^e étape entre San Rafael et San Juan longue de 596 km. La spéciale (301 km) s’élancera près de Mendoza et courra sur les contreforts des Andes, passant parfois à plus de 3000 mètres d’altitude, avant de plonger dans la fournaise de San Juan. La 1^ère auto quittera le bivouac à 6h08 (10h08 heure française) pour un départ de spéciale à 10h48 (14h48) après 292 km de liaison.

Classement étape 2

1. Peterhansel/Cottret (Mini/Michelin), 3h52min05s – 2. Sainz/Gottschalk (Buggy), +46s – 3. De Villiers/Von Zitzewitz (Toyota/Michelin), +5min34s – 4. Roma/Périn (Mini/Michelin), +7min25s – 5. Al-Attiyah/Cruz (Mini/Michelin), +7min34s…

Classement général

1. Peterhansel/Cottret (Mini/Michelin), 6h17min02s – 2. Sainz/Gottschalk (Buggy), +28s – 3. Al-Attiyah/Cruz (Mini/Michelin), +4min10s – 4. Roma/Périn (Mini/Michelin), +4min19s – 5. Terranova/Fiuza (Mini/Michelin), +8min31s…

Dakar – Leg 2: Monday’s stage win for Sunderland, Barreda still leads / Etape 2 : victoire de Sunderland, Barreda reste leader

Sam Sunderland (Honda-Michelin) was the fastest rider on Leg 2’s 359km stage en route from San Luis to San Rafael. The Briton finished clear of Chile’s Chaleco Lopez (KTM-Michelin) and fellow Honda runner Joan Barreda who still tops the provisional leaderboard.

Sam Sunderland (Honda) s’est montré le plus rapide lors de la deuxième spéciale chronométrée longue de 359 km entre San Luis et San Rafael. Il devance à l’arrivée le chilien Chaleco Lopez (KTM-Michelin) et son coéquipier Joan Barreda (Honda-Michelin) qui conserve sa place de leader au général.

Sunderland is contesting the Dakar for only the second time on his Honda CRF 450 Rally. He retired on Day 2 in 2012 and was forced to sit out the 2013 rally through injury, but today saw him claim the first stage victory on the event of his career.

In addition to being quick, the 24-year old is a talented navigator and he completed today’s 359km test in a time of 3h42m10s. At the halfway point, he was fourth overall, 3m15s adrift of Barreda, but he produced a stunning run over the infamous grey dunes near Nihuil to claw back time and beat Chaleco Lopez by a margin of 39 seconds. His performance makes it two stage victories from two so far for Honda, while team-mate Barreda was third (+2m0s).

Fourth place went to Cyril Despres’ former back-up rider Ruben Faria (+4m7s, KTM-Michelin) who was second in 2013. Alain Duclos (Sherco-Michelin) ran well again and was fifth (+5m51s).

Meanwhile, Marc Coma (KTM-Michelin) and Cyril Despres (Yamaha Factory Racing) both dropped more than eight minutes to today’s pacesetter (+8m23s and +8m43s respectively) and have consequently lost ground in the overall order. Coma is down to fifth (+7m0s) and Despres is eighth (+8m23s).

Australian rider Ben Graham (KTM-Michelin), David Casteu (KTM-Michelin) and Paulo Goncalves (Honda-Michelin) all posted similar times to round off Stage 2’s top eight.

The overall leaderboard continues to be topped by Barreda who is now 2m3s clear of Lopez. Sunderland’s success has taken him from overnight ninth to third place, exactly half-a-minute behind Lopez. Duclos is still fourth (+5m47s).

Tuesday’s competitive action (373km) will see competitors climb the slopes of the Aconcagua volcano to an altitude of 4,300 metres. The initial section of the fortnight’s first marathon stage (1,038km) will take them to tonight’s halt in San Juan where no servicing will be permitted.

The day could play a key role in the fight for victory since riders will need to be careful with their bikes if they want to reach Chilecito safely on Wednesday evening.

San Sunderland au guidon de sa Honda CRF 450 Rally remporte sa première victoire d’étape  pour sa seconde participation. Suite à un abandon précoce à l’issue de la deuxième étape en 2012, le pilote britannique, âgé seulement de 24 ans, avait dû déclarer forfait en 2013 pour cause de blessure.

Rapide et disposant de bonnes capacités de navigation, Sam Sunderland est venu à bout des 359 km de spéciale en 3h42min10. Pointé en quatrième position à mi-parcours à 3min15 du leader Barreda, Sunderland a su déjouer les pièges des dunes grises de la région de Nihuil et parfaire son retard pour s’imposer avec 39 secondes d’avance sur Chaleco Lopez. Il offre à Honda une seconde victoire d’étape consécutive. Son coéquipier Barreda se classe troisième à 2 minutes.

L’ancien porteur d’eau de Cyril Despres, Ruben Faria (KTM-Michelin), deuxième de l’édition 2013, s’est hissé à la quatrième place accusant un retard de 4min07 sur le vainqueur du jour.  Alain Duclos (Sherco-Michelin) a confirmé son bon début de rallye en terminant cinquième à 5 minutes.

En revanche, Marc Coma (KTM-Michelin) et Cyril Despres (Yamaha Factory Racing), neuvième et dixième, ont concédé plus de 8 minutes chacun. L’Espagnol abandonne 8min23 et le Français 8min43 à Sunderland. Les deux grands favoris rétrogradent au classement général. Coma occupe  désormais la cinquième place (+7min) alors que Despres glisse au huitième rang (+8min23).

L’Australien Ben Graham (KTM-Michelin), David Casteu (KTM-Michelin) et Paulo Goncalves (Honda-Michelin) terminent en tir groupé séparés que de quelques secondes et s’intercalent de la sixième à la huitième place.

Au classement général, Barreda conserve la tête et compte 2min03 d’avance sur Lopez. Sa première victoire d’étape associée à sa neuvième place hier permet à Sunderland de compléter le podium provisoire à 30 secondes du Chilien. Duclos pointe toujours à la quatrième place à 5min47 du leader.

Demain, les concurrents escaladeront une partie du volcan de l’Aconcagua et grimperont jusqu’à 4300 mètres d’altitude. La première partie de la première étape marathon longue de 1038 km (373 km de spéciale) les conduira à San Juan où ils seront accueillis dans un bivouac dédié sans assistance.

La troisième étape peut s’annoncer d’ores et déjà capitale dans la course à la victoire. Les motards devront ménager la mécanique s’ils souhaitent rallier Chilecito mercredi soir.

Classement Etape 2 :

Sunderland 3h42min10s – 2. Lopez (KTM-Michelin) +39s – 3. Barreda (Honda-Michelin) +2min – 4. Faria (KTM-Michelin) +4min07 – 5. Duclos (Sherco-Michelin) +5min51,…9. Coma (KTM-Michelin) +8min23 – 10. Despres (Yamaha-Michelin) +8min43.

Classement général :

Barreda 6h9min4 – 2. Lopez +2min03 – 3. Sunderland +2min33 – 4. Duclos +5min47 – 5. Coma +7min – 6. Faria +7min18 – 7. Goncalez +8min10 – 8. Despres +8min23,…

Mongolia 2013

August 2013
21 Days
7 People
5000 Km off-road
(Moscow) - Barnaul - Altai - Tuva - Mongolia -Baikal - (Moscow)

Offroadpeople: Mongolia 2013 from grom1300 on Vimeo.

Aaron Miller’s CB350

Las Vegas, the Desert City that never sleeps, where you win big or lose big. The destination of a thousand tales of excess and debauchery. As a day tripper it’s difficult to fathom that people actually come from there, a pop up mirage in a desert of open space. But they do. Aaron Jay Miller does, born and raised, and judging by the skills and passion this guy has, it can be a melting pot of creativity and purpose as well as decadence and demise.

Aaron is an artist and fabricator that builds props and sets for Theatre and Television, he currently works in the Vegas prop and fabrication shop of the legendary Cirque Du Soleil. If you have ever had the pleasure of seeing one of this troupe’s death defying, wondrous shows, you will know that precision, beauty and execution are essential in every aspect of their world. Luckily for us, Aaron has now begun to turn his craftsman hands to creating motorcycles. With the skill-set he has picked-up through his profession, it was inevitable that when he decided to create a motorcycle with the tools he had in his garage, something very special would emerge.

The starting point was a 72′ Honda cb350 found on craigslist in Utah. Aaron teamed up with buddy Phil, and they took on the trip to collect the bike and it’s re-assembly together, dividing the workload to conquer the build. Aaron approached bike building from the same perspective he uses to create custom art pieces, viewing the bike as art on wheels. With the end goal of a brat style scrambler they set to work. Buy the ticket, take the ride.

Phil began stripping down the bike, removing superfluous parts and cleaning out the carb, whilst Aaron set to work on the tank. After repairing a dent, stripping the paint and polishing it up Aaron decided the bare metal finish on the tank was just too cool to hide with paintwork. This decision infused the rest of the build, “the idea came up to build a bunch of custom parts out of steel for the bike and just do a brushed steel look for the whole bike.” The first of these steel fabrications were new fork shroud headlight brackets to replace the old tired chrome versions. These, of course, do not simply grip the original fibreglass headlight, Aaron made a new stepped, steel headlight shell and fitted a contrasting black peak to the lamp dropping a hint of steampunk into the brat look. Next up were the trick handlebars that were fabricated to incorporate a hidden mounting system that utilise the riser bolt holes. The cockpit is completed with a crescent steel moon dashboard incorporating simple clocks and warning lights. Chunky foot pegs were then turned and wrapped with skateboard deck tape to keep boots/Vans from the desert floor.

The stance of the bike was altered by dropping the forks 1.5 inches through the trees to generate a more parallel profile, emphasised by the matching sizes of the front and rear Kenda trials tires that frequently draw curious questions. Aaron further carved and cleaned the looks by lopping-off the rear framework and rebuilding it with 1 inch tubing to his desired proportions. Then life began to get in the way, (I guess Vegas can be a distracting town) “I got tied up with other projects and the bike sat for a bit, then I saw a flyer for the deus bike build off in LA and decided to finish it up and bring it to the event.” Work kicked on again in earnest.

Aaron built all new battery and electrical mounts then covered them with an aluminum seat pan. Next Aaron mined his group of talented friends and hired Cirque du Soleil colleague, Antonio, from the prop and puppet department to construct the leatherwork for the seat to his own specifications. Predictably Antonio’s work and craftsmanship yielded stunning results as well. (The seat has just enough room for a showgirl on the back, but with no pegs she would have to wrap those legs around you for the blast up the strip… Sorry, I deviate….) With only a day left before the Deus build off, Aaron fabricated a steel tail light and a natty license plate holder before hitting the road to L.A. at midnight. Awesome.

In Aaron’s words, “the bike did not win but it was well liked by everyone there which made me want to go home and build another right away. Which is exactly what I did, now my garage is filled with 6 bikes and I’m thinking about quitting my job to build bikes!” On this occasion we are very happy to say that what happens in Vegas, has not stayed in Vegas. Keep building em’ Aaron, and we will keep showing em’ on the ‘Shed.

Thanks go to Cierra Miller for the stunning, apt photography of this desert sled. Check out aaronjaymiller.comfor more information.

Written & Posted by Gareth@TheBikeShed

from PIPEBURN

NEED FOR SPEED: KEN BLOCK'S GYMKHANA SIX

Need For Speed's Racing Advisor Ken Block built the ultimate Gymkhana GRID course -- a real-life playground to showcase the sheer speed, fun and exhilarating action of driving. This means all-new obstacles that help raise the difficulty for Block to master in his Ford Fiesta ST RX43 2013 racecar, including maneuvering around a moving wrecking ball and sliding through narrow opening cut into the sides of shipping containers. Block also added videogame elements from Need for Speed Rivals. Watch as he executes multiple jumps, drifts around Lamborghini Aventadors and evades the videogame-themed Redview County cops on Segways in his own unique style. You can almost smell the burn of the rubber as he tears up this incredible course. So sit back and enjoy the ride. 

KAWASAKI W650 BY CRD

The Kawasaki W650 is a motorcycle just begging to be customized. Production ended in 2008, but it’s easy to find one on the secondhand market, prices are reasonable, and custom parts are plentiful.

There are a lot of top-dollar W650 builds out there, yet this 2003 model shows what can be done with a little ingenuity—plus the tank from an old Honda CG125.

It’s the work of Cafe Racer Dreams of Spain, who have fitted a plush custom seat unit to make up for the ‘rigid’ rear suspension—which is a pair of modified steering rods from a 1973 Ford Gran Torino.

The Kawasaki W650 has ample power delivery for most riders, so in this case mods are restricted to the breathing. K&N filters handle the intake, and the stubby exhaust system is a custom-fabricated item built to CRD’s design.

The footpegs are Tarozzi, and the front suspension has been dropped a little to lower the overall stance of the bike. Stiffer springs compensate for the slightly reduced travel.

The battery now hides in a discreet box under the swingarm, and the simplified electrics are wired up to Motogadget switchgear and a compact headlight of CRD’s own design. The ignition has been moved to the right-hand side of the chassis, giving the Renthal Ultra Low bars an even cleaner look. The tires are Continental TKC 80s, which despite the semi-knobbly looks are renowned for their predictable handling on asphalt.

It’s a stylish and rideable machine, mixing retro custom looks with modern reliability and easy servicing. Would you put it in your garage?

For more inspiration on customizing the Kawasaki W650 (and W800) check out our Top 5 customs feature.

from BIKEEXIF

NICO DRAGONI bike #5

HONDA NIGHTHAWK BY CLASSIFIED MOTO

If there’s a builder entitled to look back on 2013 with a quiet sense of satisfaction, it’s John Ryland of Classified Moto. He’s enjoyed both critical and commercial success, with so many commissions he’s had to close the order book on more than one occasion.

This is the final 2013 build to roll out of Classified’s Virginia workshop, a 1992 Honda Nighthawk—better known as a CB750 to those of you outside the USA. “This one was built for a pilot in the UAE,” John explains. “He’d seen a bike we shipped to the Biker’s Cafe in Dubai, and wanted something ‘similar but unique.’”

“We’ve been looking for a new build platform to explore as we phase out the XVs that we’ve become associated with. We liked the idea of the Honda Nighthawk: the motors are pretty reliable, and the Nighthawk is readily available here in the States. ‘Classifying’ them provides a great before/after.”

For the Nighthawk, John wanted a street tracker vibe—a higher seat with less of a cockpit than usual, a narrow tank, and upright bars. “Maybe an inline four isn’t the motor of choice for trackers,” he observes, “but we like the way it looks. Like a big motor swapped into a small bike.”

Seth Ingham of Sleeper Designs worked with John to find an intake solution. It needed to be somewhere between the huge stock airbox and compact but finicky pod filters. “I was pushing for a slim aluminum airbox, until Seth came up with the twin intake setup,” says John. “It was an expensive process, but it fixed a lot of the issues that pods cause—and looks super clean.”

The motor has been completely rebuilt, and the stock carbs rejetted. The front end is from a 2008 Yamaha YZF-R6R, installed using Classified’s now-familiar Triple Tree Conversion and a custom billet upper clamp. The back is suspended via a Ducati Multistrada swing arm and Hypermotard shock. Sitting atop the powdercoated frame is a nickel-plated tank from a 1974 Yamaha RD250.

Visually, the Nighthawk has all the Classified cues: perforated nickel side panels, a stripe along the top of the bodywork, a Roy Baird seat and gold forks. “Oddly for us, this one also has turn signals, which came out looking pretty sweet!”

There are three more Nighthawks in the works right now at Classified, but the biggest news is a move into an amazing historic warehouse near downtown Richmond. “It’s been a long time dream,” says John. “It was sometimes frustrating to see all the other upstart brands in cool shops while we were still in the family garage!”

After the dust has settled, John will be delivering actress Katee Sackhoff’s second build (see our coverage of the first here) and a first bike for actor Norman Reedus of The Walking Dead and Boondock Saints. “And our episode of Cafe Racer TV finally ran, so we’ve been selling lots of t-shirts. That’s a lot easier money than building bikes!”

A wry comment on the realities of the custom business these days. But Classified Moto have proved it’s possible to make a living out of the custom business. We’re looking forward to seeing what John and his crew come up with for 2014.

Images by Adam Ewing.

via BIKEEXIF

Lamborghini 'Koenig' Countach by Benedict Radcliffe

Here at Classic Driver we love to tease and tempt you with ultra-rare and special cars from upcoming auctions. Today’s no different, except that the lot we’ve chosen isn’t technically a car. That’s not to say it won’t take pride of place in your collection, though…

This wacky wire-frame replica of the Lamborghini Countach – dubbed the ‘Koenig’ – is the brainchild of UK artist and sculptor, Benedict Radcliffe. Using a whopping 160 feet of 10mm steel rods, painted in an eye-catching fluorescent orange, Radcliffe skilfully reproduced an accurate hollow frame of the iconic 80s supercar.

It’s life-size, too, meaning you’ll need at least 14 feet (and six feet across!) of free space if you’d like to ogle it in your living room. Well, Lamborghinis were never known for their petite dimensions, were they?

In an amusing publicity stunt the sculpture was ‘parked’ on the streets of London, confusing passers-by, some of whom, upon further inspection of the mysterious frame, actually climbed inside. Perhaps inevitably, the car received a parking ticket. Boo! We hope the artist appealed. 

The ‘Koenig’ Countach will go under the hammer with no reserve at RM’s Paris sale, taking place on 5 February 2014 during the world-famous Retromobile week. 

Photos: RM Auctions

You can find several more mobile Lamborghini Countaches in the Classic Driver Market.

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