Thanks for following my progress in the Dakar rally. I was certainly thinking of all of you watching on the web and on TV when I was out there. Here’s the short version of what happened.

Everything went as planned in the European sections. I went slowly and did not crash…

In Morocco, I started to wick it up, but not really much more than a comfortable “trail riding with buddies” pace. Got a 41st when nothing went wrong on the first day. Then 2 finishes in the low 50s after getting spun around a bit in villages. Nothing major and I was feeling great. No physical troubles and RRUK (arranged by RallyConnex) was handling the minor bike problems very well.

Then, on the long stage, I felt really good. The piste was very fast, so I decided to turn up the heat. I passed bunches of riders with fancy corporate paintjobs and was feeling really good. Headed for my best stage finish yet. Then I broke a chain (the “unbreakable titanium one”). Bummer.

I fixed it, but it ended up a bit too short and too tight. So I slowed down to save my countershaft and rear wheel bearings. I still finished 85th. Still in the hunt, and early enough to get good sleep, food, and repairs before the next day. Up to this point I had no big “offs,” no damage to the bike, no particular drama at all.

The next day, Stage 8, was rough. I crashed into a big hole in a sand wash early and hurt my ribs. At first I thought they were broken, but it was probably just a bad bruise. It still hurts pretty bad right now. Then, I got a bit lost, like most everyone, and lost about an hour. The fast cars and trucks passed me. “OK”, I thought, “today I just survive”. I took 1000mg of Ibuprofen and just took the stage slowly. Then, about 150k from the end and a few hours before dark, I ran out of fuel. I was topped up in the morning, but some must have leaked out after my crash when the bike was upside down.

I flagged down every vehicle, but the bikes had none to spare, and all the cars and trucks are diesels. Hours later, the KTM Red Bull truck stops and gives me 20 liters, plenty to make it to the next check where there is gas. I’m going to be late and get a penalty, but I’m going to make it. Maybe I’d try for a good stage finish sometime later in the rally, but not that day.

In the dark and in the dunes I caught a few slower riders. At one point, I’m leading Ennio, a French competitor #88, and Yuki, a Japanese woman #130, both on 660 KTMs like mine. An organization doctor in a Land Cruiser stops us and tells us to stick together for safety, so I lead them through the darkness with my super-bright Baja Designs HID lights.

Ennio likes to fall and rest, and Yuki has trouble picking her bike up, so the going is slow and I help both of them out a lot. My battery gets tired from starting and restarting (and maybe some other problems, I don’t know), and they have to jump-start me several times after our stops, but we continue. At one point, we sleep for an hour and a half because we, (mostly Yuki) are exhausted. At about 4 or 5 AM, we come to a difficult section where the trail is confusing. We try several options but can’t find the right way.

Ennio’s navigation equipment is smashed and does not work. My GPS has somehow lost its power from my battery, and Yuki’s GPS plug is damaged. We fix Yuki’s GPS with some of my tape and she rides ahead to find the trail. Then, I stall. She keeps going and Ennio stops to jump-start me. She never returns and Ennio and I are in trouble.

Half an hour later, a TV crew shows up and offers to show us the way. Great! We follow along, but I stall again in the deep sand and rocks and watch my chances fade as they drive off into the distance. I had never considered the possibility of not finishing that stage until then! That made no sense! I was strong and feeling good. My bike was, except for the battery, running great. But, there was no way of starting the bike and I was not going to make my start time. Several hours later, Patsy Quick and Clive Town came by and started me. We knew it was too late, but we continued until I fell again in the rocks, hurting my ribs so much that I could not lift the bike.

I told them to continue without me.

Nearly a day later, the Sweeper Truck came to pick me up and take me into Tidjika. There were 13 bikes and 11 people on the truck. Some got helicopter rides. I wasn’t done yet, and neither was Christo Aspeling from South Africa, so we repaired our bikes in Tidjika (I stole a battery from a crashed KTM) and we rode to Dakar. Took us 2 full days. 5 flights and 2 more days, and now I’m home in SF.

I feel like I have unfinished business in Africa.

Thanks for your support and well wishes! I would also like to thank my major sponsors: CLiXX Motosport, Enemyline, Scuderia West Motorcycles, Shift, Sleepy Jing’s Madman Cafe, Mission Motorcycles, Baja Designs, Aerostich, Linkfinity, Rain-for-Rent, and RallyConnex.

- Charlie Rauseo

http://www.crcounsel.com/rally

Editor’s Note: Charlie Rauseo is making himself available to advise anyone, especially privateers, on an attack plan for the Dakar. Contact Charlie at: charlie@crcounsel.com or via http://www.crcounsel.com/rally for more information.