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    mardi 13 janvier 2015

    DAKAR ; stage 9 : Rodrigues (Honda) au panache , Roma (Mini) sauve son rallye




    Auteur d'une journée désastreuse lundi sur la route d'Iquique avec plus de 3 heures de perdues, Helder Rodrigues a réagi en champion à Calama avec une splendide et imparable victoire. Deuxième, Paulo Goncalves maintient la pression sur Marc Coma. Privé de tout espoir de remporter un second Dakar consécutif dès la première étape par une défaillance mécanique sur sa Mini, il ne restait plus à Nani Roma que quelques victoires d'étapes de prestige pour retrouver le sourire et enrichir son palmarès. C'est désormais chose faite après une belle démonstration de force à Calama.



    Ecarté de la course au général, Helder Rodrigues n'a plus rien à perdre. Le pilote HRC a donc eu tout le loisir de sortir la grosse attaque sur les 450 kilomètres de spéciale qui menaient à Calama pour créer un vrai trou sur ses adversaires. Maitrisant parfaitement son sujet, le désormais double vainqueur d'étape sur le Dakar 2015 a repoussé son dauphin du jour et coéquipier Paulo Goncalves à près de quatre minutes. Pas de quoi attrister le deuxième du général, satisfait de reprendre 3'43'' à Marc Coma et qui semble désormais le seul en mesure de contester le rallye au pilote KTM après neuf étapes.

    Il faut dire qu'avec la troisième place du jour, Coma sait faire le dos rond et éloigne un peu plus Pablo Quintanilla en attendant de s'attaquer au problème Goncalves. A 23'15'' du vainqueur, l'addition est en effet salée pour le Chilien, tout comme pour Toby Price qui perd lui aussi plus de 23 minutes. Dans le coup sur la première moitié de spéciale, Joan Barreda termine finalement à près de 19'47'' alors que Javier Pizzolito et Stefan Svitko, respectivement 5e et 6e, sont également au-delà des 20 minutes. Quant à Laia Sanz et Juan Pedrero, les jours se suivent et ne se ressemblent pas avec 43'20'' et 1h08' de retard sur le vainqueur.

    Cinquième de son premier Dakar l'année dernière, Victor Gallegos avait manqué de peu sa première victoire sur le plus prestigieux des rallye-raid. Décevant depuis le départ de Buenos Aires, le Chilien aura finalement atteint son objectif sur la route de Calama avec sa plus belle étape sur le Dakar. Avec plus de 15 minutes d'avance sur Rafal Sonik à l'arrivée, Gallegos n'a pas amusé le terrain et infligé une correction à ses adversaires. Le Polonais était cependant satisfait de sa spéciale puisqu'en reprenant plus de dix minutes à un Ignacio Casale seulement quatrième, il reprend les commandes de la course pour quatre minutes. La lutte fait plus que jamais rage entre les deux hommes à quatre jours de l'arrivée.




    135e à l'issue de la première étape, premier au soir de la neuvième à Calama. Une progression météorique mais bien sûr attendue par le pilote Mini dont la perte de tout espoir au général dès la première journée avait mis un sérieux coup au moral. Mais loin de renoncer, l'Espagnol était décidé à briller et prouver que sans ce fait de course du premier jour, il serait aujourd'hui un sérieux prétendant au podium final. Et sa victoire autoritaire du jour avec 6'27'' d'avance sur l'actuel leader du général, fait écho à cet état d'esprit. Mais loin d'en prendre ombrage, le pilote Qatari pouvait lui être très satisfait de sa spéciale qui lui permet de reprendre plus de quinze minutes à son premier poursuivant Giniel de Villiers.




    Le Sud-africain, qui paye cash une grosse erreur de navigation, est même devancé par un Vladimir Vasilyev qui se montre à nouveau après sa victoire surprise de l'étape 5 et intègre à présent le Top 8 du général. Un classement dont la troisième place est toujours occupée par Yazeed Alrajhi, moins flamboyant que dimanche et qui cède 27 minutes au vainqueur du jour après avoir roulé 200 km sans freins. Le Saoudien s'en sort toutefois bien mieux que Bernhard Ten Brinke qui a perdu plusieurs heures sur les routes de Calama. Cyril Despres réussit lui sa meilleure spéciale depuis le départ avec la 10e place.

    Dominé par Eduard Nikolaev durant toute la première partie de spéciale vers Calama, Airat Mardeev a finalement repris la main face à son compatriote dans les derniers kilomètres pour l'emporter de 1'29. Mardeev s'échappe donc un peu plus au général mais voit un Nikolaev toujours aussi menaçant remonter au second rang provisoire.





    After a disastrous day on Monday on the way to Iquique losing more than 3 hours, Helder Rodrigues reacted like a champion in Calama with a splendid and irrefutable victory. Second placed Paulo Gonçalves maintained the pressure on Marc Coma. Deprived of all hope of winning a second consecutive Dakar from the very first stage due to a technical problem with his Mini, all which remained for Nani Roma was several prestigious stage victories to put the smile back on his face and extend his roll of honour. It is now mission accomplished thanks to a fine show of force in Calama.



    Out of the reckoning for the general standings, Helder Rodrigues has nothing to lose. The Honda HRC rider had ample scope to go on all-out attack over the 450-km special finishing in Calama to open up a major gap on his rivals. In full control, the two times stage winner on the Dakar 2015 finished almost four minutes ahead of the runner-up, his team-mate Paulo Gonçalves. This was of no worry to the second placed rider in the general standings however, since he was satisfied with regaining 3'43'' from Marc Coma and now seems to be the only rider able to trouble the KTM rider after nine stages.



    It should be said that with the day's third placed finish, Coma was able to grin and bear it, distancing Pablo Quintanilla a little more before having to deal with the problem of Gonçalves. Finishing 23'15'' behind the stage winner, the Chilean suffered a major blow, as did Toby Price who lost more than 23 minutes. Keeping up with the pace on the first half of the special, Joan Barreda finally finished almost 19'47'' behind Gonçalves, whilst Javier Pizzolito and Stefan Svitko, respectively 5th and 6th, where also more than 20 minutes off the pace. As for Laia Sanz and Juan Pedrero, their performances today were nothing like yesterday, finishing 43'20'' and 1 hour 8 minutes behind the stage winner.




    Fifth on his first Dakar, Victor Gallegos just missed out by a whisker on his first victory on the most prestigious rally-raid in the world. Disappointing since the start in Buenos Aires, the Chilean has finally achieved his goal on the way to Calama with his best performance on the Dakar. With a lead of more than 15 minutes over Rafal Sonik at the finish, Gallegos did not hang about and left his rivals trailing in his wake. The Polish rider can be satisfied with his special stage because since he regained ten minutes from Ignacio Casale who only finished fourth, Sonik retook control of the general standings by four minutes. Four days from the finish, the battle is raging between the two men.




    135th on completion of the first stage, today Nani Roma finished first at the end of the ninth stage in Calama. This meteoric rise was of course expected of the Mini driver, to whom the loss of all hope in the general standings on the very first day of the rally was a major blow to morale. However, far from giving up, the Spaniard decided to pull out all the stops and prove that without this mishap on the first day, he would today have been a serious pretender for the final podium. His impressive victory with a lead of 6'27' over the current general standings leader is a fine illustration of this spirit. Nonetheless, rather than taking umbrage at this result, the Qatari driver can be very happy with a special stage on which he extended his lead over his nearest rival Giniel de Villiers by fifteen minutes.




    The South African, who paid the cost of a major navigation mistake, was even beaten by Vladimir Vasilyev, who again displayed his skills after his surprise triumph on stage 5. As a result, the Russian enters the top 8. In the general standings, third place is still occupied by Yazeed Alrajhi. Less flamboyant than on Sunday, he gave up 27 minutes to the day's winner after driving for 200 km without brakes. The Saudi was more fortunate than Bernhard Ten Brinke who lost several hours on the tracks to Calama. Cyril Despres enjoyed his best performance since the start of the rally with a 10th placed finish.

    Dominated by Eduard Nikolaev during the first part of the special, Airat Mardeev has finally sneaked ahead of his countryman at the end of the special to win by 1'29. Mardeev opens the gap a little bit further in the general standings, but Nikolaev is still threatening and climbs up into second place.




    DIRT SHARK - MONSTER CUP BIGGEST WHIP 2014


    The police drove Lola T70s in George Lucas’s directorial debut


    Chances are you’ve heard of Lamborghini Gallardos and Porsche 356s used in law enforcement roles – although it would take a brave mind to put a light bar and siren on a genuine Lola T70. But that’s exactly what Star Wars creator George Lucas did in his directorial debut, THX 1138…
    Given the values of Lola T70s today, you could be forgiven for writing off the two cars that appear in Lucas’s 1971 dystopian cult classic THX 1138 as glassfibre replicas, particularly as kitcar company FiberFab was listed in the credits. But at least one is known to be a genuine T70: chassis SL73/117. First sold as a road car in 1967, it was soon passed on to American actor James Garner’s racing team, where it entered several endurance races and came 2nd at the 1969 Daytona 24 Hours. However, the T70 soon became uncompetitive (thanks to Porsche 917s and Ferrari 512s) and therefore held little value, and it was passed on to Lucas for a second life as the ‘hero car’ in Lucas’s film. Subsequently, it was given to racing driver John Ward as payment for his stunt driving. 

    Tunnel vision, but no sound


    At the time of filming, it appeared the engine of the future would be a gas turbine, following numerous high-profile experiments by major manufacturers in the previous decades. As a result, Lucas decided the T70 police cars in THX 1138 – set in the 25th Century – should be thus equipped, and SL73/117 and its understudy were modified with relevant appendages. “We’d shoot at night because it was the only way we could close off these tunnels… and the tunnels acted like an amplifier,” says Lucas in the film’s DVD commentary. “We had these huge race car sounds coming out at two in the morning, and all the neighbours would call the cops.” However, during post-production those glorious wails were replaced by turbine soundbites, which were manipulated recordings of an F86 Sabre during landing.

    Better left alone


    The story of the other T70 in the film is not widely known; perhaps it was an original car, or maybe a glassfibre ‘splash’ from SL73/117. Considering Lucas also managed to recruit Tom Meade’s famous ‘Thomassima II’ for a cameo in the same film – “I knew a lot of guys who raced cars,” he recalled – it could quite possibly be the former. But one thing’s for sure, the authenticity was all but trashed in the 2004 Director’s Cut re-master, in which primitive CGI models were inserted into the chase scenes. Proof that some things are better left unchanged, even if you are one of the most successful filmmakers of all time.
    Photos/Videos: Lucasfilm

    Snapshot, 1970: Don’t shoot, Michael!


    There are a thousand reasons to vote for the 1971 film ‘Get Carter’ as the best British gangster movie of all time...
    We especially like the uniquely casual elegance of Michael Caine: his impeccable dark blue mohair suit (most likely tailored by Douglas Hayward in Mayfair, who also dressed Roger Moore’s James Bond), the large enamel cufflinks, the gold Rolex Oyster Datejust with brown leather strap and, of course, the gun, which appears so threatening on camera – but is never once fired in the film. 
    Photo: Getty Images
    For a detailed article on the ‘Killer Suit’ worn by Michael Caine in Get Carter, click here. The appropriate Rolex Oyster can be found in the Classic Driver watch market.

    Chase tales with this Alfa Romeo Super ‘Carabinieri’


    Have you noticed the surge of interest in small, European classic cars? This 1971 Alfa Romeo Giulia Super ‘Carabinieri’ could be the perfect vehicle to keep them in line. (But pursue Mini Coopers at your peril…)
    Yep, we’ve all seen it: the Giulia-wielding Italian police hopelessly pursuing Charlie Croker’s gold-laden Minis in The Italian Job. In reality, short work would have been made of the trio, for the Italian police forces, particularly the enigmatic Carabinieri (the national military police), were – and still are ­– a force to be reckoned with. 

    All mod cons

    Alfas have long been the darling of the Caribinieri, ever since the ‘Matta’ impressed with its off-road capabilities in the early 1950s. From Giulias to Alfasuds, through 33s and 159s, to this day where there’s an immaculately turned out Carabiniere, you’ll usually find an Alfa Romeo. The stunning car pictured might be a faithful recreation but it’s got all the mod cons, including flashing lights, sirens and authentic heraldic emblems and ex-police number plates.
    Powered by an 89bhp, twin-camshaft engine (this one even has downdraft Webers) and tipping the scales at just 1000kg, the Giulia 1300 Super was the ideal choice for a police force dealing with not only higher levels of crime, but villains armed with faster cars. When engaged in a chase, there was little that could evade the nimble Alfa through town, and similarly little that could outlast them at high speeds. It was comfortable, too – even criminals were afforded a smooth ride to justice. 

    Suitably authoritative

    Compared to the Polizia’s rather drab olive green cars, the Carabinieri’s ‘Gazzella’ (or ‘gazelles’, as they’re dubbed by the Italians for their speed and agility) looked suitably authoritative in their blue and white liveries. And that roof is white for a reason: not only did it help the support helicopter locate and identify the good guys in pursuit, but it also kept its occupants cool below the fierce Italian sun – remember, air-conditioning was the preserve of the ultra-wealthy back then, and all but the most luxurious cars went without.
    Thanks to the Carabinieri, many of history’s most notorious criminals were brought down. As a result, cars like this Giulia Super are often required for films and television. Set to go under the gavel at RM’s Paris sale on 4 February (estimated at a reasonable €15,000-20,000), it could be a front-row ticket to the next Hollywood crime thriller. You’d best buy the uniform, too, just in case.
    Photos: Piotr Degler ©2015 Courtesy of RM Auctions

    A brand-new 427 Cobra to celebrate the car’s 50th birthday


    A special-edition 427 Cobra from Shelby American? Don’t hang about when sales open on 13 January, as you can bet these cars will prove very popular…
    A very limited series of (just 50) 427 anniversary Cobras is being planned to celebrate the 50 anniversary of this stupendous version of the all-conquering Cobra. The cars will carry genuine Shelby American serial numbers – CSX4550 to CSX4599 – along with an anniversary badge stating the car’s unique number (1 of 50, 2 of 50, and so on).

    Paint optional

    You can select from a glassfibre body in Guardsman blue with Wimbledon white stripes, or an aluminium body in either the blue/white livery or pure polished aluminium (with or without brushed stripes). Prices, in American dollars, start at $120,000 for the glassfibre version; $180,000 for the aluminium.

    A brand-new classic

    Only around 260 road-going examples of the genuine 427 Cobra were built before the end of 1966, so modern-day examples direct from Shelby American – founded by Carroll Shelby in 1962 – are highly desirable today.
    Photos: Shelby American
    You can find several Shelbys for sale in the Classic Driver Market.

    Only Porsche has more Porsches – Manfred Hering's passion for early 911s


    Manfred Hering, owner of German specialist Early 911s, is something of a lord of the classic Porsche 911 – despite his tender age (he’s only in his forties). Classic Driver talked to the 911 expert in his newly opened Porsche dream factory in Wuppertal.

    A rival to Magnus Walker

    It’s not just Magnus Walker from California – in the world of classic Porsche 911s, there’s also Manfred Hering from Wuppertal. Walk into his company, ‘Early 911s’, and you feel you’re in the Louvre – if the art gallery were dedicated to the boxer-engined sports car, that is. Hundreds of variants of the Zuffenhausen classic can be found here, in all the models’ forms and trims. The only place you’d be likely to find more Porsches gathered together in one place would be at Porsche itself. Here you can marvel at rare models in their factory-delivered state, or perhaps you’d prefer to dream of having the perfect bespoke Porsche 911 created from one of the countless unrestored bodyshells. Even when it comes to the faithful restoration of the classics, Manfred Hering has more than a few insider tips at his disposal. So we put a few questions to Hering, while wandering among his unrivalled collection of 911s.

    From ad man to Porsche guru

    What is your oldest automotive memory?
    I was a year old, sitting with my grandfather on his Porsche tractor. He is still my hero because he always went his own way – a brave and determined man.
    Before you founded ‘Early 911s’, you worked in the advertising industry. Did you already have a passion for cars? And for Porsches?
    I was inspired by the design of vehicles, but technology was of secondary importance to me. I liked what I think is known in America as ‘trailer queens’? Nowadays the technology is just as important to me.

    Understatement, sportiness and sustainable investment

    Why Porsche?
    First, because I was born in Germany. And also because Porsche is the only brand that – for me – embodies understatement, sportiness and sustainable investment.
    What is the philosophy behind your business, ‘Early 911s’?
    To restore Porsches and return them one hundred per cent to their original technical condition, as they would have been on first delivery. We have three approaches. First, where the vehicle has its original paint and patina but is in technically mint condition, we simply clean the interior and, where appropriate, replace any damaged parts. However, this is rarely possible. The second approach is more comprehensive, replacing most of the car’s components. The third way is to create the ‘patina’ ourselves. 

    50 men for all seasons

    And what services do you offer?
    We have 50 employees – including five engine builders and six bodywork specialists – and do everything ourselves bar paint stripping and painting. However, in 2015 or 2016 we’ll be doing this too, from a new building that’s currently in the planning stage. There is also space for 100 vehicles, where customers can store their Porsches.
    You do not work ‘à la carte’, but always return an entire car to its original state – is that right?
    Yes, in the state it would have been on delivery from the factory. We also have 250 projects in stock, so that a customer can choose his desired model in his preferred colour.

    Hundreds of Porsches in stock

    How many projects are available at the moment?
    We have 10 1965 Porsche 911 2.0, 30 of the 1966-1969 2.0 S, 40 of the 2.2 S, 60 of the 2.4 S, 15 1973-1976 Carrera RS 2.7, 40 of the 3.0 Turbo and seven former police cars, along with several Porsche race cars and other special models.
    The value of old Porsches has been rising steeply for several years. Do your customers tend to be people who buy cars to drive them, or to keep them as investments?
    Our customers come from all areas. We have enthusiasts with a complete collection or who want to optimise their current collection, but also wealthy people who want to spread the risk in their investment portfolios. We see some young entrepreneurs who prefer to buy an old instead of a new Porsche, or heirs who are looking for a good investment. We even get company owners who purchase a rare Porsche as collateral in their company.

    Reasons for the Porsche boom

    What do you think is the reason for the Porsche boom of recent years?
    A classic Porsche is an extremely sustainable investment. It has a great image, is fun to drive and is very reliable. You don’t suffer the depreciation of a modern Porsche and it’s relatively easy to resell the car and regain your capital. Currently, there is so much cash in circulation in the world market that there are no longer enough good cars to meet demand. And there tends not to be the same capital gains taxes to pay, when the asset is a car. In many countries there is also favourable taxation when using a classic car as a company car.  

    Personal favourites

    What is your favourite Porsche?
    I have several favourite Porsches, which are part of our museum: there’s the first Porsche 968 Turbo S, a former press car. Then there’s a very early 911; the ex-Ferry Porsche 3.0 Turbo; a 911 Carrera Rally, which ran at the Acropolis Rally and San Remo. And police Porsches in different variants.
    If you could buy your dream Porsche with an unlimited budget, what would it be?
    A Porsche 356 America Roadster and Steve McQueen's Porsche 911 2.2 S from the movie ‘Le Mans’.
    And what, for you, is the most technically outstanding Porsche of all time?
    The Porsche 993 GT1.

    Other brands have beautiful daughters too

    And finally, just between the two of us (and our readers): are there any models from other marques that you dream about?
    Yes: the Aston Martin DB5 Shooting Brake and the Lamborghini Miura SV.
    Photos: Rémi Dargegen for Classic Driver © 2015.
    In the Classic Driver Market you can find the current stocklist of Early 911s as well as hundreds of other Porsche classics from around the world.

    WHITE COLLAR X1ST URBAN TRACKER


    White Collar Ninja 1 THUMBEver get the feeling that somebody is inside your head, extracting ideas and beating you to producing the finished article? Happens to us all the time at Bike Shed, so much so that one of the crew is developing a foil helmet to stop the creativity theft. Ram from White Collar Bike is a fine engineer and appears to have machined his way into my head and borrowed my ideas for a tracker. But seeing as he is a thousand times the engineer I’ll ever be, its probably best that we share his bike and not mine. That and my method of using glacial shifts and tectonic plate movement to form metal isn’t proving so efficient.
    White Collar Ninja 2If you haven’t seen Ram’s work before have a look at the last two builds, this isn’t a full-on business for him but a sideline making bikes for his friends. Everyone has an indecisive mate, you know the one, and Ram’s wanted a bike bike but wasn’t very forthcoming on options so they ended up using a Kawasaki 250 Ninja that was sitting around in the garage. Decision made, the revvy little twin was stripped bare and had a camera pointed at its naked chassis. With some 3D renders done Ram’s mate popped by the workshop to talk turkey. He loved the designs but perhaps not the suggestion of grinding off the word budget. 
    White Collar Ninja 3
    The engine, swingarm and main frame were retained; the rest put out for the recycling man. A fruitful eBay search landed a set of Honda supermoto wheels, but the front was only single disc compatible. Rather than relace a new hub Ram converted the existing one to a twin-disc set up, he likes a challenge. Re-anodised GSXR 750 forks with bespoke triple clamps prop the front up and house the personalised Tokico brake calipers, X1st is the name of the owner’s company; nice touch.
    White Collar Ninja 4
    Pirelli’s MT60RS tyre is a very popular tyre for road legal supermoto machinery, and they look the business, somewhere between a race wet and a knobbly; so Ram eBay’d a pair and fitted them.
    White Collar Ninja 5The brief dictated a raw finish so the tank, seat and bodywork are precision made from aluminium sheet. Paint wasn’t going to hide lumps and bumps so care had to be taken with the soft material as brushing afterwards doesn’t always remove hamfisted panelbeating.
    White Collar Ninja 6Mini LED tail lights and indicators are sooo 2013, so here we have something far harder to make. 10mm thick acrylic was laser cut and coloured LEDs mounted behind, taking care of signalling. Like any road users arent going to notice this bike coming.
    White Collar Ninja 6aWhite Collar Ninja 7
    The headlights are HIDs from the owners Jeep, in CNC’d housings mounted to an aluminium numberboard. And no, it’s not just a sheet of ally but machined from 8mm plate to make sure the number 1 stands out, in 3D. The AS in the tail represents the owner’s initials. The amount of aluminium swarf kicking about Ram’s workshop must be phenomenal.
    White Collar Ninja 8The rear suspension is Öhlins, of course, and the brake caliper upgraded to a Brembo version. There’s no point scrimping just because it’s out back out and slightly over shadowed by engineering bedazzlement on display.
    White Collar Ninja 9Cable clutch, pah, so archaic; the X1st Urban Tracker wouldn’t be seen dead with such old tech, so a hydraulic upgrade was fitted. Even the grips had to be modified. They are from Brooks, the cycle accessory stalwarts, so the throttle side had to be converted.
    White Collar Ninja 10
    Not satisfied with ALL of that Ram decided mirrors would be a no-no, so fitted a rear view camera under the tail and mounted an LCD monitor into the top of the fuel tank, which obviously doubles as a GPS system. Ram’s friend is suitably blown away by the result, not that he doubted his buddy’s engineering prowess and creative mega-mind.
    To see some of Ram’s other projects head over to the White Collar Bike Facebook page. But remember to stick a piece of lead on your forehead, or his Idea Leecher 3000 will suck out your ideas and turn into something better than you’ll probably ever be capable of.
    via The Bike Shed