Living the Dos Sertoes Dream: Racing 4,500km across Brazil

[CAR6850]

Big up to you BB - Hou die Blou Bulle se naam hoog :thumleft:

 

[HotKlou]

<subscribe>   :happy1:

 

[KAT-WP]

subscribe

 

[Brink]

aw:  :ricky: aw:

 

[faniesmith]

This going to be SO good!.

:happy1:

 

[Berm_Rooster]

Lekke lekke! I've been waiting for this for a while. Good stuff so far!

:happy1:

 

[N[]vA]

:thumleft:

 

[Would I?]

can't wait....... :drif: :drif:

 

[corcorlia]

Subscribed!!  :happy1: :wav:

 

[uyster]

Great stuff, good choice of bike  :thumleft:

 

[Rokie]

+1  :drif:

 

[antondp]

Die popcorn is bestel.

 

[Crossed-up]

Great stuff!  Your audience awaits ...

 

[letsgofishing]

Congrats once again BB!
Can't wait!

 

[BlueBull2007]

Time for a bumper picture fest.

The Mad Rush at the Start- Two days to go

We have been staying in Goiania, a city of one million, for four days. It’s a nice place, with great people, but it’s also expensive. Earlier we got to walk around a bit and get a feel for the lay of the land.

Preparations are underway to get the start track ready for the big kickoff. There is a feeling of expectancy in the air as the VIP area is constructed.

The layout for the Box area, park ferme, start track and support infrastructure seems to indicate the rally organization is on top of things.

It’s exciting to see the advertising boards displaying Dos Sertoes everywhere.

Two days before the race and we spend the morning with the organization doing administrative checks in the shopping centre across the road from the official start.

The shopping centre is packed with people, an unusually high number of beautiful women. Most of the married guys pretend to be blind while the single guys stumble around, staring and mumbling exclamations and falling in love. :drif:  :love10:

The place must be an anomaly in the universe or something.   :evil6:

There is a stand selling Dos Sertoes gear doing a roaring trade and elsewhere...

..they are selling tickets to the start show out of booths shaped like rally truck cockpits. Sorry for the poor pic quality. 

At the administrative check, everything looks pretty well organized.

https://bluebull2007.smugmug.com/Sertoes/Start-Dos-Sertoes/Sertoess0838/987379166_ogYAt-L.jpg[img]

[img]https://bluebull2007.smugmug.com/Sertoes/Start-Dos-Sertoes/Sertoess0838/987379166_ogYAt-L.jpg
Again, everyone is super friendly. It’s so refreshing. The check is mostly a formality because a month ago we couriered copies of drivers licenses, passports, medical insurance, doctor certification of health, echo-cardiogram results etc.

Mr. Ferretti the Italian FIM official picks up a problem – I don’t have a World Championship Cross Country (WCCC) license, but an International Cross Country license. This means I am unable to enter under my allocated WC number and category, but only into the Brazilian Championship, which means a number change and a daily start much further back in the field. Confusion reigns because I was sure I had applied for the WCCC.

I get on the phone with the American Motorcycle Association (AMA) who issued the license while Ferretti stands by to explain that If I can get the license changed in two days he will let me keep my number, 111. The AMA is awesome, and issues a new license the same day, emailing the organization a scanned copy. Ferretti is kind to me, it is clear I am new to this thing and overlooks this issue once he sees I have the right documentation the next day. The original license would arrive by courier later in the rally. Most importantly for me was that I would be putting a good 40 riders between me and first cars and trucks, something I considered high on my agenda. Another advantage was that I would be riding with the more experienced international riders, I am sure I will learn a lot from that.

I also learn that it’s a bad idea to try and shortcut the rules and especially not screw with the FIM officials under any circumstances. Des tells me that a senior American rider on his Dakar was once hit with a 300 Euro on-the-spot fine for swearing in front of these guys after becoming frustrated with their attention to the smallest details. They are the epitome of professionalism, they have seen it all, and if you cross them you could find yourself never being able to race again. Mr. Ferretti is the same guy who does scrutinizing at all WC rally events. It’s vitally important that they get what they want, when they want. If you have your act together, they quickly warm to you and things generally go more smoothly. I found it’s also a good idea to actually know what the FIM guidelines are for each category and in particular the category you choose to enter.

We all our official photos taken, here is Randal and DD getting theirs done. I don’t think the organization planned for such a big, tall participant. The organization sponsor's logos can't even be seen.  ;D  None of the team shirts could fit him either.

I get handed my folder with a race number of a bib, and race No. decals for my bike, a permanent colored wrist band, a competitor ID card and a brochure on the rally with useful info about the rally and contact numbers in each town we will be staying at. You can see Des in the background talking to the guys in America about my bike and what to do next.

After the paperwork ordeal I rush back to my bike and continue with the carburetor adjustments with Randall and Des. The fuel in Brazil runs on 25% ethanol and if we don’t rejet the bikes we will lose an engine really quickly. We joke that the Yamaha design engineers obviously don’t like mechanics. It’s a bullet proof engine and rides really, REALLY nicely, but working on the bike is a real PITA. The rally kit does not make access any easier.

This and the following is what we have to do in the basement of the hotel to get access to the carburetor.

Randall and I get the needle adjust up two notches, fit a 180 Main jet, and a 145 pilot jet.

I take it for a spin, but the bike sounds like it’s bogging - too rich. Worse after filling up at a fuel station I cannot get it to start. Eventually it fires and I limp nervously back to the hotel. I’m running out of time and I’m beginning to panic. The day before I took the bike for a run and confirmed the bikes jetting was too lean, but also found out that I have major power problems. I have got to finish the bike today, because tomorrow is scrutiny and briefings! Des calms me down and says he will take it to the Uruguayans tomorrow where it will all be sorted out. He convinces me that in less than 20 minutes they will have it right as rain. Amazingly, I believe him. Perhaps it was my subconscious way of preventing a meltdown taking place in my head. I mean you need to understand there have been months to prepare, and huge dollars spent to get this far and now the bike is not working properly. I’m a mechanic’s nightmare so this stuff stresses me out big time. They have just arrived, driving five days from Uruguay and are setting up camp outside in the box area.

That night we go through our budget. It’s been decimated, it looks like everything has already doubled in cost so far and we are not sure if we will have enough cash for fuel, accommodation and food to last the next 12 days. There are rental cars to pay for as support vehicles, hotel accommodation and meals everyday for the whole team, increased mechanics fees, paid race entry fees, and bought a lot of gear and camping stuff that we did not bring with us. The total is adding up big time.

The horrified expression on Dave's face as he looks at the new total on the spreadsheet says it all.

We are all stressing out a bit and getting on one another’s nerves. Lots of self-control needed all round, because we are all difficult, driven people.

Why cant we just go riding??  :cwm21:

 

[Loopy]

Fantastic! You have us hooked....

 

[faniesmith]

so like any good project...,

It was all going swimmingly at the start!  >

 

[BlueBull2007]

so like any good project...,

It was all going swimmingly at the start!  >

Yes, you have nailed it precisely! ;D

 

[Kamanya]

You know, there has to be painfully few times, if any, when times get tough that a boer seuntjie beside you is not a good idea!...

 

[BlueBull2007]

T Minus - One Day: Scrutinizing

It’s the day before the race and we have been running around like headless chickens in Goiania (Goiaz province), for five days already trying to get the bikes prepped and jetted correctly for the high ethanol fuel they have here in Brazil. Apparently it’s the worst fuel in South America, and from experience, that’s pretty bad.

Dave and Phil’s bikes are fine, Phil had a major drama class with his new engine and had to fit another engine just before he shipped the bike as well, but in the last couple of days its all come right for him. In fact both Americans had no problems with jetting and general setup after their adjustments.

They sure know a lot more about bikes than I do, I feel woefully inadequate. At least I am learning fast with their help! Phil and Dave's bikes are now run in nicely. They had time yesterday to go for a ride and see what the dirt around Goiania is like. I wanted to do the same, but my bike won’t let me yet!  :dousing:  This is also stressful because I want to get a feel for the bike. Just remember, I last rode the bike back in April for only four days and Im not convinced the place to get a feel for bike again for the first time is on the starting circuit!  :confused1:

There is not enough time to start stripping my bike again, but we put the battery on charge last night so we can get it through scrutinizing - we hope. In the Dakar immediately after scrutiny the bikes are locked up away from the teams in the park ferme until the start of the race, but in Brazil they are more relaxed and the bikes are locked away in the park ferme only a few hours before the start of the event. This means we can still have just under a day to work on my bike once scrutiny is done. Wonderful.  : Nevertheless, I try to remain positive and calm: Having a bike passing scrutiny will take a lot of worry off my shoulders. This a journey, its fast leaving my domain of control a having a panic flap about it will not help anyone, least of all the guy who has to ride the bike and finish this race - me.

We get the bikes started and nip 600m from the hotel over to the box area.

Scrutiny is a process.

You line up with the other vehicles (notice our dodgy support vehicle trying to blend in with the fancy race cars) and start with a series of checks, each check having to be signed off and stamped on a sheet. It’s here that the reality sinks in BIG time that we are actually going to be racing in a serious event. This is not a weekend ride or even an enduro event.  It a freaking ten-day rally! We stare and smile at each other. The feeling is one of indescribeable joy mixed in with a healthy dollop of anxiety.

Seeing the cars and bikes lining up with feverish activity happening at each of the checks is a really amazing feeling, very cool, we are part of a small group of people who have fought the difficulties, trained hard, paid their dues and actually made it to the start without incident.  Holy shit, we are SERIOUSLY going to be doing this thing!!  It feels like a tremendous achievement getting this far, I’ve been grinning so much my cheeks are beginning to hurt. Yet I am still anxious because we have never done this before and the anticipation of the unknown ahead of us is unsettling.

We dont have much time to reflect though, there is lots still to do. Each check takes place or next to its own “easy up” tent. I have been often asked what this is all about, so please bear up with me while I explain:

Each of these checkpoints cost money (usually in the form of rentals of essential equipment and services) and at each point you have to prove you have paid your dues in advance or pay in cash right there before you are allowed to move on. Its well organized and very well controlled with documentation.

The first check comprises confirmation of bike and decals corresponding to the rider. They check to see decals are on the bike in the correct positions, and on our helmets, and also our Identification. I get my first stamp. Whoohoo!  8) That was the easy one.

Next up is the Sentinel installment and checking. This is an alarm device that emits a loud beep-beep-beep sound when activated by a rally car or truck approaching from behind. The idea is the rider hears this and gets the hell out of the road before he is killed, and allowing the safe passing of the vehicle. It has to be connected directly to the battery, and tested before you get your stamp. It is considered an indispensable safety device. In characteristic fashion, getting to the battery is a real PITA. I also need tools to install it so I would have to come back for final testing later.

Third check is the installation of the “Spot” or independent GPS transceiver that has buttons that send signals to via satellite to activate live tracking on the web. More importantly there is a help/911 button that can be used to send an alarm to the organizers in the event of a serious accident requiring helicopter rescue. Normally this is activated by the first rider on the scene.

On the fourth, the Organisation takes my Zumo 500 GPS system and programs with all the main (un-hidden) way points for every step of the rally, including the box areas each day. This will be used in the GPS navigation section, but is not a replacement of the roadbook, which has much more detailed path. Again on the Dakar, they use a special ASO organization GPS system, the IRI track. Some of the guys had these on their bikes.

Fifth is the radio check, where we each received a two-way hand radio that can be used to contact the aircraft monitoring the race in the event of an emergency.

Sixth is the Rastro stop, where we are issued with two smallish independent GPS tracking devices to put in our jackets. These are replaced at the end of every day, and the info from each rider is downloaded and checked on a daily basis. It is the Rastro that helps the organization confirm riders have reached all the waypoints, including the hidden ones. It also records rider speed and is used for imposing speed penalties in the various radar zones where applicable. Simply put, it keeps the competitors honest.

Finally comes the technical scrutinizing stage, done by the organization in conjunction with the FIM officials. First they check you have passed all other checks and have been correctly signed signed off. Just then I bump into Marc Coma. Holy moly, the big legend is shorter and smaller than me. And they always describe him as a big rider. His bike is not there, it will be taken through scrutiny by his support team later. I shake his hand excitedly and tell him he is the reason I am here and that he has been a huge inspiration to me. Marc smiles at me briefly and abruptly turns away to start a conversation with Ferretti. Clearly Ferretti is much more important than just another arbitrary pilot/fan like me. Somewhat disappointed at his reaction, I tell myself that this is his job, and I shouldn’t be surprised.