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Safari 2013 – Leg 1 21.9.2013
Sep 22nd
LEG 1 – Setting the scene for a week of off-road action
It was a day of highlights and lowlights for Leg 1 of the Australasian Safari. Sand traps, tricky twisting navigation and rugged terrain in three stages in and around Northampton and Kalbarri in Western Australia.
Last year’s moto winner Jake Smith had his plans for a follow-up Safari victory shattered in the last portion of Leg 1. After winning both the first and second stages by nearly a minute, engine failure in the last stage forced him to stop. Brother and former Safari winner Todd Smith finished the Leg in second place, and said despite a slow start he had finished well. “The first stage was really sandy and soft and the front wheel sunk. I came off and it took me a little while to get my flow back. Later on I had to slow down for some sheep but the rest of the ride was smooth.” He starts 455 km of Leg 2 second on the road.
GHR standings at end of Leg 1
2nd place: #4 SMITH, Todd – 02:58:34
16th place: #8 BALL, Charlie – 03:30:40
30th place: #14 McDONALD, John – 04:04:23
Leg 2 promises to be another testing day for the moto field. Three selectives cover a wide variety of terrain, with tight sections interspersed between flat-out fence line dashes.
SS2/1 Kalbarri – 230.00km: Opens with 50km of defined coastal tracks over mixed terrain, heading north through Murchison Station before turning inland. Fence line tracks cut into low scrub pass through Nerrin Nerrin and Coburn Stations. 25 km of the “Snake Road” leads to the Hamelin Service Area.
SS2/2 Gladstone – 110.89km: Low lying bay country between Hamelin Pool and the North West Coastal Highway hosts SS2/2. Highly variable tracks – sandy in places, rough and rocky elsewhere and occasionally swampy – cross Hamelin, Carbla, Yaringa and Wooramel Stations.
SS2/3 Jimba Jimba – 113.77km: The last selective starts on Pimbee Station with a narrow tight rally road heading east towards the old Pimbee Homestead site. The course then turns northwards along a twisty rally road, deviates east briefly and turns north once more into dune country. The stage closes with a mixed bag of tight twisty tracks, narrow fence tracks and low creek country.
SAFARI 2013 – Prologue 20.9.2013
Sep 21st
The 2013 Australasian Safari is now underway!
The Jurien Bay prologue held yesterday was a short 7km sprint through gravel rally roads leading into winding, sandy coastal tracks and a dash along the water’s edge. While barely 6 minutes into the 3200km event, GHR Honda team mates Todd and Jacob Smith have secured second and third in the start order for the 270km of racing on Day 1 between Northampton and Kalbarri.
Todd Smith, who finished 34th in Dakar this year said today’s racing was good for him. “It just wasn’t really long enough to get going. The bike feels great, and the body feels good.”
Last year’s moto winner Jake Smith said it was all good for him out there today. “I’m looking forward to this week, I’m aiming to win, I don’t come to Safari to come second,” he said.
Day 1 opens with more coastal terrain on SS1/1 Oakabella routed through 23.26km of mixed sand and rocks. Straight away, competitors have been promised challenging navigation. SS1/2 Whelarra returns to a stage run in the 2012 event. It is a fast, open selective of 104.85km through farm country. Firmer tracks will allow the riders to hit their straps as speeds increase. The final selective stage SS1/3 Murchison Off Road Yandi starts where 2012 finished. The 142.82km of rugged terrain are loaded with cautions amongst the rough tracks of Yandi, Coolcalalaya and Mary Springs Stations. Having crossed the Murchison River, the competitors head to the one night bivouac in beautiful Kalbarri, 592 north of Perth.
Prologue standings:
2nd place: #4 SMITH, Todd – 06:15
3rd place: #1 SMITH, Jake – 06:23
17th place: #8 BALL, Charlie – 06:54
26th place: #14 McDONALD, John – 07:46
#1 – Jacob Smith, 2013 Australasian Safari Prologue. Photo: Sabine Albers
#1 – Jacob Smith, 2013 Australasian Safari Prologue. Photo: Sabine Albers
AUSTRALASIAN SAFARI 2013 – pre-event build up
Sep 19th
GHR Honda riders all ready to defend Safari Title
The Australasian Safari is an annual off-road rally for motorbikes, four-wheel drives, side by sides, and quad bikes set in outback Western Australia. This extreme motorsport event attracts some of the best competitors from around the globe. Considered Australia’s answer to Dakar, it is renowned as one of the toughest and most challenging motorsport events in the world.
GHR Honda riders Jacob and Todd Smith will be riding their CRF450X’s again chasing the outright victory. The Honda brothers went 1st and 2nd Outright at the Condo 750 rally and then backed it up with 1st and 2nd Outright on their CRF450R’s at Finke. For this cross country rally they are back on their CRF450X’s and hope to replicate previous Safari results of 1st and 2nd outright.
Today is the ceremonial start and Friday will see the riders attack Prologue. The ceremonial start and Safari show will be held at Wanneroo show grounds from 4-9pm. Competitors will depart from Perth and head north to Geraldton, up into the Gascoyne region, around the Kennedy Ranges before heading out to tropical Carnarvon. Turning south again the course moves through Kalbarri before finishing in Geraldton on the 27th of September. The event covers approximately 3000km of Western Australian terrain. After the rave reviews and success of 2012’s course, this year’s Safari will again feature some spectacular coastal Stages along WA’s Coral Coast.
The team recently held a test session on the east coast before all the infrastructure was shipped across to Perth. Team manager Glenn Hoffmann commented, “Testing went well and Simon has again done a great job with the bikes. The boys are very happy with their Honda 450X’s and now that they are passed scrutineering it is just a waiting game to get the race really started.” When asked who he thought would win he added, “Yamaha and KTM have strong rider line-ups and there is even a Aprilla this year. However Jacob and Todd have been swapping Outright wins in the desert all year long on both their GHR Honda 450R’s and 450X’s – so hopefully it is one of the boys. The Safari is a very cruel race to man and machine and I think the person who is best prepared and has the least downtime will do well. As a race Dad you cant play favourites, but obviously I hope the winner is on a Honda and surname is Smith!”.
The boys will once again be joined by WA Honda riders Charlie Ball and John McDonald. Two years ago Charlie rode with GHR to a top ten finish and after taking a supported ride at Finke this year, John McDonald is ready to tackle the Safari challenge. Keep up to date with their progress via GHR.
For Honda the Safari is another historic desert race. With more wins at the Safari than all other manufacturers combined, Honda is once again aiming to prove the reliability and performance reputation it has earned over decades in the desert. Having been aligned with GHR for the last ten years on Safari, the manufacturer backed team has only lost the rally once and has even beaten five time Dakar winner Cyril Depress on his works machine.
The team would like to thank all the staff, sponsors, family and friends of GHR, for without their help this effort would not be possible. It is a monumental effort to get to the start line but to keep winning year after year in this rally environment – at times against the worlds best – is a credit to everyone involved.
Good luck and a safe trip to all on Safari.
Keep up to date via GHR Honda http://ghrhonda.dirtbike.com.au Honda Facebook site – https://www.facebook.com/HondaMotorcyclesAustralia
Dakar Rally 2013: Wrap up
Jan 25th
The Final Moments
The last moments of the 2013 Dakar saw all the competitors and service crew converge at the final podium in Santiago, Chile. After years of preparation by teams and competitors the final moments of crossing the finish line was a welcome relief and sense of accomplishment for all concerned. The Dakar is the ultimate test for competitors, machinery and support crews.
GHR Honda had four out of five riders complete the ultimate test. 36,000 kilometres of racing completed by the team. 21,000 kilometres of driving by the service crews. Everything about Dakar is a test of planning and execution. Congratulations to Paul Smith, Warren Strange, Todd Smith and Brett Cummings for their outstanding achievments in this years Dakar. GHR would like to take this opportunity to thank all the support crew on the event: Simon Wade, Rob Ingram, Jake Young, Pete Wilhelms, Vern Strange, Jamie Morgan, Toin, Arja Boon and let’s not forget Glen Grundy for helping out after his mechanical problems took him out of the race! These guys and gal are the unsung hero’s at times working through the night to be able to deliver machines that are capable of running the 36,000 kilometres in some of the harshest environments on the planet. A BIG THANK YOU to you all.
The GHR bikes are the result of years of development, this years Dakar saw the team turn up with many new parts; fairings, towers, bash plates, fuel tanks; all designed and developed in Australia. To all our team sponsors, especially those who did so much R&D work; a MASSIVE THANK YOU also! The GHR Honda’s were the highest placed Honda rental bikes in the event at only their second attempt with many parts that were the first attempt at Dakar. GHR also turned up with a new quad with many Australian products, finished 7th Outright and even won a stage.
To all our sponsors and all the people who helped along the way, thank you for your input, advice and support. The products used on our bikes and quad and in our team infrastructure really must work and after so many kilometres all products proved themselves. GHR would also like to take the opportunity to thank Honda Australia for their continued support, for without their involvement the team would not exist.
We would also like to thank all the wives/girlfriends/partners and family of all involved for keeping the home fires burning. And a rather large THANK YOU to Mike Chmiel for all his work with the GHR Blog – especially answering Glenn’s early morning phone calls! Dakar planning for 2014 is already underway… Once again thank you to everyone involved and we look forward to defending our title at the Condo 750 in April.
GHR final placings: MOTO
24th #131 – STRANGE Warren (AUS)
34th #156 – SMITH Todd (AUS)
43rd #089 – CUMMINGS Brett (ZAF)
GHR final placings: QUAD
7th #274 – SMITH Paul (AUS)
Quad rider Paul Smith on the podium.
Dakar 2013 Finishers Medal.
Some of the all important crew L-R: Simon, Rob, Pete, Jake and Toin.
Brett Cummings on the podium with Glen Grundy.
Todd Smith at the finish line.
On the podium with Warren Strange.
Day 13: Copiapó > La Serena
Jan 19th
Stage 13: The last big day
In the last long stage of the 2013 Dakar it would have been easy for riders to think that the hardest days were behind them. #156 Todd Smith approached the day conservatively and was setting good times early on. By WP8 he appeared to have found a steady rhythm and was running 17th fastest. However not long afterwards he found himself with a much greater challenge before him.
“200km into todays stage the map tower broke off my bike (not from crashing), so for the remaining 200km special and 200km liaison I carried it in one hand – not fun I’m telling you! I was feeling pretty good before that too but I lost heaps of time trying to fix it. So, I think I’m still in 34th overall after a pretty low placing for todays stage. Well just one stage to go. If I can get to the finish with no more drama I’ll be relieved.”
Tenacity and perseverance saw him through to the flag but he lost an hour in the last three waypoints. Thankfully, #131 Warren Strange had a clear run and chipped away at the order to finish 23rd on the day. #89 Brett Cummings continued his upward trend, finishing 29th for the day to place 43rd overall. On his quad, #274 Paul Smith cruised along to finish in 11th place.
GHR times and overall placings: MOTO
23th #131 – STRANGE Warren (AUS) 46h32m32s (+04:55:14 behind leader)
34th #156 – SMITH Todd (AUS) 47h57m28s (+06:20:10 behind leader)
43rd #089 – CUMMINGS Brett (ZAF) 50h02m42s (+08:25:24 behind leader)
GHR times and overall placings: QUAD
7th #274 – SMITH Paul (AUS) 53h31m11s (+05:43:52 behind leader)
Stage 14: La Serena > Santiago
Tomorrow is the last day of racing and only 625km remain in the 2013 Dakar. A 346km special in the low-lying coastal country will decide the final standings before the podium finish in Santiago.
Stage 14: La Serena > Santiago. Courtesy dakar.com
Stage 14: La Serena > Santiago. Courtesy dakar.com
Day 12: Fiambalá > Copiapó
Jan 18th
Stage 12: Early to bed, too early to rise…
The Dakar Rally returned to Chile this morning. After a painfully early departure from Fiambalá the field trekked 392km through the lofty Andes liaison to cross the border once more. Today’s special was 319km in length – an exhausting task after their second exposure to extreme altitude in the last week. Only 130 motorcycle riders approached the start line today, roughly two thirds of those who started in Lima – and the attrition rate is much the same in the quad class. Now that the rally’s end is in sight, GHR’s strategy is geared towards securing a finish for the four riders rather than risking everything with last minute heroics. All four team riders are now resting up in the Copiapó bivouac in preparation for tomorrow’s long stage.
#89 Brett Cummings managed to climb the order from his 54th start position to finish in 35th place. In doing so he’s continued the upward trend in the general standings, now occupying 50th position. #156 Todd Smith has also capped off four days of improvement with his finish in 21st place today, bringing him to 34th overall. #131 Warren Strange is best placed of the GHR riders, holding 28th overall.
Comments from Todd Smith:
I had a good day today! Made no mistakes and I’m doing better with the nav in the dunes. I’m just focusing on getting the bike to the finish now… can’t believe we are so close to the end, 2 stages to go… up to 34th overall now.
#274 quad rider Paul Smith had this run thwarted today by a flat rear tyre, forcing him to back off for about 100km of the special. It didn’t slow him sufficiently to prevent him advancing in the overall standings where he’s now placed 7th.
GHR times and overall placings: MOTO
28th #131 – STRANGE Warren (AUS) 42h17m05s (+04:30:06 behind leader)
34th #156 – SMITH Todd (AUS) 42h51m19s (+05:04:20 behind leader)
50th #089 – CUMMINGS Brett (ZAF) 45h44m21s (+07:57:22 behind leader)
GHR times and overall placings: QUAD
7th #274 – SMITH Paul (AUS) 48h22m11s (+05:20:36 behind leader)
The penultimate stage in Dakar this year, Stage 13: Copiapó > La Serena, descends back to the Pacific coast via a 90km liaison. 441km of mixed soil, sand and dunes await in the special and the last bivouac site lies in La Serena at the end of a further 204km transport. The rally still has well over 1,300km to run.
Stage 13: Copiapó > La Serena. Courtesy dakar.com
Stage 13: Copiapó > La Serena. Courtesy dakar.com
Dakar 2013: The "rest day" was not so for mechanics Rob and Simon.
Dakar 2013: Jake Young - this is a rest day?
Dakar 2013: HRC engineers checking out the GHR Honda.
Dakar 2013: One of the HRC engineers trying the Australian flavoured 450X.
Dakar 2013: Bivouac at rest day.
Dakar 2013: Bivouac at rest day.
Dakar 2013: Bivouac at rest day.
Dakar 2013: Camp GHR at the rest day.
Dakar 2013: Camp GHR at the rest day.
Dakar 2013: Mechanic Simon Wade with factory air-conditioning.
Dakar 2013: Mechanic Pete Wilhelms with Paul Smith's stage winning TRX700XX.
Dakar 2013: Crowds leaving Tucamán.
Dakar 2013: Transport scenery.
Dakar 2013: Transport scenery.
Dakar 2013: Driveway service with a smile.
Dakar 2013: Brett and Warren hiding from the 40+ weather.
Dakar 2013: Local architecture.
Dakar 2013: Dinner at La Rioja - chargrilled steak!
Dakar 2013: Jake Young waiting to use the MAN race team's press at 1.30 am.
Dakar 2013: Geoff Ohlolm going well, describing the day the floods came.
Dakar 2013 - bath time for the babies.
Dakar 2013: Paul Smith, Brett Cummings and Glen Grundy.
Day 11: La Rioja > Fiambalá
Jan 17th
Stage 11: A first for GHR, a first for Honda, a first for Australia!
GHR Honda's #274 Paul Smith, Australia's first quad pilot at Dakar in 2013, winner of Stage 11. Picture: Mike Chmiel.
34 year old Victorian dairy farmer #274 Paul Smith had ventured into the 11th Dakar stage in trepidation. The white sands of Fiambalá have a menacing reputation amongst riders, and he was aware that many Dakar competitors have been snared by them in past years. Today his objective was just to reach the finish, but his reality was to be far more rewarding when he crossed the line in the fastest time. In doing so, Paul stands as the first Australian to clench a stage victory since the late Andy Caldecott, and the first Honda rider on two or four wheels to top the time sheets at this year’s event. His finish 00:04:18 ahead of Gaston Gonzalez and 00:05:42 in front of event leader Marcos Patronelli elevates Smith to 8th overall. A high speed tumble cost a small amount of time but a quick recovery and careful navigation kept him on top at all but two waypoints.
The #274 TRX700XX quad was modified yesterday by team mechanics to optimise cooling along with the three CRF450Xs in the moto class. Extra thermo-electric fans were fitted, passive ventilation improved while surplus weight was removed. Consequently Smith was able to push harder than before in the soft terrain. It transpired that today was never as hot as expected. Recent precipitation suppressed dust for the riders but this also meant soft mud supplanted soft sand as the challenge de jour. However, fortune would have it that they were just spared the most significant result of the rainfall. Only a handful of cars made half way through the stage before flash flooding rolled through to render it impassable for the larger vehicles. Accordingly race organisers neutralised the stage at CP1 for their categories.
Comments from #156 Todd Smith:
“It was raining pretty much the whole stage off and on, lots of creek crossings and running water. In the first 50km of the stage, I had trouble finding my way and was consequently lost with about 30 other bikes. Brett Cummings eventually came along and led me back the right path. Had a fair few scares on the rough, broken track. I just focused on getting to the end of today – there were about 30 dropouts on this stage last year and about 15 bikes this year… pretty tough going. Ben Grabham caught me and passed me, so I latched on the back of him and we raced for a while. Then we caught Rod Faggotter and the three of us had a ball together to the finish. Closing in on the end of Dakar, my aim is to just cruise through to the finish now.”
GHR times and overall placings: MOTO
32nd #131 – STRANGE Warren (AUS) +03:52:37 behind leader (20th on stage)
41st #156 – SMITH Todd (AUS) +04:57:22 behind leader (23rd on stage)
59th #089 – CUMMINGS Brett (ZAF) +07:34:56 behind leader (50th on stage)
GHR times and overall placings: QUAD
8th #274 – SMITH Paul (AUS) +04:50:03 behind leader (1st on stage)
Just three stages remain in the 2013 edition of Dakar, but the race still has plenty of ground to cover. Stage 12: Fiambalá > Copiapó starts at 04:15 tomorrow morning with a 392km transport over the western border of Argentina back into Chile. Peaking early at around 3,000m above sea level, 319km of highly variable terrain snakes back into the Atacama Desert for the special.
Stage 12: Fiambalá > Copiapó. Courtesy of dakar.com
Stage 12: Fiambalá > Copiapó. Courtesy of dakar.comDakar 2013: Spectator videos
Jan 16th
The wonders of the digital age mean anyone, anywhere can be a trackside Dakar spectator of sorts. Here are some lo-fi videos from ground zero.
#1 – For those watching the SBS broadcast, these two characters will seem familiar. They were the two helmetless locals astride a dirtbike chasing Nasser Al-Attiyah’s buggy, the passenger with video camera in hand.
#2 – No need to speak french to appreciate this one. For all the obstacles encountered at Dakar, this simple water crossing proved too much for some.
#3 – Some raw footage of the riders finishing one of the sand dune stages.
Day 10: Córdoba > La Rioja
Jan 16th
Stage 10: Survival of the fittest…
Today’s stage between Córdoba and La Rioja was the last in the Argentine mountains for this year’s Dakar and the special more closely resembled an enduro or WRC stage than postcard Dakar dune country. Still, it was heavy duty exercise from the outset on the riders’ bulky, fuel laden machines. Meandering soil tracks flanked by dense scrub wore down even the fittest athletes as they negotiated blind corners at speed for near on 5 hours. River crossings offered fleeting moments of respite from the stinking heat and dust but tacked yet another hazard on to the running list of potential show stoppers in the roadbook – the prospect of drowning an engine.
#156 Todd Smith was the fastest Australian on the stage today, spending most of the special in the top 20. #89 Brett Cummings stayed out of trouble finishing 30th for the day, and #131 Warren Strange was less than three minutes behind in 33rd on stage. #274 Paul Smith muscled his TRX700XX through the stage in just over 5.5 hours, safely within the top ten times throughout today.
Comments from Todd Smith:
“Had another good day today, put in a pretty solid stage and came in 17th which puts me into 39th overall. Even though there were fewer bikes in front of me today I still had to battle a fair bit of dust. It was a tiring stage, very hot but everything went well with no crashes! Have to tackle the Andes again tomorrow and we are back in the dunes… 4 long stages left, hopefully all goes well!”
Comments from Paul Smith:
“What a hot one. Nearly 50 degrees I’m told, and I struggled with it. Still got 9th though. Tomorrow is the nightmare stage of Fiambalá. It could take out nearly half of the remaining competitors with 50+ degree hot weather and quicksand-like terrain. I don’t care for results tomorrow just want make it through.”
GHR times and overall placings: MOTO
31st #131 – STRANGE Warren (AUS) 34h10m51s (+03:23:47 behind leader)
39th #156 – SMITH Todd (AUS) 35h12m51s (+04:25:47 behind leader)
56th #089 – CUMMINGS Brett (ZAF) 37h23m26s (+06:36:22 behind leader)
GHR times and overall placings: QUAD
12th #274 – SMITH Paul (AUS) 39h27m32s (+04:55:45 behind leader)
Stage 11: La Rioja > Fiambalá means a shorter distance for the riders, but all anticipate an exhausting return to sand dune country. The 256km north bound liaison will deliver the first bike to the start of the 220km special at 09:15. Race organisers estimate that the lead group should finish the stage in approximately 3.5 hours but the soft sand and inhospitable conditions will tax the rest of the field to breaking point as the day warms. To give them the best prospects of a trouble free run, the mechanics will make some bodywork modifications to boost engine cooling while all four riders are resting outside of the bivouac this evening. Tomorrow will definitely be an important factor in the final outcome for the rally.
Stage 11: La Rioja > Fiambalá. Courtesy of dakar.com
Stage 11: La Rioja > Fiambalá. Courtesy of dakar.com
Vale “Big Al” Wall
Jan 16th
Vale "Big Al" Allan Wall
It’s with great sadness that GHR must acknowledge the passing of an other significant figure in the team’s history. “Big Al” Allan Wall had visited the Hoffmann family home to wish Glenn well just days before the team left for South America but it wasn’t supposed to be goodbye. Last night he succumbed to thyroid cancer after sudden turn 4 days ago. His presence at all GHR events and tours in the early years will never be forgotten, nor will his contributions every second weekend during the six month build up to GHR’s first three Safari campaigns. While his direct involvement with the team decreased after 2007, his friendship continued all the way to the end. Thanks Al.
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