Honda Racing - Dakar Preparations in Full Swing‏

Things have stepped up a notch for Team Honda Europe. Two 6×6 trucks,
two Land Cruiser’s, two buggy’s and five bikes last week departed from
Le Havre, France for the shores of South America, ready for the start
of the 2011 Dakar Rally on January 1st. The machines were loaded in
Vorden, Netherlands and the trucks were packed meticulously to serve as
super-efficient mobile workplaces for the team during the rally itself.


Team Honda Europe’s five rider team comprises American Quinn
Cody, Mirjam Pol from the Netherlands, Russian Alexey Naumov, Vadim
Pritulyak from Kazakhstan and Christopher Jarmuz from Poland. The
multinational collection of riders can now begin to focus on their own
individual preparation and plan their race strategies, safe in the
knowledge that there will be an excellent team of well equipped
mechanics waiting for them at the end of each gruelling stage.

The
journey has now begun for Team Honda Europe but still within Europe,
there was a full equipment inspection to undertake. The team were also
required to collect essential items from the rally organisers,
including the stamp book and stickers, Sentinel, Iritrack, GPS and
Tripy that needed to be installed in order to ensure the bikes are full
Dakar-ready. After the inspection, the bikes were sealed at the Harbour
and loaded aboard.

The main event is getting close but it
isn’t just a question of counting down the days. Team Honda Europe is
alert, preparing, organizing and constantly busy fine-tuning the last
details before the start of the event. The team personnel will depart
on December 27th to join the equipment that will be ready and waiting
for them for them in Buenos Aires.

There is no turning back now. It’s a race to the finish.

Henk Hellgers, Team Manager, Team Honda Europe
“We
are making final preparations before the team travel to South America.
Effective organisation is the key to success so we are making sure that
everything is prepared meticulously. The last checks on the machines
have been made, the mechanics have been briefed and all the necessary
logistical operations have been put in place. Pretty much all of the
paperwork has been completed, so now we go racing!”

Follow the progress of Team Honda Europe on www.hondaproracing.com or on www.team-honda-europe.eu

Regular updates on www.twitter.com/hondaproracing and on www.facebook.com/hondaproracing