I'm in to Marathon Rallying (Rallye) like the Paris Dakar. Last big race was the Australian Safrai; a 3000 mile 7 day race through the Australian Desert. When I get the chance I MX just to get a ride in and have a bit of fun.
This is why I'm here, I really do believe the 700XX is the best base for which to make a quad to tackle this type of race. And this is the best place for the info I need.
You need to approach these types of races with a different attitude to every other form of quad racing...........it's not a Baja but longer. Basiclly it's like doing a Baja 500 "Iron Man" every day for a week.
There is no servicing during the day and some days are "Marathon" where you ride in to camp (called Parc Ferme) at the end of the day - often in the dark - and your quad is locked up untill the next morning; your not allowed to touch it. If you do need to service it you stop before the end of stage and service it (by yourself) then ride over the finish line.
During each day you need to cover 200 miles at race pace on one tank of juice. If you see the pic I have 2 x 10litre jerry cans mounted and a Clarke tank giving me 36 litres (9.5gl) capacity. You also have to navigate yourself as the track is not marked...........navigation is done with a combination of paper instructions and a trip meter, there is no GPS allowed.
For me this stuff is not racing it's an adventure - can I finish is the only thing on my mind...........most people don't. One of the coolest things about these races is that they often start or finish in the city - riding down the road in the middle of a big city is heaps of fun.
Anyway I just thought I'd give you a small insight in to what I do and what I'm here for.
see ya
Linc