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28.9.11 – Safari Leg 5 wrap up
Sep 29th
Leg 5 between Laverton and Leonora was a fateful day for many more of the moto competitors. It was the first marathon leg of the Safari, where no team servicing is permitted and the riders must be self sufficient to solve mechanical problems.
Yamaha mounted Shane Diener led out of the gate this morning for the 86.08km road section to the SS10 Minigwal stage, followed by GHR riders Jacob and Todd Smith. Through the 215.35km stage held on fast station tracks Diener set impressive pace at the front, and gained time on the Condobolin brothers. However, following the mid-leg refuel, Diener was rendered immobile by mechanical issues during the 164.24km SS11 Yundamindra stage. This returned the Condobolin brothers to the top two positions overall and Yamaha rider Rod Faggotter moved into third. Knowing that their competition was faltering, both riders rode the rest of the day with self preservation first and foremost on their minds.
There were some who came to grief and the helicopters were kept busy with medical evacuations. In an awfully ironic way, the Safari is over for South African Glen Grundy having been accidentally omitted from the standings posted for Leg 4. Glen has crashed in ruts and fractured his clavicle. He is to be flown to Kalgoorlie for assessment and possible treatment. The remaining 6 GHR bikes will all start tomorrow after end of day servicing.
Rider comments:
Jacob Smith: “Shane was definitely on a run today through that first section! I was going as hard as I dared, but he was too quick to catch and completely deserved to win that one. Later when I saw he’d had problems and stopped I backed right off.
Todd Smith: “The first selective this morning was a rerun of a stage from 2009 I think, and it was just as hard as last time. The second stage had plenty to catch you out and once I saw Shane was out I definitely slowed down and rode for a secure finish rather than a fast one.
Stuart Bowen: “I actually found today easier than previous days. I got stuck in some dust when Don Lark had finished his brakes and Annie Seel was hanging behind and looked like she didn’t want to pass. I decided I was safer out of their dust and went by. I’m just wanting to finish and it seems like a race of attrition at times! My folks are traveling with me which is great for support and certainly gives them a different kind of holiday.”
Overall top 5 at end of Leg 5:
1st – #2 Todd Smith – 21:06:07
2nd – #6 Jacob Smith – 21:18:21
3rd – #56 Rod Faggotter – 21:51:36
4th – #5 Cyril Despres – 22:17:25
5th – #72 Damien Grabham – 22:46:45
Other GHR riders:
10th – #27 David Geeves – 24:50:07
14th – #25 Don Lark – 26:15:08
16th – #35 Charlie Ball – 26:19:51
26th – #40 Stuart Bowen – 29:52:37
28.9.11 – Leg 5 update
Sep 28th
The GHR Honda fuel carrier is at the morning refuel point running on the BGAN Explorer 500.
Just an addendum on the Leg 4 wrap up from yesterday. South African #8 rider Glen Grundy was omitted from the outgoing press release but he is definitely still circulating. As of the end of yesterday he was in 30th position with a total time of 24:30:40.
We’re waiting to see if the flying finish for the stage ends up being cut short of the refuel. We’ve been told by the stewards at the stop control that the zero car has been held up with a flat tyre. If there’s a risk of the front runners catching the car before it arrives at the fuel stop the stage may be cut short. We’ll keep you posted on the progress.
27.9.11 – Safari Leg 4
Sep 28th
Leg 4 is done and dusted, and with three days of the 2011 Safari remaining GHR rider Todd Smith still has a solid hold on the lead.
The day comprised three special stages.
The 85.31km SS7 Lehmann Loop ventured eastwards after traversing technical mining roads, and a 2.17km road section brought the riders to the start of SS8 Cosmo. The middle of this 129.55km selective featured a fast section of bends with ruts and multiple erosion warnings. Another short road section lead to the final SS9 Great Victoria stage was a 241.21km and varied mix of station tracks, mine roads, sand dunes, rock sections and boggy areas.
Rider comments:
Todd Smith: “Another good day up front. Shane Diener pulled some time on me today I think. We definitely did some revving today! You be flat out for 10ks straight, then turn and have the same again and again. The leading three remained fairly close to the finish, but it feels good to be where I want to be.”
Jacob Smith: “I really couldn’t have done that second stage any quicker today. I was picking the corners early and just nailing them all the way round. Today was seriously fun – the sections with the bends just had incredible grip because of the rains recently. Dead set, if riders didn’t enjoy today they really shouldn’t be riding a bike. It’s Todd’s race to lose now but we’re going to keep working together and we’ll see how Shane goes with some pressure from us behind while he’s leading.”
Overall top 5 at end of Leg 4:
1st – #2 Todd Smith – 17:05:57
2nd – #6 Jacob Smith – 17:15:50
3rd – #31 Shane Diener – 17:16:19
4th – #56 Rod Faggotter – 17:35:19
5th – #5 Cyril Despres – 18:06:14
Other GHR riders:
9th #27 David Geeves – 19:58:56
15th – #25 Don Lark – 21:13:20
17th – #35 Charlie Ball – 21:30:08
32nd – #40 Stuart Bowen – 24:58:59
26.9.11 – Safari Leg 3 wrap up
Sep 27th
SS5 and SS6 made Leg 3 a long and brutal day for the all competitors. Repairs and servicing are continuing into the night at the Laverton bivouac.
Stage lengths
SS5 Altona 242.70km
SS6 Darlot 317.94km
Damien Grabham was fastest in SS5, followed by Cyril Despres, Matthew Fish and then GHR riders Todd Smith and Jacob Smith. The bikes were serviced, fuelled and sent on their way for SS6 which included a mid stage refuel at Nambi. Todd Smith fired down the fence that terminated at the refuel point well clear of brother Jacob who had crashed heavily but was still the second to arrive. Jacob’s tumble over the bars left him with an injured foot, but he wasted no time remounting his machine after cleaning his goggles and taking on fuel at the stop.
Yamaha rider Shane Diener was fastest in SS6, followed by Todd Smith, Rod Faggotter Jacob Smith and Ben Williams. Frenchman Cyril Despres also finished down the order for SS6 in 10th for the stage.
All other GHR riders made it through the day which saw a number of medical evacuations and mechanical failures, including last year’s winner Ben Grabham out of contention with an engine failure, and #3 KTM rider Matt Fish ride into refuel with his rear tyre around his waist.
Top 6 overall at the end of Leg 3 as follows:
1st – Todd Smith – 12:47:10
2nd – Jacob Smith – 12:57:49
3rd – Shane Diener – 13:01:35
4th – Rod Faggotter – 13:10:27
5th – Damien Grabham – 13:26:27
6th – Cyril Despres – 13:31:27
Other GHR rider overall placings:
10th – David Geeves – 14:50:58
16th – Don Lark – 15:58:01
21st – Charlie Ball – 16:44:28
27th – Glen Grundy – 18:50:42
29th – Stuart Bowen – 19:36:05
Rider comments:
#2 Todd Smith: “Today was a great day. I just cruised in the first special and didn’t take risks knowing it was a long day. The second selective stage was more difficult especially since I rode most of it with no rear brakes. Again, finding the way was hard but they were fast tracks. I couldn’t hear anyone behind me so I slowed down to ensure that I didn’t miss any calls. The lack of mistakes certainly made up for my slower riding. I’m very happy.”
#35 Charlie Ball: “This was my first big day. You really need to prepare for these ones with plenty of food and water. You need to prepare for anything, even getting lost. Even though today was supposed to be more flowing, there was plenty to contend with for someone in my position in the field. Many of the tracks were sandy, but we had a bit of everything.”
26.9.11 – Leg 3 update from refuel
Sep 26th
All GHR riders have been in to refuel. Todd Smith came in first in good shape and his only issue was his rear brakes were finished. Jacob was in next – he’s had a tumble over the bars but fueled up and got moving quickly. Yamaha rider Shane Diener was in next followed by Cyril Despres and Damien Grabham rounding up the first 5 arrivals.
Matt Fish came in with his rear tyre mounted around his waist and will incur a penalty for mounting a new tyre and mousse. We are also told that Ben Grabham has a blow engine and is stuck mid selective.
There have been at least another dozen riders and a couple of quads in too. Craig Lowndes and one of the Coconut Resort cars has arrived, so the rest of the moto competitors will have been passed by at least two cars.
More as it comes to hand.
GHR Honda, internet in the outback!
Sep 26th
The GHR refuel vehicle is currently set up at the Nambi splash and dash point for Leg 3, connected to the world via satellite communications provided by Allsatphones. The service crew are carrying two Inmarsat satellite handsets and use of a Thrane & Thrane BGAN Explorer 500 base unit for data and voice.
We hope to keep you all posted on the action from the day when the boys all come in for refuel. They are not expected for some time yet.
Stay tuned!
26.9.11 – Safari Leg 3
Sep 26th
Todd and Jacob rode out of camp to the bivouac departure point just before 7.00am and the other riders were warming up their bikes shortly after. Thankfully, Stuart Bowen is up and about, walking normally on a bandaged foot and is a definite starter for the day. The rest of the GHR support vehicles began to head off to their various destinations at 7.20am. The start times have all been brought forward 30 minutes this morning, giving the competitors an earlier start on what will be a very long and potentially decisive day. Reportedly the course will be a more open, faster flowing pair of selective with a service in the morning at Agnew and a refuel at Nambi. The day’s bivouac will be in Laverton.
25.9.11 – Safari Leg 2
Sep 25th
Leg 2 of the Australasian Safari was a short day for both riders and crews, with the Smith brothers being the first two bikes rolling out of Mt Magnet from 7.30am, and arriving in Sandstone shortly after midday.
SS3 consisted of 196.96km before the Nyuing service, followed by 129.75km in SS4. All GHR riders successfully cleared both selectives stages save for Stuart Bowen who had a stick spear through his boot in SS4. At the time of writing Bowen was undergoing treatment at Sandstone but he is intending to continue the race tomorrow. His bike has just been returned to the crew for servicing.
SS3 was won by Jacob Smith with a time of 01:54:56, followed by Ben Grabham at 01:55.49 and Todd Smith at 01:56:37.
Todd Smith was just under a minute faster than his brother in SS4 with a stage time of 01:11:10 over Jacob’s 01:12:08.
Todd leads the Safari at 07:28:40, followed by Jacob at 07:31:22 and Ben Grabham at 07:32:28. Cyril Despres stands in sixth place at 07:43:11 total race time.
Rider comments:
Jacob Smith: “Todd and I rode together for much of the way today and worked together. Over here you do have to read the terrain more than at Dakar and having someone to ride with is a huge help. At Dakar, if it’s a 45 degree corner, the arrow shows the corner as it really is, angle and everything. Here you have to work it out as you go and that’s what we are used to. There will be a 4 or 5 kilometre length of road that does change direction, quite often but it’s marked as straight. But it doesn’t mean there aren’t things waiting for you around the next bend.”
Todd Smith: “The terrain opened up a bit more today which suits me well. I struggled a bit in the morning just finding the track, but it came good in SS4. Early on there really wasn’t a well defined track, just a change in the colour of the grass at times – so definitely another day that was hard on the lead riders. I’d actually be happy to go out third tomorrow. Just spotting the odd roost mark helps define bumps and corners, making it so much easier to ride fast. That’s where riding with Jake was so good when we joined up. We raced each other most of the way for a great run with no mistakes.
Vale Don Hoffmann
It’s with sadness that the GHR family announce the passing of Glenn Hoffmann’s father Don on the evening of 23 September 2011. Don had been ill for some time but celebrated life right up to the end, surrounded by loved ones in hospital while he watched the footy on Friday night. When he learned how well Jacob and Todd had run in the prologue, his response was a resolute “stick it up ‘em!” with a fist in the air. The Hoffmann family and team knew that Don – the man who first put Glenn on a motorcycle – remained GHR’s biggest supporter all the way to his last. Having played a huge part of the successes achieved over the years, he will be sorely missed but fondly remembered by all.
24.9.11 – Safari Leg 1 wrap up
Sep 25th
The Smith brothers have opened the 2011 Australian Safari with a solid 1-2 placing ahead of Rod Faggotter in third overall for the day.
The Condobolin brothers arrived in very good time for a relaxed fuel stop at Mullewa just after 7.30 this morning, and were the first two to appear at the service in Yalgoo following 183.45 competitive kilometres in SS1. Both riders took the stage relatively gently and later recounted a stage that was overgrown for most of the way with numerous washouts to test the reflexes and make navigation challenging. At about the 60km mark Ben Grabham surged forwards and passed Jacob who had started just ahead, but dropped back after crashing in a heavily overgrown section of the course.
At service, Jake’s bike was fitted with a new rear wheel, but otherwise the #2 and #6 Honda CRF450X machines were running superbly. All other GHR Honda riders arrived in due course. WA local Charlie Ball stopped to render assistance to a fallen quad rider he found unconscious but moved on a few minutes later when the rider came to. South African Glen Grundy was hit from behind by KTM690 mounted American Seth Strait, but both riders were able to continue. David Geeves crashed heavily, but regrouped and continued the race.
Todd and Jacob Smith moved the pace up a notch with SS2 and finished the day in first and second place, securing first and second overall ahead of Rod Faggotter, Ben Grabham and Dakar Rally race winner Cyril Despres from France. On a day that Jacob described as being very difficult to lead, Todd’s advantage of just over 3 minutes is a great start to the 2011 event.
Stage SS1 times:
2nd – Todd Smith – 01:56:46
5th – Jacob Smith – 01:58:17
Stage SS2 times:
1st – Todd Smith – 02:24:07
2nd – Jacob Smith – 02:25:48
Overall top 6 standings as follows:
1st – Todd Smith – 04:20:53
2nd – Jacob Smith – 04:24:05
3rd – Rod Faggotter – 04:25:41
4th – Ben Grabham – 04:26:33
5th – Matt Fish – 04:28:11
6th – Cyril Despres – 04:29:09
Tomorrow’s stages to Sandstone comprise just over 320km of competitive riding and a short transport of roughly 70km. At the time of writing the bikes are being serviced and the riders are marking up their roadbooks.
Some more pics from the day.
24.9.11 – Safari Leg 1
Sep 24th
The first vehicles started leaving bivouac this morning at around 6.00am, headed for the fuel stop #1. We arrived just as they’re setting up at 7.00am. Jacob and Todd would have left bivouac half an hour ago. We’ve seen nothing but straight roads, road trains and a WA sunrise. Jacob Smith has just rolled in to fuel at 7.26am, cold but 14 minutes earlier than expected as the leading rider. Ben Grabham and Todd Smith have arrived 4 minutes behind. Jake rolled back out at 7.34 and Todd has just left at 7.37.
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