Q&A of Dakar
Q1: Can I change trains halfway?
A1: You can't change the car, but you can change the engine or engine parts on the premise of accepting the penalty. 15 minutes will be fined for the first change, 45 minutes for the second change, and 2 hours for the third change and above. Chinese driver Zhang Min encountered gearbox failure in the 8th stage of this year and replaced some gearbox parts on the rest day. He was fined 15 minutes.
Q2: What are the liaison section, driving section, special section and timing section
A2: Contact section=driving section, special section=timing section. The camp at night is often different from the start and end of the race. Every morning, the road from the camp to the start of the race and back to the camp after the race is the driving section, and the part that really needs to calculate the time statistics is the timing section. It can be likened to that the road you commute to and from work every day is the driving section, and the fishing and paddling in the office every day is the timing section. In the above figure, light green and dark green are the driving sections before and after the timing stage, yellow is the timing stage, and DSS and ASS are the starting and ending points of the timing stage, that is, the junction between the timing stage and the driving section.
Q3: How to refuel? How to go to the toilet?
A3: For motorcycle teams, there will be a refueling station at a distance of no more than 250 kilometers during the race. Drivers usually don't eat solid food in the morning for the race, so they will prepare many hot food fast food for them at the end of each day. The doctor suggested that each person drink two liters of water every day, but drivers usually drink 10 liters of water during the race. Most of the water will be drained from the body surface through sweat. In order not to stop the car, many drivers have a urine tube, and some people use diapers. Even if you are not prepared for anything, you can go wherever you want.
Q4: How to calculate the reward for opening time?
A4: The open time award is the new 2023 race regulation set to avoid the drivers of the open circuit from wasting too much time in finding the way. At the punch point where the open-circuit reward is set, the first three drivers who complete the punch will be rewarded with time, the first driver who completes the punch will be rewarded with 1.5 seconds/km, the second driver will be rewarded with 1 second/km, and the third driver will be rewarded with 0.5 seconds/km. The corresponding kilometers are the distance from the last punch point to this punch point. Mason Klein won the most time award in a single stage. He won the time award of 5 minutes and 52 seconds in the third stage. The person who won the most time award in the whole process was Skellehaus, who took a total of 12 minutes and 37 seconds. Not all stages have time rewards, and not all punch points have time rewards. The drivers will be informed in advance.
Q5: How many motorcycles participated in the competition?
A5: At the beginning of the race, there were 124 cars in the two-wheel motorcycle group, including 28 RallyGP drivers and 96 Rally2 drivers. By the 14th stage, only 17 GP drivers and 63 Rally2 drivers were left. A total of 80 people finished the race, with a completion rate of less than two-thirds.
Q6: What car does Hero of India use to compete? Is it a shell Honda? Is it shell KTM?
A6: Although Hero and Honda have joint ventures in India, it is impossible for Honda to give them core technology. The maximum displacement of the civil vehicle sold in Hero is only 200cc. It is said that the racing car was independently designed by Hero, but the 450cc engine technology originated from the Italian Beta. Hero began to participate in Dakar in 2017 and spent six years winning the first stage championship in 2022. Hero may be the first enemy to be defeated on the way to Dakar
Q7: How much does it cost to register for the motorcycle team?
A7: In 2023, the registration fee for the motorcycle group will be 16000 euros, and the first-time newcomers will have a discount of 1000 euros, so the basic fee is 15000 euros, or 110000 r. If this number has scared you, don't look down, because it's far more than that. You have to have a car that complies with the rules of the race. Now the lowest threshold Dakar racing car is the Kaiyue 450rally. The car price is fixed, and the cost of modification and spare parts cannot be estimated. The whole set of GPS, Iridium emergency communication and sentry alarm system on the car should be paid separately, and the fuel charge for the whole race should also be borne personally. In addition, there is the freight of people and cars from China to Saudi Arabia. If there is no backup team, the main cost is the above. If you want to hire a team, rent a work car or RV, you need to spend more.
Q8: What qualifications do riders have to register for the motorcycle team?
A8: You need to have the Rally Level 2 competition photo of the International Motorcycle Federation. If you want to obtain the international competition photo, you must have the competition photo issued by the China Automobile and Motorcycle Federation to participate in some domestic competitions, and have some results to support. You have to prove that you really have the ability to finish the game
Q9: Is helicopter rescue expensive?
A9: Medical treatment and rescue are included in the registration fee, which covers the following expenses:
Participate in the pre-competition review, opening ceremony and the whole competition
Civil liability insurance and return insurance
Professional medical services (including ground rescue and helicopter rescue, but there is a ceiling of 30000 euros, and those exceeding 30000 euros need to be borne by themselves)
Catering from three days before the game to the closing day
Paper scroll road book
Q10: What awards have been set for the motorcycle team?
A10: There are many awards. The following awards will be presented with trophies or medals at the closing ceremony:
Top 10 Motorcycles (mixed row of two-wheel and four-wheel motorcycles)
Rally Group 2 Top 5
Top 3 without backup group
Top 3 in women's group
Top 3 young people (under 25 years old)
Top 3 in the elderly group (over 45 years old)
Top 3 newcomers (first entry)
A1: You can't change the car, but you can change the engine or engine parts on the premise of accepting the penalty. 15 minutes will be fined for the first change, 45 minutes for the second change, and 2 hours for the third change and above. Chinese driver Zhang Min encountered gearbox failure in the 8th stage of this year and replaced some gearbox parts on the rest day. He was fined 15 minutes.
Q2: What are the liaison section, driving section, special section and timing section
A2: Contact section=driving section, special section=timing section. The camp at night is often different from the start and end of the race. Every morning, the road from the camp to the start of the race and back to the camp after the race is the driving section, and the part that really needs to calculate the time statistics is the timing section. It can be likened to that the road you commute to and from work every day is the driving section, and the fishing and paddling in the office every day is the timing section. In the above figure, light green and dark green are the driving sections before and after the timing stage, yellow is the timing stage, and DSS and ASS are the starting and ending points of the timing stage, that is, the junction between the timing stage and the driving section.
Q3: How to refuel? How to go to the toilet?
A3: For motorcycle teams, there will be a refueling station at a distance of no more than 250 kilometers during the race. Drivers usually don't eat solid food in the morning for the race, so they will prepare many hot food fast food for them at the end of each day. The doctor suggested that each person drink two liters of water every day, but drivers usually drink 10 liters of water during the race. Most of the water will be drained from the body surface through sweat. In order not to stop the car, many drivers have a urine tube, and some people use diapers. Even if you are not prepared for anything, you can go wherever you want.
Q4: How to calculate the reward for opening time?
A4: The open time award is the new 2023 race regulation set to avoid the drivers of the open circuit from wasting too much time in finding the way. At the punch point where the open-circuit reward is set, the first three drivers who complete the punch will be rewarded with time, the first driver who completes the punch will be rewarded with 1.5 seconds/km, the second driver will be rewarded with 1 second/km, and the third driver will be rewarded with 0.5 seconds/km. The corresponding kilometers are the distance from the last punch point to this punch point. Mason Klein won the most time award in a single stage. He won the time award of 5 minutes and 52 seconds in the third stage. The person who won the most time award in the whole process was Skellehaus, who took a total of 12 minutes and 37 seconds. Not all stages have time rewards, and not all punch points have time rewards. The drivers will be informed in advance.
Q5: How many motorcycles participated in the competition?
A5: At the beginning of the race, there were 124 cars in the two-wheel motorcycle group, including 28 RallyGP drivers and 96 Rally2 drivers. By the 14th stage, only 17 GP drivers and 63 Rally2 drivers were left. A total of 80 people finished the race, with a completion rate of less than two-thirds.
Q6: What car does Hero of India use to compete? Is it a shell Honda? Is it shell KTM?
A6: Although Hero and Honda have joint ventures in India, it is impossible for Honda to give them core technology. The maximum displacement of the civil vehicle sold in Hero is only 200cc. It is said that the racing car was independently designed by Hero, but the 450cc engine technology originated from the Italian Beta. Hero began to participate in Dakar in 2017 and spent six years winning the first stage championship in 2022. Hero may be the first enemy to be defeated on the way to Dakar
Q7: How much does it cost to register for the motorcycle team?
A7: In 2023, the registration fee for the motorcycle group will be 16000 euros, and the first-time newcomers will have a discount of 1000 euros, so the basic fee is 15000 euros, or 110000 r. If this number has scared you, don't look down, because it's far more than that. You have to have a car that complies with the rules of the race. Now the lowest threshold Dakar racing car is the Kaiyue 450rally. The car price is fixed, and the cost of modification and spare parts cannot be estimated. The whole set of GPS, Iridium emergency communication and sentry alarm system on the car should be paid separately, and the fuel charge for the whole race should also be borne personally. In addition, there is the freight of people and cars from China to Saudi Arabia. If there is no backup team, the main cost is the above. If you want to hire a team, rent a work car or RV, you need to spend more.
Q8: What qualifications do riders have to register for the motorcycle team?
A8: You need to have the Rally Level 2 competition photo of the International Motorcycle Federation. If you want to obtain the international competition photo, you must have the competition photo issued by the China Automobile and Motorcycle Federation to participate in some domestic competitions, and have some results to support. You have to prove that you really have the ability to finish the game
Q9: Is helicopter rescue expensive?
A9: Medical treatment and rescue are included in the registration fee, which covers the following expenses:
Participate in the pre-competition review, opening ceremony and the whole competition
Civil liability insurance and return insurance
Professional medical services (including ground rescue and helicopter rescue, but there is a ceiling of 30000 euros, and those exceeding 30000 euros need to be borne by themselves)
Catering from three days before the game to the closing day
Paper scroll road book
Q10: What awards have been set for the motorcycle team?
A10: There are many awards. The following awards will be presented with trophies or medals at the closing ceremony:
Top 10 Motorcycles (mixed row of two-wheel and four-wheel motorcycles)
Rally Group 2 Top 5
Top 3 without backup group
Top 3 in women's group
Top 3 young people (under 25 years old)
Top 3 in the elderly group (over 45 years old)
Top 3 newcomers (first entry)