Bultaco rider to attempt the Dakar Rally

[Gary Roach]

The Dakar rally starts this weekend. This year, all of the professional bike riders have to be on 450cc or smaller machines (could reliability issues become a problem with trying to cover 6,000 miles in just 2 weeks?). TV coverage in the U.S. will be carried on Versus, and the Enduro360 website, http://www.enduro360.com/ will have videos, photos, and updates of the U.S. riders entered.



Ignacio Chivite from Spain will ride his '78 Bultaco 370 in this years Dakar rally, and will be the only 2-stroke machine entered. I've seen on some websites that the bike is a Pursang, and other say it's a Frontier??



Here are some links to stories, videos and photos.

http://tv.dailymotos.com/entrevistas/ignacio-chivite-comenta-la-preparacion-de-su-bultaco-14959  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUE8mvM83pc

http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fbultaco-dakar2011.blogspot.com%2F

And he has some cool T-shirts for sale:

[Gordon Brennan]

Thanks for posting Gary. I can't wait to see how he is doing.

[tooclose racing]

Geez...this guy has definitely got - along with his great looking Frontera - a well oiled press machine going.  The Rally of the Pyramids video is great, and I don't even speak Spanish.  The translations are kinda funny...."as with the Bultaco hallucinating..".  

Actually, I've accused my bike of such activity, now that I think about it.

BTW - GO Jonah Street!!!  Here's the "official" site - which posted a Jonah story already:

http://www.dakar.com/index_DAKus.html


" American Jonah Street had a nasty surprise on arrival in Buenos Aires, when he found out that a significant part of his equipment, including his tyres, was still held up by the Argentine customs. The Californian biker, 7th in the 2010 edition, was finally able to retrieve his belongings yesterday at the end of the morning; not ideal preparation when aiming for a place on the podium. "It's all the more annoying since the equipment arrived in Argentina two weeks ago," he says, "and that the person her who was supposed to collect it didn't do it..." Street will thus be able to fit his new Yamaha with new tyres for its presentation on the podium today."

I bet some Six Day guys can relate to that!

Thank you for the Frontera story, Gary Roach.

[Jeff D]

I think there's a 150KTM entered this year ridden by an Argentine pilot but associated with a US team.  I'll have to check the details.


Jeff DeBell

[Gary Roach]

Jeff, you're right! His name is Luis Belaustegui. He's an American resident, but an Argentinean citizen. He's a teacher at the University of Missouri, Kansas City.


http://thedakar.blogspot.com/2010/10/dakar-2011-profile-argentinian-luis.html

http://www.dakar.com/dakar/2011/us/rider/150.html

[Gordon Brennan]

Can anyone tell me what Ignacio's position is now, after day 6?

[JCHubbard]

quote:Originally posted by Gordon Brennan

Can anyone tell me what Ignacio's position is now, after day 6?

I would like to know too.

JC Hubbard
2008 KTM 250 XC
1981 Suzuki PE 250
1980 Maico 450 GS
1979 Maico 250 GS
1977 Maico 400 GS/WR
1977 Penton 250 GS6
1976 Hercules 250 GS
1974.5 Penton MINT 400
1973 Rokon RT 340 Enduro

[Gary Roach]

Update:

According to the "Withdrawals" list on the Dakar website, the Bultaco rider and the KTM 150 rider are both out on yesterdays Stage 6.

http://www.dakar.com/dakar/2011/us/withdrawals/bikes-page-1.html

[Gary Roach]

Saturday was a rest day for the Dakar, and the President of Chile showed up at the bivouac. How cool is that! Here's the full story:

CHILEAN PRESIDENT AT THE BIVOUAC
Sebastián Piñera, President of the Republic of Chile since last March, paid a long visit to the Arica bivouac this morning. Accompanied by Etienne Lavigne, the rally raid Managing Director, he first spent some time with Team Volkswagen and then insisted upon greeting each and every Chilean drivers, riders and teams enrolled in the Dakar. He also showed great interest for the tech zone and more particularly for the organization's transmission and communication system. After a word of thank you with Etienne Lavigne to the Chilean "Carabineros", the Chilean President reiterated his country's support to an event that brings along such great values: "I welcome the sporting example that the contenders give to our 17 million Chileans", said the President, amongst other things. At the end of the President's visit, Etienne Lavigne handed in - on behalf of A.S.O. - a check for 157,000 dollars to the 'Un techo para mi pais' Foundation. Since 2009 the yearly A.S.O. donation has allowed building of some 450 emergency homes for families in need.



Additional photos:
http://www.dakar.com/dakar/2011/us/rest-day-1/photos-galery.html