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  1. #1 Taklimakan Rally 2009 MCM Team 
    C-Moto Guru Brice's Avatar
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    I'm entertaining the idea of riding the next Taklimakan Rally in April/May 2009.

    This rally not yet in the Dakar class should be doable by ordinary riders (I mean old, fat, out of breathe) with a minimum of preparation and support.

    Here a nice thread about the 2008 edition by dhfox on advrider.com
    http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=337853

    And another article about it: http://english.people.com.cn/200701/...19_342892.html

    For those interested we can think about mounting a team comprising Chinese and western riders plus the mandatory assistance manpower. A well built project could gain the support of local sponsors and a Chinese bike manufacturer. If Carl agree, MCM could be the internet window of the team.

    I'm not fully aware of the bike rally scene in China so there is perhaps more appropriate event.

    Let us know your thoughts on the subject.
    Last edited by Brice; 05-26-2008 at 05:10 AM.
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  2. #2  
    Administrator-tron CrazyCarl's Avatar
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    Brice,

    There are two routes to take here and both have pro's and con's: Privateer or Factory Sponsored.

    To me, what you're saying is have a bunch of people get together with their own bikes and race as an international team. This way would be awesome because it would be like a phenomenonal 2 week group ride.

    The other way would be to do it with factory sponsorships, which can be inquired about, but this places other limitations on the group like number of bikes available. Registration for those commercially sponsored is almost 1/4 the cost of private registration and probably easier to get support.

    In 2006 I rode around most of the Taklamakan desert and through the center. Most of the route was well paved unless I felt like having fun. Nevertheless, that environment is rough on machines from all the sand and dust and will require some parts and maintenance as much of the terrain would be full of sharp rocks and sand.

    This is what most of it should look like. It's like playing a long game of dodge the dust-devils! OH YEAH!


    <Click for bigger!>

    Ride these bikes hard in bad terrain and you're looking at more than a couple oil changes and a set of new tires. None of these are really very expensive but ALL KINDS of unexpected details will appear when really under way. Or maybe it could be done both ways?

    Either way, it would be something worth looking into and an unforgettable time of our lives.

    CC
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  3. #3  
    C-Moto Regular Chinggis101's Avatar
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    Where is this desert? What part of China? And where would we get the dates of the rally from?

    The idea of riding support or just following the Dakar has always interested me, I just don't know if I could get time off work to be part of this!

    Its a fascinating idea.
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  4. #4  
    C-Moto Guru Brice's Avatar
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    Taklimakan (or Taklamakan) cover a big area in the south of Xinjiang.

    Here the wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taklimakan
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  5. #5  
    C-Moto Guru Brice's Avatar
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    For what I understand you can run as a privateer and paying lower fees if you accept commercial promotion (ads) provided by the organization on your vehicle.

    The idea is to be an independent team but with some factory support. The factory lend, sell or rent at low price the bikes and provides technical assistance during the event.
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  6. #6  
    C-Moto Guru Supersignet's Avatar
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    I'm in for sure. I wanted to do this rally this year but didn't have the time. This is one experience I want to have.
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  7. #7  
    C-Moto Guru Brice's Avatar
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    Website of the organization.

    Chinese: http://www.atr123.com

    English: http://www.atr123.com/english/

    The English version website been not up to date, you can try the Google auto translation.
    http://64.233.179.104/translate_c?hl...ww.atr123.com/
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  8. #8  
    Administrator-tron CrazyCarl's Avatar
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    The Rally website hurts my eyes to look at. :blink:

    I like the big red notice for foreign racers...

    "Foreign participants who will enter the 2008 Around Taklimmkan Rally & China Auto-cross Xinjiang Stage are not the official racers, they could participate in the way of observation and their results are not included in this competition result."

    I wouldn't really effect MCM doing a ride as it wouldn't be a serious racing team but still, a reason would be nice. Will they still keep track of times even if you're not technically considered as part of the winning results?

    CC
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  9. #9  
    C-Moto Guru Brice's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by CrazyCarl View Post
    "Foreign participants who will enter the 2008 Around Taklimmkan Rally & China Auto-cross Xinjiang Stage are not the official racers, they could participate in the way of observation and their results are not included in this competition result."
    CC
    Yes they will apply the same rule for the coming little games. Good way to insure an harmonious distribution of chocolate medals.

    Frankly who's care? this is not for the score board but for the fun.
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  10. #10  
    C-Moto Guru Supersignet's Avatar
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    I agree with Brice that it is about the fun and not the winning. I think this little clause has everything to do with Chinese insecuities and the fact they don't want to lose anything on their home soil. I also think they're keeping the times to check how slow they actually are in comparision to the lao wai.

    The really need a better website. I don't know what it is with Chinese companies but they seem to have no clue or no understanding of how to promote or market a product/event.
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