Alonso the Stuntman Dakar Stage 15

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Cameraman was in the right spot and knew some greenhorn would do something spectacular.

No he is no stuntman, but he may as well have been today as it looked good even though it wasn't planned. The car rolled twice and righted itself and they only lost around an hour to the leaders. His co driver helped him kick out the windscreen and a few minor repairs and they were good to go again.

They got lucky and he needs to be able to read the situations and that will come in time. Jumping over a sand dune and landing sideways is not the way to go and maybe there is a way of reading which way the dune is running before you jump. I would hate to be jumping over something not knowing how big the drop is or what is even there at the bottom.

Toyota is known for being robust though and the body doesn't really count as long as the engine keeps going.
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Just to show you it doesn't matter if it is your first Dakar or 13th danger is everywhere as Paulo Goncalves was killed on his motorbike. He had ridden in all 3 continents with the Dakar over the last decade and this was his last unfortunately. This is the first death since 2015 which is remarkable thinking of the risks these guys take.
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Participants from all 4 categories gathered to mourn the death of Paulo Goncalves. This is not something that comes easy and Alonso wouldn't have experienced this much even in Formula One.

The dessert gives you a feeling of emptiness and being abandoned, but the rescue helicopter arrived within 8 minutes of the crash. Other riders tried to help as you cannot just leave someone as that is not how this race is won. The riders who stayed with him received all the time back that they lost as that would have been seriously unfair and unsporting.

It is at times like these that you reassess everything you are doing and take extreme care by being as professional as you can be. The bikers though are at more risk than the trucks and cars though as they have little protection. I would class the quads in with them as well as they have no roll cages.(



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I saw the new on twitter the other day about the guy losing his life. It's sad and I'm afraid there will be others as this is a very dangerous sport. But then again, all motorsports are dangerous, right?

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Good morning! I was followed by Alonso when I was in F1, especially obviously I started to like him when he was winning... and then I lost interest little by little. Also because of the drift that the sport has taken, so that the technical part is much more relevant than the driving part, I think the last few years have been boring, with Mercedes too strong against the rest.

As for Alonso, I understand that he is lost. He has gone through NASCAR, Lemans, who saw him more or less normal, but to arrive at this, I see it as something totally outside of what he has done seems frivolous.

In any case it is the work he has chosen and what he likes, he does as a hobby I guess. I don't think he will reach the level of drivers who have been competing all their lives in these conditions, which are much more changeable than on a circuit.

Excellent article, greetings.

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That is pretty awesome. If I were to be in a race I think this is the kind of race that I would want to be in. I think my buddy and I could have a lot of fun. We have some sand dunes on the West side of the state that people take their jeeps and 4WD vehicles to. It is a pretty big draw for these types of drivers.

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