I remember I’ve seen a photograph of Annie Seel in „Tomb Raider“ costume but I never would have thought that since yesterday that’s gonna be her new nickname. Annie’s story of yesterday’s accident is just incredible. While driving the special stage, she realized a big hole unexpectedly and suddenly appeared in front of her. Her speed was too high to jump it and too slow to stop so… Annie just jumped from the bike which fell into a big hole 2m by 2m wide and 6 m deep. Probably a Tomb, definitively which was not shown on the roadbook. The engine kept running for a while. By throwing stones to the wheel she finally managed to stop it. Imagine what would have happened if she fell into that 6m deep hole.
A helicopter came and Etienne Lavigne personally went into the hole, securing the bike with a rope, so the helipcopter could lift it up.
Annie kick-started it, and guess what…. She ended the stage with two hours of delad, but alive and nearly no injury… She really had an angel watching over her.

This morning she just started for the 9th special stage which has been shortened from 380 Km to 170 Km. Dunes and Camel grass today, it’s gonna be tough for all competitors.

I just arrived in Fiambala safely, no other injuries or accidents on the road. It’s 35 degrees here, our bodies refuse to adapt so quickly to the change of climate and weather conditions. Yesterday morning it was raining and 20 degrees C

I met motorbike driver Annie Seel (#76), with SS partial qualification #57. Annie Told me it was in incredibily tough special stage. She said ” I’m sorry for the amateurs, it will be a long day for them”. Annie’s Bike also made it well, it’s not being repaired by Meccasystem mechanic Laurent.
Winner of the special Stage was C. Despres with motorbike #2, immediately followed by H. Rodriguez with motorbike #5. (Partial Classification at 15:30hrs)

Here in Fiambala the wind is blowing and the sand gets into everywhere. As I write from the Media Center of the Dakar, my laptop is covered by sand. The sand gets into your ears, nose, eyes… and unless you have ski-googles it’s really not pleasant.

Miran Stanovnik (Bike #13) unfortunalety retired from the race due to an injury on his left hand. He hit a tree, and was sutured by the Medics. Nothing serious but he can’t race anymore and he has to return to Europe tomorrow in order to get another operation on his hand. At 15:30 local time his position was #20. He was doing really well. Good Luck Miran and safe journey home.

The second day of the race was a quiet one for the Charlies. Competitors did not have many issues with this leg on the 2nd of January in Cordoba on the second bivouac, so that there was hardly any reparation necessary. Tomorrow the race goes on. The charlies will depart by Hercules Aircraft to the next bivouac in Mendoza while I will follow in the press car of Team SMG. We will try to reach the start of the special tomorrow morning at 8:00am in order to catch the first cars departing and make some nice shots. Stay tuned for more news about our work at the Dakar Rally 2010.

While I am still on the road with the press cars of SMG Team driven by Ellen Lohr, the Loctite Charlies just landed at the end of the second stage. Over 600 Km distance from Colon. When I’ll arrive this evening they will be already working and making reparations on Bikes Cars and Trucks is needed. It’s now 10:00 am here, and we are at a Shell gas station at 90Km from Colón. Still over 500 Km to go in order to reach the next bivouac where I will meet them and hear about they stories.

Today at 14:30 Local time the fist vehicles to start will be Quads. It’s cloudy and the temperature dropped a bit. All competitors will move their vehicles from the Parc Fermé where they have been stationed after the technical checks to the Av. 9 Julio, close to the obelisk for the official start ceremony. They will then drive 317 Km up to Colon. The Charlies have made the last preparations and are now ready to depart to the first bivouac. I’ll be at the start today, photographing the event. Stay tuned for more updates from the field!

Dakar Rally 2010, originally uploaded by dunerider70.

Also this year Hummer Pilot Robby Gordon and co-pilot Andy Grider participate to the 2010 edition of the Dakar Rally. It will be a hard fight them and and the WV team. The Charlies wish them good luck! As always Robby and Andy impressed the crowds with a spectacular jump at the official start on January 1st 2010. Follow the blog for more images and stories about the Loctite Charlies and our friends!

Buenos Aires, December 31, 2009. That’s what happens here if you don’t behave well… you wanna mess with the Charlies and the Loctite people? they are gonna glue your shows with Loctite 401 and hang you up as they did with this poor visitor! You better don’t mess with the Charlies.

Today at the Rural, during the technical scrutineering, the Charlies were there at the Dakar Village. Many visitors asked for stepping into our Loctite truck. A sunny day, 28 degrees the Argentinian mild summer is fantastic if you come from -20C. Jean Gaborit, head of the Charlies finally met our two new crew members: Martin-Daniel Gonzales and José-Luis Cornejo will be the new technicians following the whole race for 10000Km and offering reparations to competitors at the Bivouac every day. Day and Night for 15 days.

I met Annie this morning. Last time I saw her it was at the arrival of the 2009 Dakar edition. Also this year Loctite sponsored her participation to the Dakar. “After the injuries of last year” said Annie “this year I am gonna take it easy”. It’s more about the experience than about racing she said.
I’ll be there watching her and interviewing her when I catch her, so stay tuned for new information live from the field!

   

Rally Dakar 2009, originally uploaded by dunerider70.

Sponsored driver Annie Seel arrived glorious in Buenos Aires few minutes ago. With great happiness painted on her face Annie was welcomed by dozens of journalists and photographers who cheerer at her. Everybody clapped hands and many shouted her name:”Annie! Annie! you are the true winner of this race!

Loctite sponsored Motorbike Driver Miran Stanovnik just arrived at the Rural ending the Dakar 2009 with position no. 13 Overall. What an incredible result for Miran, who has been driving excellently with no major problem during the whole rally. Jean congratulates Miran at the arrival in the area where all press is gathered to welcome the participants.

Today, after the last stage with 227 km of special the spaniard Marc Coma reached Buenos Aires winning the 2009 edition of the Rally Dakar. Three years after his first triumph in Senegal, on the other side of the ocean, the Catalan became the first Dakar winner in Latin America.
I just arrived at the press room in La Rural, where there is a unusual and unexpected atmosphere. I was expecting hundreds of people if not thousand of people around, and realized security have blocked the access to the arrival podium which is apparently only open to the press. There are a lot of Argentinians on the street, but nobody close to the podium yet. Looking forward to see all competitors arriving, I will now take a taxi to the Parc Ferme’ at the University Area, where the Bikes are supposed to arrive. Tomorrow there will be the podium ceremony where all competitors will show themselves to the public and the media.

Annie faced a very hard day yesterday, Stage 12 Fiambala-La Rioja. During the whole day the mechanics and myself were not able to get detailed information about what happened and we were all very worried as it appeared she would be stuck between CP2 and the end of the special stage. Laurent, her mechanic, his teammates and myself were running up and down all evening between CPO and the service truck in order to read Iritrack data. We only got information from some drivers passing by. We knew a helicopter had landed to help her, but no more. Finally at 2:00 am Annie made it back to the bivouac. Annie fell between CP2 and the end of the stage. She injured her shoulder which was already suffering from a ligament problem. With a lot of pain, exhausted she was helped by a team-mate motorbiker to get up and a helicopter came to bandage her. She did not give up and kept going, and eventually reached the end of the stage. Because she already had passed CP2, the information that the special stage had been shortened by the organization did not reach her. She fought for ending the original special stage, in pain, without need. All professional drivers criticized vary badly the difficulty of this particular stage. Many said it has been the most difficult stage in their life. Hard to imagine what this means. Just too much! Too dangerous many of them say. The organization decided to shorten the second part of the special stage (after CP2) when cars, trucks and bikes were stuck at the bottom of high dunes, with no engine power left, due to the effect high altitude over 4000 metres has on fuel engines if the carburator is not adapted to the conditions. I was shocked when Annie told me that cars and trucks, because they were not able to climb the dunes from one side, they would be forced to take a u-turn and drive full speed against the direction motorbikers were driving. Bikers would face cars and Trucks with the risk of a frontal impact. I accompanied Annie to the medics at 2:30 am. Annie wanted to be bandaged in order to keep competing the following day. “If I made it today, tomorrow I will also make it” she said. The medics, myself and the mechanics motivated her to think carefully wether to continue racing in this conditions. No way… It is impossible to stop Annie. Annie woke up, jumped on her bike this morning at 6:45 am, holding her bike with the power of one arm only. She is now racing.  ”You cannot stop superwoman” said Laurent, after we both saw her departing from the Meca’System truck. Fingers crossed for her!!!

People welcoming the caravane in Cordoba

The Charlies just love South Americans. The people are so welcoming here. It never happened to us to feel like “stars”. People seem to be so fond of motorsport here that we are asked many times a day to pose with them for pictures. Just crazy – makes us smile a lot.  The passage of the Rally Dakar 2009 is a unique event and probably for some smaller villages the most exciting event in history. In the larger cities the crowds of people welcoming us and the competitors is just absolutely amazing. Hundreds and hundreds of people fill the streets, shout, cheer. Annie Seel at the arrival in Copiapo explained me that many people shout her name while she is passing by. They remember her from the Patagonia Rally a couple of years ago. She was amazed by this. “I have my personal fans here – and they remember me – that’s so great here”. While I am in La Rioja in an Internet Cafe uploading the Blog, she is racing the special stage between Fiambala and La Rioja. Should be very muddy and hard today, as it has been pouring rain all night. Looking forward to see her at the Bivouac this afternoon.