Bordone-Ferrari to Hell’s Gate

17-Feb-2012 | Christopher Doyle

Today begins the prologue for the ninth edition of what is billed as one of the toughest enduro races on the planet. Fabio Fasola’s Hell’s Gate enduro, held in Italy, has gained a reputation of difficulty placing it alongside the Erzberg Rodeo and Romaniac’s races on the main stage of extreme enduro’s.

Having competed in all eight previous Hell’s Gate races including a second place finish in 2009, Italian rider Alessandro Botturi planned to race yet again for a ninth time as a privateer entrant, but a surprising late entrance of the entire Bordone-Ferrari team displays a showing of team support not often seen.

When I say the Bordone-Ferrari team, I mean the entire group including the riders from both the enduro and the rally teams. That’s right, Botturi will line up alongside Jordi Viladoms, Gerard Farres Guell, and Paolo Ceci from the rally team as well as the rest of the enduro team consisting of Edoardo D’Ambrosio, Jonathan Manzi, Thomas Oldrati, and Massimo Mutti. This certainly puts forth a formidable effort and makes Bordone-Ferrari the team to beat.

Hell’s Gate however, is mostly an individual effort with a scant few actually reaching the finish. There is nothing easy about this race and with more and more extreme events creating a crop of ‘extreme’ race specialists honing their skills like specialized craftsmen, Alessandro Botturi will have his work cut out for him, but in his ninth try, certainly he knows what to expect and has been concentrating on this effort. The support of his entire team can only help to ease the tension.

While many questions have been asked as to whether or not the race would be held due to the recent weather conditions throughout Europe, organizer Fabio Fasola has put to rest any concerns stating that the course conditions are getting ‘better and better’.

The Bordone-Ferrari Watch…

Anytime a new maker of motorbikes reveals itself, it is viewed with both child like enthusiasm and a healthy dose of skepticism. However, in this case, the usual skepticism may be unwarranted. The Milan based Bordone-Ferrari Racing Team set out with the announcement of a bold plan for the 2012 Dakar, quite late in the game, just back in November of 2011. Much to the delight of many rally fans and perhaps to the surprise of some other teams, not only did the venturesome plan come to fruition, Bordone Ferrari exceeded the expectations of all but perhaps the team itself.

The hopes are that this momentum continues and as the team principals transition from a racing team into a full scale production specialist manufacturer, they can put out a competitive new package that will open up the possibilities for the rally riding world.

Taken from the web, this interview with Renato Ferrari is well worth the read. Even though it is a few weeks old, it reminds us to keep an eye on this group because a sexy new rally bike may soon be on offer.
 
INTERVIEW Wednesday 18th January 2012

Created in record time, the Bordone Ferrari team has aroused great interest in the rally raid world ever since its debut, but so far people have only seen the tip of the iceberg. In the following interview, Renato Ferrari, managing director of the company and a prestigious 52-year-old Milanese architect accustomed to make many dreams come true, as well as a lover of off-road bikes, reveals Bordone Ferrari’s main projects…

Everything revolves around two areas: the sports project and the industrial project, the crowning jewel: the manufacturing of three bikes (vintage, rally and enduro).

Q: In a very short period of time you have opened many fronts…
-Up to now we had focused on the challenge posed by the Dakar, achieving results that are in line with our expectations: Jordi Viladoms, Gerard Farrés and Alessandro Botturi finished among the top ten, and Paolo Ceci recovered many positions after suffering technical problems. This, however, is just the beginning. With the training provided and the new bike being manufactured we will be competing in the 2012 World Cross Country Championship and other significant events, such as the Dos Sertoes Rally in Brazil, the Baja 1000 (compatible with the activity calendar) and the Merzouga Rally as preparation and tuning up for the Dakar 2013.

Q: Are you happy with the results achieved?
-I am happy, but the results achieved so far fall within our ambitious expectations. Nonetheless, we will keep going and aim to improve in the future.

Q: What are the plans for the enduro team?
-In November we decided to become involved in the enduro world, especially focusing on young talents. Accordingly, Tomas Oldrati, Jonathan Manzi and Edoardo D’Ambrosio joined the team that will compete in the World Championship and in the Italian Championship. Massimo Mutti, however, will only participate in the latter. In addition to taking part in the World Rally Championship races, Botturi will also participate in some races of the Italian competition. The team is managed by Alessandro Bellometti, an expert in and former champion of this specialty. Both in rallies and enduro our target is to develop an innovative, avant-garde bike.

Q: Where does your passion for this sport come from?
-I’m an “endurer” and I had the chance to be on many travels throughout Africa along with Fabrizio Meoni, a great person and an excellent pilot. This project is partly inspired in Fabrizio’s sports ethics. What is more, we want to provide young talents with opportunities. We believe that a sports result is a consequence of the talent expressed through hard work, modesty and passion.

Q: Why Bordone Ferrari?
-Nicoletta Elisa Altieri Bordone is the granddaughter of Nicola Bordone, an industrial engineer from Milan who devoted his life to the world of motorcycles in the interwar period. I am Ferrari. Together we came up with the idea to create a team which, at present, focuses on two well-defined projects: a sports project and an industrial project relating to the development of three bikes (vintage, rally and enduro).

Q: You have been talking about two projects. What’s the relationship between them?
-The sports program is linked to the manufacturing of our bikes. The first test of our structure was the Merzouga Rally at the beginning of November. Ceci and Viladoms finished second and third, respectively, with one stage victory each. In Morocco we tested the new bike, the development of which is in line with the schedule determined by our racing department in Milan, the offices of which are located in a 650 sq. m. loft, with another 5,000 sq. m. at our disposal. Designers, draftsmen and mechanics work there. We focus on Italian design, engine reliability, the quality of components and a constant know-how obtained from the races.

Q: When will we see the new rally bike?
-The project is still absolutely secret. I can only say that it will be a high quality product with a powerful and reliable engine and a very stable tubular steel chassis. We have made a strong commitment and we aim to become a benchmark team and bike, capable of defying well-established makes. The whole team, comprising in excess of 40 people, is driven by a great passion and love for this challenge. We stand united in achieving the goals we have set.

Q: When will the bike be ready?
-According to our plans, it should be ready in April.

Q: The other project relates to the manufacturing of a vintage bike…
-It will be an exclusive bike, the quintessence of Italian design; and it will be closely linked to the life of Nicola Bordone.

2012 Dakar Stage 13 Moto Wrap Up

Rise of the machines…

14-Jan-2012 | Christopher Doyle

This is it, the final chance for either Marc Coma or Cyril Despres to claim the Dakar title as both sit as equals, equal teams, equal equipment, equally supported, as equal in ability as two competitors can be, and equal in their previous Dakar wins. Both riders, chasing their 4^th win, will have to put strategies away and push to the end of a challenging, changing 275 kilometer special.

KTM’s Marc Coma set out to open the stage in the early morning light, just before 7am Peruvian time. An advantageous 6 minutes behind him, KTM team mate and career long rally rival, Cyril Despres gave chase. This time, it was Coma as the hare and Despres as the hound. On the penultimate stage, Cyril was to be in the better position.

Navigating from behind, Despres has the luxury of Coma’s tracks laid out upon the route in front of him. For the novices, this can lead them astray, but on this day, both Coma and Despres need to be picture perfect. Following can indeed put the lazy navigator into trouble but for a savvy, calculating pilot like Despres, Coma’s tracks become just another data input to help process the immediate layout of the stage ahead. Following tracks allows for the riders behind to make up time as navigation becomes more verifying the route instead of forging it.

All eyes were on the first waypoint, fully expecting Coma to trip the traps with Despres closing the 6 minute physical gap. In a bit of a surprise, Despres popped up on the timing lists first. Had he erased that physical gap by the time the two rivals reached the first waypoint? When Marc Coma came through in a lowly 11^th place, nearly 4 minutes down on Despres’ time, it was clear there was a problem. The official report was of a navigation problem as the ASO reported the Spaniard being off the racing route by 2 kilometers but the reality was a gearbox problem barely 25 kilometers into the stage forcing Coma to slow to preserve the machine for the remainder of the stage.

As the waypoints and checkpoints clicked by, more and more minutes were being lost to Despres and it began to look as though the reigning Dakar champion would be giving up his crown. At checkpoint 3, a glimmer of hope emerged for Coma as Despres lost precious minutes with some navigational errors of his own. From a time deficit of more than five minutes, Coma was able to capitalize on Despres’ mistakes to shrink that gap to 2’14”, but with damaged equipment holding him back for the remainder of the stage, Coma could not keep pace.

Despres sped off finishing the stage 12’38” ahead of his main rival, moving into the overall lead by more than 11 minutes. After nearly 44 hours of full throttle racing, 11 minutes separating the two KTM superstars is an amazingly close race. More importantly is that this gap is larger than the time credited back to Despres for the mud incident in Stage 8. While this does not negate the controversial nature of the judge’s decision, it does help to restore the parity between the two and get rid of some of the ‘what may have been’ aspect.

From the humble finishes on the earlier stages, reigning FIM Cross Country World Champion, Helder Rodrigues emerged as the winner on the day in a much deserved victory, his 2^nd stage win on this Dakar. The understated and undervalued Portuguese rider snuck through to snatch the stage lead from Despres briefly in the middle of the stage but soon fell back to 2^nd place however, the Yamaha rider found speed when it counted and went on the take the stage win by 47” over the 2^nd place finish of Despres. Jordi Viladoms finished precisely where he started holding on to the final podium step just 3’ behind the winning time of Rodrigues. Another excellent pace and finish by Husqvarna rider, Joan Barreda Bort as the Spaniard finished 4^th with his Speedbrain Husqvarna team mate Paulo Goncalves just 33” behind in 5^th place.

Helder Rodrigues emerges from a quiet rally to take a much deserved win

Norwegian rally stalwart, Pal Anders Ullevalsetter brought his KTM home in 6^th while the Bordone-Ferrari Team rookie, Alessandro Botturi, secures his best stage result of the rally, slotting into 7^th place. Fighting mechanical maladies for nearly the entire rally, Frans Verhoeven once again overcame adversity finishing an excellent 8^th as KTM Factory rider, Ruben Faria finished in 9^th. Also grabbing the best result of his Dakar was Daniel Schröder. The lone German rider, Shröder, riding in only his second Dakar rally, pushed his KTM 450 into the final top ten position, an excellent result for this up and coming rider.

The lone German rider, Daniel Shröder grabs some of the spotlight

Outside the top ten fell some riders with noteworthy performances. Maintaining his 5^th place standing overall, Slovakian Stefan Svitko again impressed in the 11^th spot just edging out Brazilian rookie sensation, Felipe Zanol by 13”. 2^nd place starter Gerard Farres Guell ran afoul of some navigational challenges falling to 14^th one place ahead of KTM Factory pilot, Johnny Aubert in 15^th.

The most disappointed rider however, must be Marc Coma, the Catalan rider finishing in 18^th position, limping his KTM home and perhaps all along watching his 4^th Dakar victory slipping through his fingers.

Quotes from the stage finish:

Helder Rodrigues: A stage win is always great, and finishing on the overall podium is also cool. I might have been able to perform better in certain stages, but I had a few little problems and it was impossible for me to win. But today I gained some time on Cyril and Marc, I rode very fast. That is good. I may be able to do better next year. We can do it, if we work hard with our team all year round. I may take the new motorcycle. First, I will have to test it, and then we will see.

Cyril Despres: I am not the kind of person who derives pleasure from the problems of teammates, and even less when it is Marc Coma who is in trouble. I started with the knife between my teeth, knowing he would do the same thing. I took no risks but tried to gain ground on other riders in turns. At the refueling station I saw I had clawed back 5 minutes from Marc. I then got lost a couple of times; it was never a big problem but I had to stay focused. Today’s stage was psychologically very tough. I always wait until the last day to enjoy things. I have seen so many things happen at the Dakar, and even more today. I want to stay calm and enjoy things a bit more.

Marc Coma: I started very fast, as fast as I could, because I knew it would be difficult to stay in the lead of the rally. 25 km into the stage I had a mechanical problem which forced me to slow down. It was a gearbox problem and I feared I would not be able to continue. So I am happy to be here, in second position, which is quite good. I fought throughout the entire rally and gave it everything I had got at all times. That is the way it is. I am disappointed because I was not able to fight until the end.

Stage 14 Preview:

Stage 14, the final stage of the 2012 Dakar, delivers the riders into Lima for the podium ceremony. Seldom used to gain time, the final stage can catch riders out as exists many tales of heartbreak from the last stage back through the years. A mere 29 kilometers of timed special sandwiched in 254 kilometers of liaison, Cyril Despres has the cushion to be conservative. Stage 14 may allow for a surprise winner on the day, but results seldom matter as the day is largely a parade of bikes bringing the rally to a close, few riders fighting for placements, many riders simply happy to have reached the end.

Marc Coma, could push, but the likelihood of grabbing back time on Despres is slim, especially since Coma’s gearbox problems today may make necessary a change to a third engine and with it, the 45 minute penalty that third engine carries. A mix of terrain, dunes, sandy track, and technical rocks, Stage 14 will not be easy, but it will be short.

Stage Results:

1 - RODRIGUES (PRT) - YAMAHA - 003:21:16
2 - DESPRES (FRA) - KTM - +0:00:47
3 - VILADOMS (ESP) - KTM - +0:03:00
4 - BARREDA BORT (ESP) - HUSQVARNA - +0:05:13
5 - GONCALVES (PRT) - HUSQVARNA - +0:05:46
6 - ULLEVALSETER (NOR) - KTM - +0:05:55
7 - BOTTURI (ITA) - KTM - +0:06:32
8 - VERHOEVEN (NLD) - SHERCO - +0:06:38
9 - FARIA (PRT) - KTM - +0:07:06
10 - SCHRÖDER (DEU) - KTM - +0:08:14

Overall Standings:

1 - DESPRES (FRA) - KTM - 043:01:54
2 - COMA (ESP) - KTM - +0:11:03
3 - RODRIGUES (PRT) - YAMAHA - +1:11:27
4 - VILADOMS (ESP) - KTM - +1:41:12
5 - SVITKO (SVK) - KTM - +1:49:36
6 - ULLEVALSETER (NOR) - KTM - +2:15:47
7 - FARRES GUELL (ESP) - KTM - +2:16:12
8 - BOTTURI (ITA) - KTM - +3:00:44
9 - PAIN (FRA) - YAMAHA - +3:18:46
10 - ZANOL (BRA) - KTM - +3:24:37

2012 Dakar Stage 12 Moto Wrap Up

Arise, the master tactician…

12-Jan-2012 | Christopher Doyle

As the rally comes to a close, with only two complete, full length stages remaining, strategy becomes the master, and only those able to masterfully apply that strategy, will allow themselves the opportunity to prevail. The dynamic comes not in who remains the faster rider, but who can better deploy the total arsenal of their craft for this is no longer just a speed game, this is a thinking game.

Stage 12 traverses the Nazca Lines, geoglyphs, thousands of years old peppering a magical region steeped in mysterious history. The mystery of these giant motifs is synonymous with the mystery that awaits the field of riders as they embark upon yet another path in an unknown land. Dunes are the order of the day and rhythm is the master key unlocking the flow through the sandy expanse.

Cyril Despres sets off as the hare, to be chased by the hounds. One hound in particular, Marc Coma, now trailing Despres by two minutes has his destiny set, or does he? Coma has little choice but to attack in the hopes of taking enough time away from Despres to retake the overall lead and create enough of a cushion for Stage 13 but there is a slim chance of Coma lagging back a bit, sandbagging into Stage 13 in order to follow and pounce rather than storm and lead.

 Despres has his choice of strategies, press hard to keep the lead and perhaps force Coma into a mistake, or throttle back allowing Coma to take that lead knowing that going into the penultimate stage, it is best not to start first, the strategic overlay of the stage proving to be a fascinating aspect fought out between the two giants of moto rally.

Winner on stage 11, Despres, was set to open the track. Opening the stage has advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, the rider that starts first has the benefit of a dust free track, the downside being that leading the stage means the rider must not only be fast but completely confident in navigation as there are no tracks to follow, no dust trail indicating the general route, no helicopters giving hints to the path that lay ahead. Both Despres and Coma excel as leaders and the rigor of complete navigation does little to quell their pace.

In the early light, Cyril Despres set off, his main competition, trailing by four minutes, separated by one rider, Bordone-Ferrari’s, Gerard Farres Guell. Coma had little chance but to push and he did, but not pulling out the expected margin. By the end of the first dune section, 70 kilometers into the stage, Coma was outpacing Despres but only just. The surprise of the day was to be the stage lead taken by the injured Stefan Svitko on his KTM.  Indeed, Svitko rode through the pain of a torn arm muscle to command the lead for the first half of the stage. Coma followed up a close second, but more telling became the pace of Despres, shadowing Coma by mere seconds.

Tactics at play, strategy at work, it seemed as though both KTM riders were doing what they could to stay at the sharp end of the field but also calculating their placements relative to each other. It was certainly looking like neither the Frenchman nor the Spaniard wanted to lead the other into Stage 13.

By the latter half of the stage, Svitko began to fade and Coma assumed the lead, Despres a half minute back. Physically behind Despres on the stage, Coma would have had an excellent perspective on the timing separating the two at the checkpoint. 49 seconds was the difference, Coma over Despres. At this point though, Coma’s decision was made. To push and build a gap was the only clear choice as Despres looked content to sit back a bit.

By the stage conclusion, Coma had built a commanding lead taking nearly four minutes away from Despres and moving back into the overall lead once again. This move sealed the Spaniard’s fate as Stage 13 would be a no-compromise assault on a blistering pace. Coma took the lead and there would be no more room for tactics for now the race turns back to sheer speed.

Cyril Despres played his hand with the maturity and experience of a rider having completed ten out of eleven Dakar rallies. Finishing no lower than 4^th since 2003, the Andorran is the very definition of a calculated tactician, finishing the stage in a comfortable 4^th place as Spaniards sweep the stage 12 podium steps. Coma followed by Joan Barreda Bort and then a superb result for Jordi Viladoms, the Spaniards showed their strength on the day.

Joan Barreda Bort steams his Speedbrain Husqvarna to 2^nd place

Following Despres in 5^th position was Paulo Goncalves, the Portuguese rider salvaging a good result from a rally full of fluctuation. Ruben Faria pulled himself within two spots of his team leader providing a good margin of support for the subsequent stage. Faria slotted into 6^th. Helder Rodrigues took 7^th on the day followed by earlier stage sensation, Stefan Svitko. Felipe Zanol proved best rookie today, once again occupying a top ten position with Pal Anders Ullevalsetter completing the roster in 10th.

Top stage rookie Felipe Zanol, head and shoulders above the rest today

A time sheet anomaly slots the BMW of Dusan Cipka into the 8^th position, but having missed a plethora of waypoints, it is clear that this is indeed a timing mistake on the part of the Slovakian rider.

Again the rookies proved their mettle with KTM pilots Alessandro Botturi claiming 14^th place and Johnny Aubert netting an 18^th place finish, New Zealander, Chris Birch in 25^th.

Johnny Aubert and Alain Duclos

Quotes from the stage finish:

Marc Coma: “It was a difficult day. I set off four minutes after Cyril and I managed to catch up with him. For the entire first part of the special I mainly focused on navigation, because there was absolutely no room for mistakes. After that, I knew that there would be good opportunities to attack in the second part and that’s where I managed to regain ground on Cyril. It’s no way near over, because there’s another big stage tomorrow.”

Joan Barreda Bort: “Apart from the problems experienced during the first week, everything has been fine. Every day, I was finishing with the best. I was fifth once and today I’m second. It’s good and I’m happy. This morning, there were a lot of tracks on the beach and it was difficult to follow. I decided to concentrate on the road-book and to try and navigate well at my own pace. I’m really pleased: finishing in 2nd place is great. I think that the two leading riders are head and shoulders above the rest. They are experienced and quick, but I’m going to carry on working this year, working hard. Perhaps next year I’ll be able to fight for a place on the podium.”

Cyril Despres: “It was a magnificent stage, one of the finest specials that I’ve ridden on the Dakar over the last few years. In sporting terms, I expected that Marc was going to catch up with me and that it wouldn’t be a good day. But it was majestic. I don’t have any regrets, because I attacked throughout the first part. You have to go for broke on this Dakar; it’s not a race where you can play the waiting game. Against Marc Coma, I’m doing battle with an excellent rider. He’s quick and clever. So, I try and find the right pace. Apparently, there are riders in between us, so that’s good news for the start tomorrow.”

Peru displays unmatched beauty

Only a few can master the ebb and flow of the dunes

Stage 13 Preview:

Stage 13 represents the last real chance for Cyril Despres and Marc Coma to seize control of the rally for it is the winner of Stage 13 that may ultimately determine the winner of the overall contest. With Stage 14 but a 29 kilometer timed parade into Lima, barring any unforeseen difficulties, there will be little chance for the results to change much on the last day. The fate of both KTM riders is sealed. Stage 13 will go, not to the tactician or the rider most skilled, Stage 13 will fall prey to the faster of the two. Strategies have played out, tactics are complete, speed will be the order of the day and with Coma opening the stage, Despres has a marked advantage. Will the Andorran easily pick off the two riders between he and Coma to close the gap or will Spanish pride interject in the hopes of slowing Despres or throwing him off Coma’s scent? Whatever plays out, Stage 13 will most probably be the stage to watch for the entire edition.

Stage Results:

1 - COMA (ESP) - KTM - 002:24:38
2 - BARREDA BORT (ESP) - HUSQVARNA - +0:02:43
3 - VILADOMS (ESP) - KTM - +0:03:10
4 - DESPRES (FRA) - KTM - +0:03:57
5 - GONCALVES (PRT) - HUSQVARNA - +0:05:25
6 - FARIA (PRT) - KTM - +0:07:05
7 - RODRIGUES (PRT) - YAMAHA - +0:07:31
8 - SVITKO (SVK) - KTM - +0:09:11
9 - ZANOL (BRA) - KTM - +0:09:18
10 - ULLEVALSETER (NOR) - KTM - +0:10:30

Overall Standings:

1 - COMA (ESP) - KTM - +039:38:16
2 - DESPRES (FRA) - KTM - +0:01:35
3 - RODRIGUES (PRT) - YAMAHA - +1:13:49
4 - VILADOMS (ESP) - KTM - +1:40:34
5 - SVITKO (SVK) - KTM - +1:41:45
6 - FARRES GUELL (ESP) - KTM - +2:06:36
7 - ULLEVALSETER (NOR) - KTM - +2:12:14
8 - BOTTURI (ITA) - KTM - +2:56:34
9 - PAIN (FRA) - YAMAHA - +3:08:31
10 - ZANOL (BRA) - KTM - +3:16:33