Quinn Cody Vs. The Dakar 2011 - Dirt Rider Magazine

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<p>Completing the Dakar Rally-or the current South American version of the once-African race, now referred to as El Dakaro-is the dream of many a motorcycle rider. In its early days, the race from Paris, France, to Dakar, Senegal, spawned a whole breed of fans crazed over adventure riders and their bikes, huge-displacement single- and twin-cylinder machines with massive gas tanks, built for speed and endurance. The race was won or lost by navigation and survival. In those days competitors had only a compass and a map with a roadbook mounted above the handlebar… until the race matured, as did the machines and the technology for navigating. With the introduction of GPS (Global Positioning System), it grew more difficult to get lost, and the speeds of the racers began to climb. The bikes got faster and lighter. Because of this, navigation and GPS functions had to be limited and the bikes needed to be slowed. Twin-cylinders were banned, restrictions were put on big single-cylinder machines and, in 2011 for the first time a maximum displacement for the fastest (elite) riders was dictated: Down to 450cc machines. After political unrest and terrorism cancelled the race in 2008, the whole event was moved to South America to different deserts in a much more stable part of the world. It was more intense racing on smaller bikes but still with that wild side that rally racing brings with it. And the slogan of the Dakar still lives on: “A challenge for those who go, a dream for those who stay behind.”<br />
<h4>The challenge now awaits two very capable American motorcyclists.</h4>
<p>Meet Quinn Cody. A 34-year-old Southern Californian who has been set on competing the race since he first heard of it as a child. Now a multi-time Baja 1000 winner and a long-distance specialist, he’s ready for his rookie Dakar appearance.”I’ve been seriously working on making it to the Dakar for the last four years; I have had several opportunities to go as a ‘water boy’ (a top rider’s helper, who actually rides the race to provide parts and assistance), but when it came down to it the guy who could bring the money to the team got the ride. In 2009, I made it my goal to make it to Dakar for 2010. I met with Henk Hellegers from HT Rally who runs the “A” team for Honda Europe (much like JCR Honda in the U.S.), and we began to plan the effort. I even went to Europe and raced the rally bike in the Baja Spain. Things were looking good for a while, but when it came down to a $50,000 hole in the budget and with the state of the economy, it again wasn’t possible….”This year I had all but given up on the idea and decided to focus on winning Baja races and not worry about trying to rally up money from people who don’t have it. I kept in contact with Henk and helped him with some technical stuff on their bikes, but I wasn’t really thinking about racing the rally in 2011. Then out of the blue I got a call from Henk in late September; he had found a budget for me to go race the Dakar 2011. We just needed to work out some details-basically, for me to go JCR and American Honda have really stepped up.”<br />
<h2>Dakar Facts</h2>
<li>The Dakar this year will start in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on January 1st, 2011, and run for 15 days with one rest day spanning about 6,000 miles across Argentina and Chile.</li>
<li>2011 will be the first year all pro riders will have to ride 450cc bikes.</li>
<li>Cody will be using 28 Dunlop 908 Rally tires and expects to go through three motors.</li>
<li>Cody’s rally bike will be a Honda CRF450X. The stock subframe will be replaced by a plastic fuel tank that will hold almost nine gallons of fuel; the motor will be built using all OEM Honda parts with some mild head porting from Pro Circuit to ensure reliability; and Pro Circuit will also handle suspension. It is a JCR Honda Baja setup tuned for rally.</li>
<li>Cody’s bike will be prepared by Team Honda Europe, and the motors will be built at JCR Honda.</li>
<li>Cody’s goals for this Dakar: “The first goal is to make it to the start; it will feel like a victory just to make it to the starting line in Buenos Aires. The logistics of just getting to the start line with the bike and spare parts ready to go is a marvel in itself. Once the race begins I really just want to ride my own race and learn as much about the navigation as possible. Ultimately I just want to finish every day with a clean ride and let everyone else screw up. I think if I make it through the rally without any major mistakes, I can have a good top-10 finish.”</li>
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<h2>Cody’s Training</h2>
<p>“Physically I feel I’m already prepared for the Dakar; my current training program is pretty sadistic, and I’ve never been in as good of shape as I am right now. Also, pre-running and racing the Baja 1000 will give me some good seat time to get my butt ready. The main thing I’m going to need to work on is my navigation skills; my experience with navigation is very limited, so I plan to do some practice rallies in the California and Nevada deserts. The mental part of Dakar will be the hardest to train for; I’m sure it won’t be easy to crawl out of my tent at 3:30 a.m. after riding seven straight 400-plus-mile days.”<br />
<h2>Keeping Up</h2>
<p>Follow Cody with us during the race. There are a number of ways, including daily updates on <a href="" rel=”nofollow” onclick="javascript:window.open(

www.dirtrider.com, news on Quinn’s own site, www.quinncody.com, through Facebook and on Twitter (buttons on his site). Cody will also be wearing a Spot Locator during the rally.

Don’t Forget Jonah

America’s constant motorcycle participant in the Dakar has been Jonah Street. Running on a funded-by-friends budget with true privateer equipment, the Washington native finished 10th last year and had a stage win a few years previous. Now Street is back for more in 2011, with Yamaha GYTR backing, as confident as ever.

What are your goals for the 2011 Dakar?

To win. I’m excited to be on really good equipment and have really good support this year. I’d be happy to get on the podium, but I’m really looking forward to the win. Anything less than the podium and I’ll honestly be a bit disappointed.How do you prepare for the Dakar every year?

Training…I do lots of riding and navigation practice and lots of calisthenics for my physical training-basic stuff: A lot of pushups, pull-ups and plyometric exercises. Starting in November I usually am off my smaller off-road bike and am on the big rally bike full time doing longer rides to get accustomed to the grind of the Dakar race. Around mid-December I usually get back on the smaller bike and try to push my cardio more in tight, technical riding. On the big bike it’s hard to attack anything-especially the lower-speed technical stuff. Plus, the lower-speed stuff I can do on the small bike that boosts my cardio is less likely to put me in the hospital or injure me right before the start of the rally.What’s the hardest part about getting ready for an event like this?

The logistics are always pretty tough. Getting everything done to get there with everything I need is difficult. I don’t think I’m going to be surprised by anything this year when I get down there, but it does take a long time to get it all put together. Working out and riding is easy because it’s all under my control. The logistics are dependent on other people who are, because of my budget, doing things for free as a sponsor or friend which can sometimes be less than motivating for them. If I were paying everyone to get stuff organized, I’m sure it’d be a lot easier. But that’s not going to happen!How can rally fans follow your progress through such a remote race?

The most effective way is through Facebook pages and by following my blog at www.KLIM.com. All my sponsors will be posting and sharing updates as well. Versus will broadcast the event on TV, and the Dakar website has free live tracking of the race. You can go there and pick four or five favorite racers and follow them every day. And you can never forget my fan club at www.advrider.com, they define fanatics.You’ve raced the big bikes in past Dakar Rallys. So what do you think of the race going to an all-450 lineup for the motorcycles?

I think it’s a good thing in the aspect of making the racing more competitive. In the past, there wasn’t a cap on the capacity of the motor and they tried to do it with a restrictor, but there were ways around that, too. So really, there was little a privateer could do against the big teams. Now, you can only generate a certain amount of power with a 450 motor, and that sort of alleviates someone coming in with a much more powerful bike. It’s great for me because no other manufacturers were interested in getting involved when the overall win was out of the question due to the dominant factories having monster motors in their bikes. Other than Yamaha of France, nobody was trying to compete with a small bike on the big scale. Now, brands like Yamaha can come in with a ton of Dakar experience and compete head to head with those who have dominated for so long. It should be interesting for sure.