Dakar 2011, Street's View
Dakar 2011, Street's View
ROUNDUP
Day-by-day, stage-by-stage, Argentina to Chile and back with American privateer Yamaha rider Jonah Street, who finished 14th behind KTM-mounted winner Marc Coma
New Year’s Day: Buenos Aires to Victoria; road 377 km
“We were delayed for a long time this morning, but a lot of people came out to watch—pretty cool. We cruised down the road and took it easy. Tomorrow, we race.”
Stage 1: Victoria to Córdoba; road 556 km, special 192 km
“I finished sixth today. Cyril Despres got me by 2 minutes, and Marc Coma got me by a minute-and-a-half. This is the closest I’ve ever been to the top guys after the first stage.”
Stage 2: Córdoba to San Miguel de Tucumán; road 440 km, special 300 km
“With the new rule limiting engine displacement to 450cc, the bike class is stacked. The Europeans are fast; the leaders are on fire!”
Stage 3: San Miguel de Tucumán to San Salvador de Jujuy; road 231 km, special 521 km
“I was on a road next to a cliff, and the waypoint was shown as Vio of a kilometer off the cliff. There was no way to get there. I would’ve had to rappel down the mountain with GPS in-hand.”
Stage 4: San Salvador de Jujuy to Calama; road 554, special 207 km
“I left the bivouac at 4:30 a.m. It rained as we went over the first mountain pass at 12,000 feet. The next pass was at 16K, and it was cold. Thankfully, I wore my snowmobile bibs!”
Stage 5: Calama to Iquique; road 36 km, special 423 km
“Today was long and tough—lots of ditches, blind rises, sand washes and, in the afternoon, 150 km of silt. Twice, I had a massive wall of silt come over the front of my bike.”
Stage 6: Iquique to Arica; road 265 km, special 456 km
“My seat fell off 110 km before the end of the special. I tried several desperate fixes but had to ditch it and ride more than 100 km without a seat. My back is tired from standing up.”
Stage 7: Arica to Antofagasta; road 208 km, special 631 km
“Melted relay. I guessed the blue wire going in went to the blue wire going out, and it worked. I was able to kickstart the bike and get moving, but all my navigation equipment was dead.”
Stage 8: Antofagasta to Copiapo; road 268 km, special 508 km
“One-third into the special, the front brake and odometer lines came off and got stuck in the front tire. It’s an awful feeling to grab the front brake and find...nothing.”
Stage 9: Copiapo to Copiapo; road 35 km, special 235 km
“I won today’s stage! Nailed the navigation and pinned it through two rocky sand washes. Finally, I wasn’t stuck in dust on the roads, and I rode well in the
sand dunes.”
*
Stage 10: Copiapo to Chilecito; road 686 km, special 176 km #
“What a crazy day. I misread the road * book and missed the first waypoint.
We hit some sand hills—actually, sand mountains. It was really hot, and my* >'
Yamaha vapor-locked. About 10 kilometers from the finish of the special, I * got lost. On the liaison, I hit a gas tank hidden in the dust and crashed.”
vsT p*
Stage 11: Chilecito to San Juan; road '
164 km, special 622 km
“After yesterday’s crash, I’m terribly sore. My main goal now is to finish safely. This has been the toughest Dakar I’ve ever done.”
Stage 12: San Juan to Córdoba; road 123 km, special 555 km
“I can’t wait to shower, sleep in a bed and eat a big steak! I stink. Everyone stinks.”
Stage 13: Córdoba to Buenos Aires; road 645 km, special 181 km
‘My goal today was to finish safely. I’m 14th overall and already thinking about next year. I’ve learned a lot about what we need to do to win in 2012.1 see a lot of work ahead.”
