MYSTERIOUS RALLY EVOQUE PATENT FILED IN CHINA

Pre-production renderings of Milner Off-Road’s Evoque-inspired LRM-1 cross-country rally machine have mysteriously appeared online, after allegedly being filed with the Chinese patent office.

The images bear a striking resemblance to this LRM-1 produced by Milner Off-Road.

Pictures of the rally Evoque first appeared on Chinese website auto.sohu.com, where it was described as a ‘Land Rover Aurora’. Online commentators speculated that it could be the next Bowler Nemesis or Rally Raid UK Desert Warrior, designed exclusively for the Chinese market – perhaps for a China-only rally series. But they clearly didn't know what they were looking at.

It doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to spot the similarity between the renderings and the sensational Milner-built vehicle campaigned in the 2013 Britpart British Cross-Country Championship by Ryan Cooke.

We spoke to Tim Marsh from Milner Off-Road, who confirmed that the company had no part in filing the Chinese patent. ‘That is definitely our truck – no doubt about it,’ said Marsh. ‘These are our own pre-production renderings of the LRM-1 but they were never released to the public.’

So how did Milner’s images come to be filed with the Chinese patent office? The plot thickens…

BY: Theo Ford-Sagers

from http://www.lro.com

The 2014 Dakar: Despres, Coma and their challengers…

After claiming five Dakar wins with KTM, Cyril Despres is defending the colours of Yamaha Factory Racing-Michelin on the 2014 Dakar. Arch-rival Marc Coma (KTM-Michelin) will be targeting a fourth win on the event, helped by three experienced team-mates (Faria, Lopez and Casteu). Honda, which returned as a factory outfit in 2013, is likely to play a front-running role this time round.

Victorieux à cinq reprises avec KTM, Cyril Despres va disputer l’édition 2014 du Dakar sous les couleurs du Yamaha Factory Racing Team – Michelin. Son grand rival, Marc Coma (KTM-Michelin) tentera de remporter une quatrième victoire aidé par trois coéquipiers d’expérience (Faria, Lopez et Casteu). De retour officiellement en 2013, Honda dispose des armes pour jouer les premiers rôles.

Last year’s Dakar winner Despres took on a fresh challenge last spring by moving to Yamaha. With the support of Olivier Pain and the promising Michael Metge, the Frenchman will be hoping to equal the record of six Dakar wins (currently held by Stéphane Peterhansel) and has focused essentially on developing his bike during the past six months.

“The easy option would have been to stay at KTM, but changing teams keeps you on your toes,” says Despres. “I just want to see if I can win this event again on a different bike. I’ve got experience on my side. The other riders are very fast, but they don’t scare me. There aren’t many of us who have been consistently at the front year after year.”

Despres will face competition chiefly from his longstanding rival and former team-mate Marc Coma. After sitting out last year’s Dakar because of a shoulder injury, the Catalonian rider is keen to make up for lost time and add a fourth win to his name. He will be able to count on the valuable help of team-mates Ruben Faria, Chaleco Lopez and KTM newcomer David Casteu.

Honda returned to the event as a factory operation in 2013. After taking the time to find its marks again, it is targeting outright victory this time round. Its bid will be spearheaded by Helder Rodrigues, who will have the support of the reigning world champion Paolo Gonçalves (Michelin) and Joan Barreda (Michelin), winner of four stages in 2013.

Once again, engine changes during the event will continue to cost 15 minutes for the first swap, then 45 minutes for the second and two hours for each additional change. To take the top prize at the finish in Valparaiso, Chile, on Saturday, January 18, will call for a smart blend of speed and consistency…

Quintuple vainqueur de l’épreuve et tenant du titre, Cyril Despres s’est lancé un nouveau challenge en rejoignant l’équipe Yamaha au printemps 2013. Le Français, épaulé par Olivier Pain et du prometteur Michael Metge, tentera d’égaler le record de six victoires détenu par Stéphane Peterhansel. Il s’est essentiellement consacré au développement de la moto durant les six derniers mois.

«J'aurais pu choisir la simplicité, et rester chez KTM. Mais changer de marque, c'est une remise en question nécessaire » assure Despres. « ll n'y a qu'une seule question qui m'intéresse, c'est de savoir si je suis capable de changer de moto et continuer à gagner cette course. La clé de ma réussite, c'est l'expérience. Je ne me bats pas avec les autres : ils progressent, ils vont vite, mais ils ne me font pas peur. Après tout, nous ne sommes pas nombreux à avoir prouvé que nous pouvions être réguliers, année après année ».

Despres devra affronter son grand rival et ancien coéquipier Marc Coma pour réussir son pari. Privé de Dakar en 2013 suite à une luxation de l’épaule, le Catalan est avide de victoires et compte bien combler son retard en ajoutant un quatrième succès à son palmarès. Il pourra compter sur l’aide précieuse de ses coéquipiers habitués au podium, Ruben Faria, Chaleco Lopez et le nouveau venu chez KTM David Casteu.

Après une première année d’apprentissage en 2013, les ambitions sont élevées du côté de l’écurie officielle Honda où l’on vise la victoire finale. Fer de lance de l’équipe, Helder Rodrigues, sera entouré du champion du monde en titre Paolo Gonçalves (Michelin) et de Joan Barreda (Michelin), auteur de quatre victoires d’étape l’an passé.

Comme en 2013, les changements de moteur seront pénalisés, 15 minutes pour le premier changement, 45 pour le second et 2h00 pour le troisième et les suivants. Le vainqueur de l’édition 2014 devra rallier l’arrivée des 13 étapes et ménager sa monture pour enlever la victoire samedi 18 janvier à Valparaiso (Chili).

KTM Factory Riders Ready To Race Dakar

KTM accompanied Marc Coma, Ruben Faria and Francisco Lopez during their final preparations for the Dakar Rally, which begins on January 5th 2014. In this video we found out how well does the new KTM 450cc Factory Rally bike work and what the riders’ expectations are. - See more at: http://derestricted.com/racing/ktm-factory-riders-ready-to-race-dakar#sthash.a2XXXjlJ.dpuf

2014 Dakar Rally Robby Gordon HST

Robby Gordon Piloting Technologically Improved SPEED Energy / Toyo Tires HST Gordini in 2014 Dakar Rally
by Dirt Sports 

Robby Gordon will begin his tenth Dakar Rally in Rosario, Argentina Jan. 5 as one of 149 international competitors as he again competes to become the first American in history to win the most extreme and demanding motorsports event in the world.

Widely regarded as one of the world’s best off-road racers, Gordon’s previous attempts at overall Dakar Rally victory have resulted in an amazing nine stage victories, however, the overall title has eluded him. In 2005, his initial Dakar Rally effort, he become the first American to win a stage in the race which began in 1979.

Entering its 35th edition, Frenchmen have dominated the Rally, taking 19 overall victories. Finland has produced five race winners, Japan three, Germany two and one each from South Africa, Belgium, Qatar, Spain and Sweden.

“I feel more prepared than in any of our previous trips to the Dakar Rally,” Gordon said. “Since our first race in 2005, where we accomplished our goal of becoming the first American to win a stage, our focus has been on winning the overall title. I believe with the experience we have, and the new car we have built, this year could be our time.”

Known for building the fastest and most innovative off-road vehicles in the world, in 2014 Gordon is introducing a brand-new race car for his Dakar effort, the lightest and most technologically advanced machine he has ever built. The car was built in North Carolina and draws off of designs and experience that have propelled him to three Baja 1000 victories, four Baja 500 victories and seven Score-International Off-Road Championships in addition to his Dakar stage victories. The SPEED Energy/Toyo Tires sponsored HST Gordini is an FIA-chassis truck built on top of 37-inch Toyo Tires and around a V-8 engine. Finding speed should not be a challenge for Gordon and navigator Kellon Walch.

“Since our first trip to Dakar with our own car in 2006 (Gordon drove for Volkswagen in 2005), Toyo Tires has been there with me. In last year’s Rally we had no tire failures in the entire race – truly amazing. With that same kind of performance and the fact that we have had the fastest car for several years, we will just need to eliminate mistakes to try to capture the overall title in the world’s toughest race.”

Gordon’s top overall finish in the Dakar Rally came in 2009 when he registered a third-place finish. His 2013 race proved to be particularly frustrating for the former IndyCar and NASCAR star, when he overcame a transmission issue in the first stage of the Rally only to crash in stage four after slowly rolling over a large sand dune and damaging the car’s radiators which were mounted on the front of the vehicle. Despite winning two of the Rally’s final 10 stages and finishing top 5 in 10 of 14 stages, Gordon could not overcome the significant deficit he built for himself following his mechanical issues and finished 14th in the field of 153 cars.

“Racing is full of ‘what-ifs,’” Gordon said. “Like anything else in life you learn from your mistakes and move on to the next challenge. We learned a lot about ourselves over the last 10 stages last year and it gives our team tremendous confidence returning to Argentina.”

The 2014 Dakar Rally will wind its way through three countries. Starting in Argentina the race will take a short route through Bolivia before finishing on Jan. 18 in Valparaiso, Chile.

The Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O.), which sanctions the Dakar Rally as well other marquee events including the Tour De France, reports that more than one billion fans in 190 countries tuned into the 2013 edition of the race on television, making it the most watched motorsports event in the world – surpassing Formula 1, the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500 combined.

To follow Gordon and the SPEED Energy / Toyo Tires team as they try to rise above the competition at the legendary Dakar Rally, log onto www.speedenergy.com and www.toyotires.com for race team updates.

Fans can also participate in the Dakar Rally experience by connecting on http://www.planetrobby.com and follow along with the team on Facebook and Twitter at: www.facebook.com/thespeedenergydrink, and www.facebook.com/toyotires, http://twitter.com/SPEED_ENERGY, http://twitter.com/ToyoTires.

Daily highlights from each stage can be viewed on the NBC Sports Network (DIRECTV Channel 220 / Dish Network Channel 159 / AT&T U-Verse Channel 1640 / Verizon FiOS Channel 590) January 5th-18th. Please check your local listings for times & schedules for NBC Sports Network.

EDITORS NOTE: Dirt Sports Nation will also have FULL Dakar coverage right here on dirtsportsnation.com with daily videos, photos and stories.