Along with the release of the latest instalment of the video series, Team Delta Kuststoffe Huqvarna UK have also released a series of new images.

Making Dakar.
Part Two of Episode Three of Making Dakar has been released and follows Team Delta Kunststoffe Husqvarna UK as they headed into the final stages of the biggest motorsport event in the world.

With just days left before the start of the event the team drove south of Lima to make some final preparations to the race bikes and to give second rider Don Hatton, his first ride on his Husqvarna TE 449. From there the team faced the daunting challenge of scrutineering, a part of Dakar that has proved to be a huge headache for teams in previous years.

To watch the latest episode of Making Dakar click here.
New Image Galleries.
Several new image banks have been made available to view on SimonPavey.com. The first is the total collection of images of Simon racing from this years event. On top of this the Maindru ‘Best Of’ photo’s from the race are now available.

To view the new image galleries click here.

Coming Up.
The next episode of the Making Dakar Series, released in two weeks time, will focus on the Dakar itself. The final two episodes will look separately at the race from the point of view of the assistance crew and the racers.

The next episode will follow the assistance crew as they go about their gruelling and testing daily routine that will see them travelling up to twelve hours each day before their jobs even begin.

Stage fourteen was set to be nothing more than a formality as the race is all but done.   And so it proved for the majority of racers including Simon Pavey.  The special stage was short and in two stages providing great spectator viewing close to Santiago, but for most the real racing was already done.

With the end in now firmly in sight and the bike continuing to perform faultlessly now was not the time for heroics and Simon eased into the finish coming in 58^th on the stage and maintaining his excellent 59^th position overall.

Simon Pavey – “At first we thought it was going to be a really long day today, with 400km of special.  However the special was split into two sections and about 130km of racing time.   I kept focussed right to the end.  The last day is not a time for heroics, but it is also not a time to relax.  This is the Dakar and there can always be surprises in store.   In the end the day all went to plan and I am delighted to be here in Santiago

I want to take this chance to thank all the team that helped get me here.  Our Team Sponsors from Delta Kunststoffe and Husqvarna UK and every-one else who has supported the team and got us to the podium in Santiago.  Special thanks obviously to the team here on the ground who have experienced Dakar 2013 with me; Evan Davies, Paul Green and of course Don Hatton my co-rider.   And thanks to all the fans on Facebook and Twitter; your support makes a real difference”

There will be a full post Dakar interview with Simon coming in the near future.     For one last time for 2013 here are the results….

Stage Results.

Simon Pavey – 58^th – 02:01:20

Overall Results.

Simon Pavey – 59^th – 54:21:51

The penultimate stage of the 2013 Dakar proves less taxing than expected for the riders.

Stage Thirteen was expected to be the last real challenge of the 2013 Dakar, a long and difficult day was forecast but the reality was far gentler. The long special stage was faster and less technical than the stages around Copiapo have proven to be in the past and with day fourteen set to be nothing more than a formality the race is all but done.

The days racing revealed itself to be far faster and more open than most had anticipated. The first 100km of the special stage was very fast, followed by pockets of sand and fesh fesh. As has been the tale of the 2013 Dakar for Simon, the day proved largely uneventful as he went about recording another 60^th place finish on the day. Not finding the high speeds to his liking Simon chose to once again play things safe. He again moved up the standings and going into the final day of the rally sits in 59^th overall.

Simon Pavey – “I was a little disappointed today, I thought the stage was going to be really challenging and difficult. Two years ago we had the best Dakar stage I’ve ever done here, it was technical, the navigation was hard and I expected more of the same.

The reality was far more boring. The stage was fast, it wasn’t hard at all and apart from a few pockets it was largely uninteresting. I did enjoy a few parts of the day, we had some really big dunes and a great section of fast whoops but I’d like to have seen a more interesting riding from the area.

Tomorrow looks like it’s going to be a formality as well. At first we thought it was going to be really long, with 400km of special, but it’s broken up by a big neutralized liaison section. It only amounts to about 130km of racing time, however this is the Dakar and there could be a few surprises in store. Hopefully everything goes to plan and the whole team will be stood on the podium together.”

Stage Fourteen is the final stage of the 2013 Dakar. The stage leaves the coastal town of La Serena and heads south to Santiago. The stage is expected to be straight forward but there are still 600km of riding ahead for the competitors.

Stage Results.

Simon Pavey – 59^th – 04:54:51

Overall Results.

Simon Pavey – 59^th – 52:20:31

The race crossed the Andes for the second time in 2013 as the racers trudged dirt road to infamous stage of Copiapo. The now legendary rally town has provided drama for many racers over the years, including Simon who has twice fallen fowl of the sands.

2013 was to prove less dramatic than previous years as many riders showed that their previous experiences have left scars. Simon was amongst those who gave the stage special respect, as he gave his engine a gentle ride to the finish.

The stage provided a large variety of terrain, mixing fast sand roads, technical sand and long riverbeds. On top of this the racers were confronted with confusing navigation caused by the criss-crossing tracks of local riders.  Despite being gentle to his engine, Simon climbed again in the overall standing to 61^st overall with a 58^th place finish on stage.

Simon Pavey – “Today has been long and I’m glad it’s behind me. The liaison was hard work, climbing the mountains this morning was cold and we had another really early start. We left at 4:30 and it was hard to stay awake whilst riding.

The special stage was a great though; it was a lot of fun. It was very varied, some of it was a little fast for my taste and with my history in the Copiapo stages I was really gentle on my engine. It was easy to sit at 130 to 140km/h today but I was scared to push the bike that hard, it felt like it was straining in the sand a bit.

A lot of the stage was that type of riding, but we also had some great dune sections that were huge and a fun dry river at the end of the special. In the more technical sections I pushed pretty hard, I rode everything well and was picking good lines, it was great!

Some of the navigation was tricky as well.  The area is obviously a massive local playground and there are tracks going everywhere. Each junction you get to have ten options so you had to pay attention to make sure you are going in the right direction.

I’m pleased with the result; I didn’t feel like I was riding fast so it’s a good result. We are close to the end now, but the rally is still a long way from the end. The final couple of days are going to be tough.“

Stage Thirteen is the second last day of the 2013 Dakar, but the organisers are not giving the riders any rest. With another long and difficult special stage based in the Copiapo area, the rally is far from over for the racers.

Stage Results.

Simon Pavey – 58^th – 04:52:33

Overall Results.

Simon Pavey – 61^st – 47:25:40

The infamous and daunting Fiambala stages of Dakar’s past have brought drama, excitement and emotion in every edition and 2013 didn’t disappoint. However, for Simon luck was not on his side.

Rain proved a welcome release from the notoriously soft sand of Fiambala, and despite a slightly disappointing stage result at the hand of a faulty road book and some navigational errors, Simon still crept forward in the overall standings.

While the rain took the edge off the stage and gave the racers 30km less to ride, the stage proved to be one of the toughest of the race yet, and for all the racers one of the most physical. Large areas of bumpy off piste riding through viciously spiny brush proved to be a relentless and punishing task.

After missing his bivouac start time to fix the issue with his road book, Simon made his special stage start time cleanly. However the problem was not solved with his navigation equipment, but despite having to manually adjust his road book he made good time in the dunes. A small navigational mistake when riding in a group saw the riders do almost 30km extra riding. Expending huge amounts of energy whilst trying to escape a ravine, Simon lacked the strength to catch up the lost time safely; combined with having to manually adjust the road book his final position of 67^th is still a good result.

Simon Pavey – “Today was brutal. The stage was very physical and I had a problem with my road book again; it’s the fourth day in a row. It seems alright in the bivouac and then it just stops.

I just had one of those days, nothing went well. I missed my initial start time due to trying to fix the road book and then had to ride hard to make the special stage. I was riding well, but it’s awkward to adjust the road book by hand and ride difficult terrain. You can manage well if it’s hard packed and fast, but when the riding is tricky you have to stop to advance it.

I caught some other guys in the stage and we made a small mistake with the nav. It took us up a really difficult streambed, I was hauling the bike around lots and it used a substantial amount of energy. From then on we had a mixture of off-piste riding through the thorn brush and dunes. I was able to ride quickly in the dunes and make up time but everywhere else was very physical and I lacked the energy.

However, in reality we are through one of the hardest stages unscathed and that’s always a good thing. The result could have been far worse; fortunately for me most of the people around me were in the group that got lost. Tomorrow is another tough day, crossing the Andes is always difficult and we have a big special stage after the liaison.”

On stage twelve the race returns to Chile, crossing the famous Paso de San Francisco. After climbing to heights of over 4000m and suffering a temperature change of 35 degrees the riders will be challenged with racing a 300km stage.

Stage Results.

Simon Pavey – 67^th – 4:18.05

Overall Results.

Simon Pavey – 63^rd – 42:33.07

Another long day and hot day for the riders features another day of varied and beautiful terrain as the race moves toward the infamous Fiambala stage.

Stage Ten of the 2013 Dakar was typical of Argentinean Dakar racing. A mixture of fast, twisty forest tracks, hilltop farm tracks, slippery river crossings and substantial dust made for an exciting days racing, but also meant position gains were hard to make.

Simon had a good day, moving up order again. With the riding suiting the Australian more than previous days, the only thing holding him back was the deep dust that made it hard for the riders to pass.

Despite riding well and pushing much harder than previously, Simon was slightly disappointed with the final result of 58^th as he felt his level of riding on the stage outweighed the final result due to the difficulty in negotiating the dust.

Simon Pavey – “Today I had a really good day. The stage was varied and a little twister than yesterday. It suited me better and I was riding really well. I was pushing on a lot but when you caught the next dust cloud it was difficult to pass. A few times it took me 30km or so just get a break where it was safe to pass.

The terrain on the stage was great too. We started out in the forest, on sweeping firebreaks, but the grip was much better than yesterday. Over the stage we had some incredible tracks, some of it almost single track riding, it was awesome! It’s a shame it was so dusty.   You can see from the general standings that making up time on each other was really difficult. You only need to look at the leaders to see that most of them caught a dust cloud and stayed there.

The amount of spectators in Argentina has been superb too. On the stage today you almost didn’t need to navigate. There were people on every corner in the strangest places. It’s incredible that they know where to watch. I also got to ride with the heli following me for a bit today, it’s always cool!

All round it was a good day and I still feel strong; it was nice to move up a few places again.  The heat was high as well, about 39°C in the stage and 42°C at the bivouac. Tomorrow will probably be hotter again and will be a difficult stage but I’m looking forward to it.”

Tomorrow the race heads from La Roija to the infamous town of Fiambala, widely regarded as one of the rallies most daunting stages. The high heat, soft sands and difficult navigation presents a huge challenge to the riders, despite the shorter distance.

Stage Result.

Simon Pavey – 58th – 05:31:34

Overall Result.

Simon Pavey – 64th – 38:15:02

The longest stage of the race so far presented the rider with a completely new riding terrain moving away from the typical desert riding.

The longest special stage saw the competitors racing almost 500km, in the first of a gruelling few days leading up to the crossing back into Chile. The riders were presented with a terrain much more European than that of a typical desert stage and for most it was a pleasure to get away from the fesh fesh of the last few racing stages.

The special stage was split into two sections again and like the previous split stages, the section varied massively. The first section was a forest based firebreak stage that opened out into tracks across open moorland. Following a timed liaison section, the riders then road another fire break based stage, but far slipperier that the previous section, one that suited the southern European riders perfectly.

The slippery terrain caught many of the sports elite out, with several crashing heavily. Once again Simon showed his solid and consistent riding as he held a solid pace all day to take 64^th on the stage, moving him up another couple of places too 66^th overall.

Simon Pavey – “Today was relatively uneventful for me, but on Dakar that’s always a good thing. Today was long, really long. We rode for over 12 hours solid and tomorrow is going to be the same again. Everything was working well, the bike was great and it was good to get through unscathed.

I really enjoyed the first half of the special, it was more technical, and riding in forest and moorland was like where I live in Wales. I really enjoy that type of riding and it was really good fun.

The second half was chalk and cheese to the first half, it was more tracks and they were unbelievably slippery. I can’t describe it at all, it’s not bike setup or anything like that, and everyone around me was struggling like mad too. A few guys went down badly, the ground was hard and it would have hurt to fall on. I don’t have the bravery for riding firebreaks really fast, it’s just not in my nature, so I didn’t push hard. A few guys passed me on that section, but it’s not sensible to push hard in this race when you aren’t comfortable.

We’re only just over half way and the hardest stages are yet to come. Tomorrow, the two stages around Fiambala and at Copiapo are going really test us so I am going to ride my own race.”

Simon’s teammate Don Hatton is also in good spirits following his dramatic ordeal involving a truck. After travelling with the assistance team for two days he flew to Santiago to meet his family and will meet up with the team again for the last few days of the race.

Tomorrows stage is set be very similar to stage nine as the race turns north toward the famous city of La Rioja. Over 600km awaits the riders on what is set be one of the hottest stages yet.

Stage Result.

Simon Pavey – 64^th – 07:04:15 

Overall Result.

Simon Pavey – 66^th – 32:43:28

Simon has a good day in the altitude of the Andes on a spectacular marathon stage.

Stage seven saw Simon again climb up the rankings on the highest ever stage in a Dakar Rally. The rally crossed the Andes for the first time of the 2013 edition of the Dakar, a stage that always brings about fears with altitude sickness. Coupled with temperatures as low as four degrees the competitors are being given no rest.

A prepared Simon dealt well with the high altitude and recorded his best result for several days with 58^th overall, one of only a handful of riders on the whole race to make significant position gains over the previous days results.

The special stage was once again a tale of two halves. Starting out with a collection of extremely fast dusty tracks, where passing was almost impossible, the riders were left to chase the dust cloud. However after 130km the trail changed dramatically into a twisty, flowing and varied track, one that suited Simon’s technical riding style. For the rest of the stage he made great progress and once again edged up the general standings.

The liaison after the special stage also came as a surprise to the racers as the first off road connection of the rally revealed itself to be riding gem. The 170km connection was made up of a slow mountain track that weaved it’s way through the mountains at around 5000m.

Simon Pavey – “Today turned out to be a great day’s riding, I was really shocked. The liaison in the morning was really difficult, we climb the mountain so quickly and it’s really hard to stay awake on the bike. I have done it a few times now and have a good method for dealing with it, it’s not fool proof but it worked so far.

It’s silly that the organisers make the liaison tight on time too. I know they are keen to get the race across the mountains but this type of stage, it’s plain dangerous. Altitude sickness is inconsistent and it can hit anyone in a bad way. With the border crossing, I only had a few minutes to make my special stage start time, if I’d needed to stop there is no way I would have made it.

However I really enjoyed the stage. The first 130km or so was boring, fast and the dust was really bad. I was a few places behind a quad and it was holding about five of us up. I got a lucky break and managed to sneak past them all just before the trail changed into an awesome, twisty and much more fun stage. I loved every minute of it and I rode it well. It was a spectacular stage.

The liaison afterward was even better again. All the riders were expecting a wide dirt road with loads of dust, but what we got was one of the best trails I have a ever ridden. It twisted over the Andes, second gear the whole way. I rode it nice and steady because of the high altitude but it was fantastic.”

Tomorrow’s stage has been shortened to accommodate for the unexpected high rains in the region. The rally heads from Salta to San Miguel de Tucuman where they will have the rest day, marking the half way point in the race.

Stage Result

Simon Pavey – 58^th – 02:21:58

Overall Result

Simon Pavey – 67^th – 05:36:29

A stroke of good luck hits Team Delta Kunststoffe Husqvarna UK and despite the fast and dangerous nature of the stage Simon claims another solid result. 

Stage six of the Dakar brought about the start of the truly gruelling stages of this years Dakar. The tiredness has set in with all the competitors and the two hour time difference in Chile means that the 769km stage was made even harder.

The racing was broken into two sections, split with a timed liaison on the road. The first half of the stage was technical and sandy riding, that suited Simon’s riding style and he made good progress, catching and passing many riders.

Around the half way point in the stage the terrain changed, becoming much faster, dustier and dangerous. Not suiting Simon’s conservative style his hard work in the morning was slowly undone. Despite this he once again climbed in the general standings,

Simon Pavey – “Today I had real stroke of luck just before the beginning of the special stage. I snuck off to go to the toilet behind some rocks and as I was squatted down I noticed the exhaust bracket had broken off. Sometimes you need that sort of luck!

The stage was split into two vastly different stages. The first section was great. It was technical, physical and hard going. It really suited me, I was riding well and picked off a bunch of riders quickly, it’s the type of riding I love.

The second half was everything I don’t like however. The terrain changed completely, we went onto tracks, it was dusty, extremely fast and dangerous really. I don’t like to take the risk and ride full gas, but a lot of the guys I’d passed are happy to ride like that. It cost me time but I have to accept it.

The tiredness has really set in now too. Today was long and things are accumulating. We lost two hours sleep last night and had a five am start. The team was already tired before that too, as the night Don went out was hard for us all, now it’s getting really tough. We have another difficult day again tomorrow, it’s 800km and the stage goes over 4000m and we are racing at that altitude too.”

For stage seven the rally crosses another border into Argentina. Travelling from Calama to Salta the stage is a gruelling 751 km.

Stage Results.

Simon Pavey – 65th – 04:40:43

Overall Results.

Simon Pavey – 71st – 20:42:48

For the latest photos click HERE