DIRTBIKE

BACK TO BACK
Toby followed on from his win in the fi nal
stage of 2015 with a convincing win on day
two of 2016 (stage one having been canned
due to lack of air rescue coverage). However,
being fi rst on the road through crowds of
spectators, all jostling to get their cars and
booze trackside was an unwelcome challenge.
Surprised by Toby’s very swift approach, the
crowds only parted at the last minute; often
the last few seconds.
This, coupled with the fact there were
many last-minute changes to the roadbook,
made it impossible to relate the instructions
to what was in front.
“Actually I clipped a spectator’s car in the
mess,” said Toby, “at times it was sheer
guesswork to see where the track went. I
dropped from fi rst to 37th for the day, it was
intense; really tough.”
At this point the Honda threat was at its
strongest with a clear advantage in top speed

• maybe as much as 10km/h – with Joan
  Barreda, Paulo Gonçalves and rookie Kevin
  Benavides dominating.
  “I backed off considerably,” said Toby,
  “and that certainly paid dividends when I
  confronted a huge black cow which turned out
  to be two cows going in different directions.”

NAV SECRETS

We’ve all been exposed to GPS navigation,

whether it’s following a blue line on a screen

as you roost though the bush or obeying ‘the

voice’ when instructed to “make a U-turn

when possible”. But navigating Dakar is a

touch more complex. In the more populated

regions it involves following the ‘tulips’ (small

diagrams in the roadbook) that indicate which

turns or forks to take.

When the competitors move into wilder

country all they are given is a compass

bearing and distance to the next waypoint,

together with supplementary notes; for

example, where to enter and exit a dry

riverbed or other features and warnings to

note along the route.

Toby explains: “The GPS tracker on our

bikes [which doesn’t give any directions on

where to go] will indicate a heading and a

distance. For example, ‘Travel 146km at a

heading of 110°’. So you ride 140km on the

general bearing indicated, then start wishing

and hoping you’ll fi nd the waypoint. If you’re

in the zone then a green arrow on the GPS

will indicate the direction [to the waypoint]

from about 3km out; then fine tune for the

fi nal 800 metres.

“Then you have to ride within 90 metres of

the waypoint. You’d think finding something

the size of a football field would be easy but

when you can’t see beyond the next sand

dune, or there’s a deep, impassable washout

between you and the waypoint it’s very

frustrating.

“Get it wrong and you try not to hit the

panic button but the heart rate certainly rises.

The only solution is to backtrack with the

potential of a head-on with someone who’s

made the same mistake. An out of control

Peugeot buggy for example.” If Toby learnt

any secrets from Coma he’s certainly not

gonna pass them on.

PIED PIPER OF THE PAMPAS

It’s a rarity at Dakar for the first rider on a

stage to finish on that day’s podium. The

math is simple. With over a hundred nav.

decisions to make it only takes a heartbeat at

each one to lose time to the competition.

Unlock your right wrist for a hundred

metres while you scan for a way to exit a

sandy riverbed and there’s another minute

lost. Look too often at your compass bearing

and you’ll be off the leader board before

dinnertime. Knowing when to lead out and

when to go with the flow is a strategic

advantage both Cyril Despres and Coma took

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http://www.adbmag.com.au APRIL 2016 | 93