234cc 2004 Honda Rebel (cmx250c) Red (fort Smith, Ar) on 2040-motos

Moto blog

2014 HRC Dakar Team Announced

Today at Mugello, ahead of this weekend’s MotoGP race at the famous Italian racetrack, Team HRC unveiled its 2014 Dakar team and motorcycle. Interestingly, one person many thought could be a Red Rider this year after leaving KTM, Cyril Despres, will not be riding a Honda next year, instead joining Yamaha’s Dakar effort.   However, HRC’s team still features five accomplished riders: Helder Rodrigues (Portugal), Sam Sunderland (UK), Javier Pizzolito (Argentina),  Joan Barreda (Spain) and Paulo Goncalves (Portugal), all of whom will be competing on the CRF450 Rally.

Day 9 Dakar 2014: Coma Wins, Increases Overall Lead

The ninth stage took the field to the northernmost point of this year’s Dakar. The riders descended from yesterday’s plateau through the Atacama desert towards the Pacific Ocean. Sand and dunes challenged the athletes especially in the final third of the stage, demanding excellent navigation skills.

Video: Honda Crossrunner v mountain pass

This road (the one in the video) was a previously unseen, super-steep mountain pass which needed first gear for the hairpins and second between them with an occasional grab at third on the quicker sections. It was the sort of road that pumps up your forearms and makes you crane your neck to see what's coming next (mainly cyclists). The surface was rubbish.