A CASUALTY OF BATTLE?

Update 5:10PM: Still waiting for an Official Notice on Robby's Status.
Robby and Darren Flying on Stage 7 prior to the mechanical Failure.

8:50AM PST. The fat lady sings... The war is over for Team Dakar USA? The start time had been extended until 1pm and they missed that by 1 hour.

Inside the Hummer H3, Darren and Robby slept out in the desert all night as the chase truck couldn't find them until daylight. The support crew arrived and fixed the radiator. Robby and team headed to the start choosing not to repair the clutch. Robby limped the H3 to the starting line in first gear and are at the start line in Atar right now waiting for two additional support cars to get back from the repair location. The Team Dakar USA H3 is sitting at the start of stage 8 and the officials would not let them begin stage 8. The clutch would not have made it through stage 8. They planned to take the green then skip the stage, fix the clutch and continue after the rest day. They plan to drive to tonight's bivuac and try to convince the ASO to let them back in the rally. They will spend the night there and then head to Nouakchott tomorrow. They are still fighting to stay in the race, but the chances are incredibly slim. If Robby and Darren are not allowed to continue, Team Dakar USA plans to head straight to Dakar where the ship for the car and support trucks waits for the trip home.

6:45AM PST. It ain't over till the Fat Lady sings. Robby and Car 335 have appeared at KM 0 on the Rally Track stage 8 display. Will they proceed? Will they be scored?. we will know soon... hopefully.

5:30AM PST. No news, and fearing they are still out there alone. Team Dakar USA had until noon to present themselves at the start. It is now about 2:30PM GMT. Inputing the numbers of those 70 that did not make the finish yesterday and at least half have started this morning. Unfortunatly, no 335 has displayed. I've been in the dunes many times. It's got to be really bad for the crew. I bet the poor guys are doing miserable in the sand. This sucks. I hope it's not windy too. They would be half buried by now if it is windy. Looks like it's time for Daytona and some of that Killer DEI power.

8:45 PM PST The ASO has given the competitors till 12:00PM to make it to the starting line. This stage is one of the worse ever. Of 140+ starters only 70 made it. There are 70 cars and chase crews out in the dunes looking for their drivers right now.

Robby and Chase team are in contact via sat phone but can't make visual contact. It is pitch black out there and you can't see anything. Also impacting the situation they are in a rolling sea of sand. Robby needs to find a high point and signal some how. On foot with a flash light you could lose your marbles and get your ass lost real quick. They are at 2127.981N, 1213.577W. The close up image shows their position at the cross hair. The high alt. sat image show the entire Dakar trek. (click image A Special Thanks to NASA) When they do make contact and repairs the racers will not have to take the stage route back. They can get back via roads.

5:15PM PST. Lets hope Robby and Darren arn't freezing. Sat phone Batteries are the premium right now. Let's hope to see The Monster move on the IR Track in the next 3 hours.

4:30 PM PST. Team Dakar USA has every intention to to fix "The Monster". As anyone knows, Robby is not a quiter. He will take the next leg with no sleep if the team makes it avaliable to him. It is really important for Robby and Darren to see this through. So they are better seeded for next year's start.

4:00PM PST Update: Stage closed,70 racers and Robby are shown with a finish time of an even 17 hours. Results show Robby is in 71st overall 28 hour and 17 minutes back and 10 hours out of the top 20. If Robby does make it to the starting line for tomorrow it will be a 108th starting position.

Team Dakar USA has four cars qualified as assistance. 2=H-1 Hummers, 1 4x4 and 1 6x6. All of these are entered as T-5 assistance trucks. Team Dakar USA knows exactly what Robby needs to move forward. If they can get to Robby in time.

The rules for assisting Robby at this point in the stage.

B- In Africa Assistance is authorised:
1- On the route of a Selective Section: By an assistance category vehicle, after the closure of the control at the end of the selective section.
2- On the route of a leg: By the crew of a car, a motorcycle or a truck officially entered in and still in the race. By vehicles in the assistance category (except in the Selective Sections) when the assistance vehicles have the same itinerary to that of the race, with the exception of refuelling (petrol and diesel).
3- Between the end of a leg and the start of the following leg: By the crew of a car, a motorcycle or a truck officially entered in and still in the race and by vehicles in the assistance category.

(Full Assistance Regulations Added (scroll down))

3:00 PM PST

At the halfway point Robby was doing really well. If the pace had held Team Dakar USA would be sitting 14th overall right now. So much for that.

Mark Miller in the Red Bull Volkswagen suffered two rollovers today. The second roll over incident was at KM 310. Robby stopped to assist. Robby in his Hummer H-3 put Mark back on his wheels. BUT NOW... Robby's car has a toasted clutch. Apparently, they may have damaged the clutch up-righting Mark.

At KM 360 Robby came over the crest of a dune and center punched a huge lump of Camel Grass on the downside of the dune with his front bumper. Camel Grass is like a lump of tall grass connected to the root of a palm tree. Camel Grass doesn't move. Early Damage assessment is ; Front bodywork torn off car, radiator damaged some bent tubing. Mark and others stopped to help Robby. None of them seemed to have an extra Ron Davis Radiator with them. Robby could limp forward with the radiator the way it is with extra water. However, not with a toasted clutch,

Robby and Darren forwarded the GPS cords to the Jim Beam T-5s, it is dark out so the T-5s will have a tough time finding them anytime soon. .

Team Dakar USA has only had 5 hours sleep in the last 3 days. They will need to be at the starting line for the next stage before the last car leaves the starting line tomorrow. They could give Robby a Clutch and a radiator then start the stage and fix it on the stage. But.... Not looking good right now. Nobody had offered to tow the Hummer past check point 2, until now I suppose. Robby sits at about KM360 just on or before CP2. They are in a really bad spot locked in with dunes till the finish line. It's not looking good right now.

ASSISTANCE AND REFUELING RULES
14.1
A) Except for Bajas, repairs and refuelling are authorised at all times throughout the whole Event except in those cases expressly forbidden, especially in Selective Sections, by provisions in the sup­plementary regulations.
B) in the case of assistance in an Selective Section, the authorised zone must:
• be considered as a speed control zone (see Art. 13.1) and may be preceded by a PC;
• be clearly defined, both on the ground by means of zone flags (see Art. 23) and in the racing and servicing road books, so that all the participants are duly informed. At least one judge of fact must be present to monitor the conformity of the actions undertaken.
C) All air assistance whatsoever is forbidden between the start and finish of a Leg, on pain of immediate exclusion on the decision of the panel of stewards, except in special cases specified in the sup­plementary regulations of the Event.
14.3 A vehicle must move by its own means, with the engine run­ning; moving under the power of the starter alone is not allowed.
If the vehicle is unable to move, towing and/or pushing by a competitor in the race are allowed.
However, in control zones, they will entail the following penalties:
A) Start area of a leg and/or start area of a Selective Section: the start will be refused.
B) Passage Control Zone: 5 minutes.
C) Time Control Zone : 30 minutes.
In control zones, once the infringement has been noted, thevehicle may be removed from the zone using outside help.
14P1 – PENALTIES
All vehicles ‘towed’ by a vehicle other than a race vehicle or an assis­tance vehicle will be immediately excluded from the race.
14P2 - AUTHORISED ASSISTANCE
Only vehicles officially entered in the race or as assistance vehicles are authorised to transport assistance materials that must weigh no more than the weight limit imposed by the International Highway Code, except in Europe where assistance is free.
All infractions of the assistance regulations will incur penal­ties up to and including exclusion from the race. All assisted competitors are responsible for their assistance. Competitors are liable to incur penalties, up to and including exclusion from the race, in the case where their assistance vehicle fails to respect the regulations that apply to its category.
A – In Europe
Outside the Selective Sections, assistance is ‘free’, up until the port of embarkation (possibility to use non-accredited persons and vehi­cles). Assistance Parcs put in place by the organisers are reserved for accredited vehicles.
B- In Africa
Assistance is authorised:
1- On the route of a Selective Section:
By an assistance category vehicle, after the closure of the control at the end of the selective section.
2- On the route of a leg:
By the crew of a car, a motorcycle or a truck officially entered in and still in the race. By vehicles in the assistance category (except in the Selective Sections) when the assistance vehicles have the same itinerary to that of the race, with the exception of refuelling (petrol and diesel).
3- Between the end of a leg and the start of the following leg:
By the crew of a car, a motorcycle or a truck officially entered in and still in the race and by vehicles in the assistance category.
On the rest day, by mechanics entered in the ASO assistance plane.
4- At the bivouac, after the start of the Selective Section:
Once the competitor has taken the start of the Selective Section, assistance at the bivouac (under conditions described in point 3) is authorised providing the competitor does not return to the bivouac in the opposite direction to the rally itinerary.
Where there is only one piste, all returning to the bivouac is forbidden, on pain of exclusion from the race.
In the case of off-piste, so as not to meet vehicles coming in the other direction, competitors must go a minimum of 0,5 km off the official itinerary, without incurring penalties.
For the first 20 overall in the car class and the first 10 overall in the truck class, all turning back is forbidden, whatever the type of terrain, on the pain of a 4 hour time penalty.
5- At the meeting point of itineraries:
If the itinerary of the road book and the assistance itinerary meet, an assistance point and / or the use of signs is authorised.
6- In authorised zones:
Assistance zones and signing zones may be allowed and will be shown in the road book.
7 – At the bivouac:
After having checked in at the time control at the end of the leg, com­petitors (or persons entered as assistance in the same team) may take their race vehicle out of the bivouac for refuelling, to go to a hotel or carry out technical tests, within a radius of 15 km from the bivouac.
14P3 AUTHORISED AIRBORNE ASSISTANCE
For mechanics authorised to go to the rest day, places will be available in aircraft chartered by the organisation and may be reserved up until 30 September 2005. For the rest day, these pas­sengers must not carry spare parts or tools, on pain of exclusion of the vehicle or vehicles of the competitor concerned. They may only be entered by a competitor already entered in the race.
14P4 FORBIDDEN ASSISTANCE
Given the assistance regulations, teams of stewards, ‘judges of fact’, will be in place from Morocco onwards to check for the presence of assistance not accredited by the organisa­tion, both at the bivouac and over the route as a whole.
The following are forbidden on the pain of penalties up to and including exclusion from the race:
1- The transport of parts or assistance by a vehicle other than a car entered in the race or as assistance or by a truck entered in the race or as assistance.
2- The stocking, dropping or parachuting of spare parts, tools, personnel, fuel (outside of bivouacs where this is authorised) throughout all the countries crossed by the Rally.
3- On each leg, assistance outside the bivouac, except for refuel­ling at the different service stations of the different Leg towns, using commercially available fuel and with the exception of all stocking of specific fuel.
4- All assistance in an enclosed place, closed or guarded, even if this place is situated within the area of the bivouac. A tent is not considered as an enclosed place.
5- All airborne assistance not controlled by the organisers. Air­borne assistance is considered as any presence on a Leg of an aircraft having aboard any person with any link whatsoever with a competitor.
6- The presence of any means of transport (car, motorcycle, air­craft, helicopter, etc.) following the rally route the same day or a number of days prior, as well as the prolonged flying over of any means of transport, with official means or not, carry aboard a person having any link whatsoever with competitors still in the race, will result in the immediate exclusion from the race of all participants having a link with these means of transport.
7- The transport of assistance materials (tools, generators, lights, compressors etc.) in private planes or planes chartered by the organisers.
8- The presence of an assistance vehicle on the Selective Section when they benefit from a parallel itinerary.
9- During the rest day, the presence of any assistance not entered as such with the organisation. The delivery of spare parts by any means other than that organised by A.S.O.
10- The presence of any vehicle or any person entered as assis­tance on the route of the selective section (except in the case of article 14P2B2)