As the race is on its final days, things are starting to heat up for Mitsubishi – literally – on the Atacama Desert. Due to technical problems they are unable to finish stage 12, giving them a 6th place in the stage. In finishing they would have received a 3rd place ranking, moving up in the overall race ranking. Here’s an excerpt from Mitsubishi-dakar.com:
The crew Nani Roma and Lucas Cruz of the Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart team did not succeed in passing the white dunes of the Atacama Desert. The Spanish duo was stuck halfway through the stage while they were still in the middle of the mountains of sand.
An as yet unidentified technical problem prevented them from being able to finish stage 12, where they would have held 3rd place after the driver Carlos Sainz (VW) dropped out.
The Dakar is a difficult cross-country rally and nothing has been won until the finishing line of the last stage has been crossed. All the competitors know this very well, and nobody makes any predictions before that last important day.
What do you think? Can Mitsubishi pull off a win?
If you’re a Dakar fan like me, you’re well aware of Mitsubishi’s role in this epic annual race. 2009 is a year of change for this race – and for Mitsubishi. Due to terrorist threats, the race was moved from Africa to South America and proves to be every bit as challenging as the previous years. To add to this challenge, Mitsubishi has a new vehicle – the Racing Lancer – to attempt to claim their 8th consecutive Dakar win. New terrain and new car – sounds like the perfect Dakar recipe!
Check out the images of the Racing Lancer at Mitsubishi HQ in Cypress, CA. While this one will not be in the race that starts on January 3rd, it’s a replica of the 4 actual race units. Click here to learn more about the Dakar race.
(Taken with HTC Touch Pro – not bad for a phone!)
The LA times wrote an article today called Street racing takes on a deadly new form where the author talks about a new form of street racing called “Cutting the gap” in which drivers try to play a sort of “chicken” with the other driver(s) to see how tough they really are.
Detectives said they are increasingly seeing a particularly dangerous form of racing, called “cutting the gap” — impromptu speed contests in which racers weave in and out of traffic.
“It’s a game of chicken — like a real-life video game,” said Det. David Millan of the Los Angeles Police Department. “They are driving souped up vehicles where their skills don’t match the cars.”
I agree that street racing is very bad and people who engage in it deserve to be locked up. I however, do not agree with the reasoning used by authorities and this journalist as to who does it and why. The video game reason is totally not true. Maybe for 10 year olds who like to re-enact their video games in real life. Street racers, obviously, are not 10 years old. In addition, I’m not sure where they are getting this data but I have never met anyone that is influenced by their video games, especially car ones. I think what the problem is is an overdose of testosterone from puberty and an under-dose of responsibility. You got these kids that have been driving for 1 to 4 years that don’t read the news and think they are invincible. They aren’t mentally developed to think ahead enough that “this guy next to be revving his engine could lead to a deadly accident”. That’s the last thing in their mind. They get caught in a situation they don’t have the self control to back out of, whether it be peer pressure or the need to be the winner. Again, I am not agreeing with their choice or pardoning them in any way but come on people. These aren’t kids hooked on a real life video game. It’s like the whole ADHD problem where people think drugs or counseling is what they need to “calm down”. These kids need to be taught responsibility and how to make good choices in certain situations.
Furthermore, let’s talk some about the whole “souped up” thing. I dont know about you but I see more “stock” cars street racing than “souped up” ones. A lot of cars are coming with fast acceleration right out of the factory and they will out accelerate the average “souped up” 4 cylinder. How many BMWs or Nissan Altimas have you seen blasting past you on the freeway at 100+? In my life there are a handful of times when I remember actually seeing modified cars race on the street. It’s almost taboo in the car scene to be a street racer. If you’re one nowadays few people want to associate with you. At least that’s what I have seen in the 5+ years i’ve been involved in the import aftermarket scene.
So what we have now is police actively looking for cars that fit their “street racer” description equipped with “street racer” parts driven by “street racers” when they aren’t even looking for the right guy. A lot of innocent hobbyists end up getting hassled when all they wanted was a cool looking or sounding car. My car looks modified but I have never street raced anyone yet I get treated as if I do it every day (another long story). Is it fair? Is 100 deaths a year worth all this trouble when we have drunk drivers out there every day risking our lives? Why aren’t their cars crushed?
