Dakar begins

Unfortunately, the first day brings tragedy:

http://espn.go.com/racing/story/_/id/7410443/argentine-rider-jorge-martinez-boero-dies-following-dakar-rally-crash

Seriously?

I had a gut feeling some B.S. like this would happen. Then again, we're talking about Dakar and motorcycles.

RealRacer4 wrote:Seriously?

I had a gut feeling some B.S. like this would happen. Then again, we're talking about Dakar and motorcycles.

Same here. Seems like someone always dies at that rally

I NEVER watch Dakar, for the sole reason of there being a death at some point during the event

they seriously should stop having this event if every year some is gonna die

Well, I'm not a big fan of the Dakar Rally, but, like with any other racing event, all the drivers know the risk they take when they get out there. It's not like they're unaware of the danger. Not to mention that the race is on an incredibly large scale, in both field size and race distance, so in a race that large, there's bound to be some fatalities to speak of. Not downplaying the danger at all, it's always tragic when a racer dies, but I don't think it's quite the fire-spewing bloodsport most people make it out to be.

RIP - Jorge Martinez Boero

nepatsfan02 wrote:they seriously should stop having this event if every year some is gonna die

That didn't stop them from running the Indy 500

f1fan12 wrote:

nepatsfan02 wrote:they seriously should stop having this event if every year some is gonna die

That didn't stop them from running the Indy 500

and LeMans

navycook75 wrote:

f1fan12 wrote:

nepatsfan02 wrote:they seriously should stop having this event if every year some is gonna die

That didn't stop them from running the Indy 500

and LeMans

And every Formula One race up until the 1980s.

Sparkz47 wrote:

navycook75 wrote:

f1fan12 wrote:

nepatsfan02 wrote:they seriously should stop having this event if every year some is gonna die

That didn't stop them from running the Indy 500

and LeMans

And every Formula One race up until the 1980s.

And NASCAR

And Moto GP

And Rally

And Boat Racing

And so on...

kinda sad that on the first day of the year, we have a racing fatality

Racerfan275 wrote:kinda sad that on the first day of the year, we have a racing fatality

Seconded.

Racerfan275 wrote:kinda sad that on the first day of the year, we have a racing fatality

Which is what the kind of B.S. I was referring to in my first post on this thread.

Robby's running this year right?

pepsibottle1 wrote:Robby's running this year right?

5th after Stage 1.

crl wrote:

pepsibottle1 wrote:Robby's running this year right?

5th after Stage 1.

Holy crap. But then again it's only Stage 1. I would like to see Robby run well for once without being hindered by some sort of mechanical problem

pepsibottle1 wrote:

crl wrote:

pepsibottle1 wrote:Robby's running this year right?

5th after Stage 1.

Holy crap. But then again it's only Stage 1. I would like to see Robby run well for once without being hindered by some sort of mechanical problem

Unfortunately, at any major endurance race like Dakar, mechanical difficulties are almost a given.

Sparkz47 wrote:

pepsibottle1 wrote:

crl wrote:

pepsibottle1 wrote:Robby's running this year right?

5th after Stage 1.

Holy crap. But then again it's only Stage 1. I would like to see Robby run well for once without being hindered by some sort of mechanical problem

Unfortunately, at any major endurance race like Dakar, mechanical failures are almost a given.

Actually, Robby's slow start was because his teammate had oil pressure problems, and he had to help tow said teammate to the finish line.

RealRacer4 wrote:

Sparkz47 wrote:

navycook75 wrote:

f1fan12 wrote:

nepatsfan02 wrote:they seriously should stop having this event if every year some is gonna die

That didn't stop them from running the Indy 500

and LeMans

And every Formula One race up until the 1980s.

And NASCAR

And Moto GP

And Rally

And Boat Racing

And so on...

Then again, back in the day, deaths were just a part of the life of being a racer. Nowadays, with all of the safety advances, deaths should be able to be kept to a minimum. Dakar on the other hand, they seem to have someone die just about every year, and in this day and age with safety, it's just a shock.

If you fear for your life, you shouldn't be racing motorcycles at a place like Dakar. It's never good news to see that another driver has passed away, but death is just another factor of racing.

The Dakar Rally, and rally in general, is one of the purest forms of motorsport on the planet. No walls, no tire barriers, no safety crews every 100 yards, nothing except the car, the driver and the environment. To make it safer would do away with the very things that make it so special and unique.

That said, it is still a tragedy when a rider/driver perishes in competition. At least he was doing what he loved

Mystrsyko wrote:The Dakar Rally, and rally in general, is one of the purest forms of motorsport on the planet. No walls, no tire barriers, no safety crews every 100 yards, nothing except the car, the driver and the environment. To make it safer would do away with the very things that make it so special and unique.

That said, it is still a tragedy when a rider/driver perishes in competition. At least he was doing what he loved

I get that, what I am saying is that with most other forms of motorsport, you have so much in safety advancements, that something like Dakar is a shock to the senses. 50 years ago, something like this would of been sad, but thats the price of racing, because the rest of auto racing was like it. Today, before Dan Wheldon's death, there hadn't been an Indy Car fatality in 5 years. There hasn't been a fatality in NASCAR in over 10 years. No fatalities in F1 in nearly 20. We come across Dakar, and see the deaths that happen, and like I said, it is a shock, more so than years back.