It's Now Official: The Phoenix Flies No More.
Ronn Bailey and No. 350 buggy have appeared on the Withdrawal List for Stage Eight (Atâr to Tichit with its 589 km Special). Team Manager Gilles Martineau sadly notified us that a problem developed with the transmission shortly into the stage. And though the transmission was ultimately fixed, it was far too late to complete the stage and get to the bivouac within the required timeframe.
Stages 6 & 7 – Tan Tan to Zouerat / Zouerat - ATAR
Two days ago everybody was convinced they were out of the race after a huge crash on the Tan Tan – Zouerat stage that virtually destroyed their car. But Ronn Bailey and Kevin Heath are apparently made of rubber and bounced back to finish that stage before directly taking the start of stage 7 from Zouerat to Atar – 19 hours of non-stop racing! Now they are reunited with their assistance crew in Atar for the rest day. The car is being almost completely rebuilt and will be ready to start the second part of the rally tomorrow morning.
Ronn Bailey
“The first part of the special to Zouerat was really fast. We were racing from chott to chott (dried up salt lakes) and going at between 170 / 175 kph when we hit a small dip - the kind we have hit thousands of times before. But with the car full of fuel the rear shocks bottomed out and the back came up. We flew 150 feet, landed on the nose, flipped over twice and then rolled another three times. As we were rolling our arms were thrown out of the cockpit with the G force and we struggled desperately to pull them back in. Incredibly we once again landed on our wheels but there was debris strewn for hundreds of feet in all directions. We were pretty dazed and it took us about an hour of staggering around just to get all our stuff together. Although we felt ok but we flagged down a passing medical helicopter to get ourselves checked out.”
“Our first thought was that our race was finally over. They only open the border for the race, normally it is a kind of no-mans land with loads of mine fields, and once everybody has been through they seal it shut again. Our initial idea therefore was to wait for our assistance truck, strip the car of anything of value and then give it a Viking burial. But the more we looked at it the more we began to realise that it might just be possible to fix it.”
“Three hours later our assistance truck turned up and they couldn’t believe their eyes. When we started to tell them we thought it could be fixed they told us we were crazy. So we went over each individual broken part and asked the question, ‘could this be repaired’. Finally we convinced them it was possible and they went to work.”
“Kevin and I slept for maybe three hours while the mechanics lashed the car together and then they woke us up to tell us we were ready to go. We nursed the car into Zouerat and reached the end of the stage at around 10.15 in the morning with minutes to spare. We rushed to check in and then went straight to the start of the stage to Atar. Luckily there was a huge sand storm on the Zouerat – Atar stage, so bad the helicopters couldn’t fly, so they cut the route by 140 km and we finally got to Atar late last night after 19 hours non-stop driving.”
“Right now the mechanics are completely rebuilding our buggy – you wouldn’t believe what they have achieved and I am really proud of them. I have had a long talk with Kevin and our team manager Gilles and we have decided to revise our stratergy. From now on we are going to take it real easy. We have been through so much that it would be a crime now not to make it to Dakar. So we are going into cruise mode for the rest of the race and will hopefully make it to Lac Rose.”
Stage 6 Tan Tan to Zouerat: The Phoenix Rises Yet Again!
It appears that news of Buggy No. 350's demise has been greatly exaggerated! Indeed! Ronn and team have once again pulled everything together and completed stage six yesterday.
With a broken frame, A-Arms and wheels, we have to applaud the support team in doing what we thought was impossible. Ronn just passed CP1 and is on his way to complete today's special (which has been shortened by some 30 km because of a ferocious sand storm at the end of the stage.
At 19.17 this evening (Dakar Rally time) the organisers announced that Ronn
Bailey and Kevin Heath had rolled their car at km 25 of the special between
Tan Tan and Zouerat. Neither is hurt but they are waiting for their
assistance.
Stage 5 Quarzazate to Tan Tan
Ronn Bailey’s ‘luck’ held for just 80 km today before his Dakar gremlins crawled out of the bodywork of his buggy. But once again he and his co-driver Kevin Heath laughed in the face of adversity to limp into the bivouac in Tan Tan ready to cross into Mauritania tomorrow.
Ronn Bailey
“We’d barely done 80 km when the gearbox stuck in third and that is how we finished the day. We also had big problems with the rear shocks, which does not make driving a rear-wheel-drive buggy particularly easy. To cap it all off, our T4 assistance truck is currently broken down in the stage. Apparently, they have broken their suspension. They don’t have the replacement parts with them, but they have a lot of equipment and I am hoping they can make repairs and get to Tan Tan in time to get across the border into Mauritania – I have a feeling we are going to have need of them once we get into the big dunes.”
“Even without our problems it was a tough day today. This is my third Dakar and I have never known one as hard as this. The tracks through the mountains were really narrow and at times our offside rear wheel was hanging off the edge, while the bodywork on the nearside was scraping the side of the track cut into the mountain. Kevin was looking pretty nervous there a few times and refusing to look out the side window. It makes the Baja look like a stroll in the park. I reckon that David Castera, the guy who does the road book, has made the Moroccan stages especially tough on purpose. The organisers want to cut out the dead wood before they cause too many logistical problems in Mauritania, were everything gets a whole lot more complicated.”
“Tomorrow is a huge day – 775 km in all, with 325 km of special. It is also our first day with a lot what they call ‘off-piste’ – that basically means no track at all – they just send you across the desert sands. It could be good for our buggy and in theory shouldn’t be so hard on the mechanics. However if we do run into trouble we are a long way from anywhere – especially if our truck doesn’t make it.…”
Effectively tomorrow is the longest stage of the rally. 414 kms of liaison between Tan Tan and the border between Morocco and the Mauritania (called ‘The Wall’) and then 394 km of special to Zourerat.
Those who participate in the Dakar Rally are part of a small and tightly knit community. So it is no surprise that Ronn, Kevin (a fellow South African), Dr. Johnathan Edwards (our team physician), had crossed paths with Elmer Symons and his brother many times, even as recently as Sunday.
Therefore it is with heartfelt sympathy that we note the passing of Elmer, who at the age of twenty-nine, was killed earlier today. We send our sincere condolences, our thoughts and prayers to his friends, family and loved ones.
Your friends from Ronn Bailey Motorsports
Stage 4 Er Rachidia to Ouarzazate
Ronn Bailey and Kevin Heath’s dream of a clear run yet again failed to materialise, today, with the buggy crew actually stopped for a total of 1 hour 58 minutes (without the stops we would have finished in the top 20!}. The good news is that despite their various problems they once again made it to the bivouac and will be ready to start tomorrow’s special to Tan Tan.
Ronn Bailey
"We could smell burning as we were driving along. We stopped several times to see if we could find the source of the problem and it wasn’t until smoke started pouring out of the dash-board and we pulled the front off did we realise that a fan relay was melting. The only way to solve the problem was to disconnect the fan but that meant that the engine started to overheat in the dunes. The solution to that problem was to drive a little, stop, let the engine cool down, and then start again. I worked out that we could keep going for longer if we stayed down in the bottom of the dunes and slalom our way through.”
“The other major incident was the accelerator sticking open. It took us a while to work that one out too – eventually we realised it was a stone stuck in the one of the throttle bodies and we used one of my ‘pens for kids’ to dig it out.
“Then just as we were coming into the bivouac we heard a loud bang. It sounded like someone had shot at us, but in fact one of the radiator pipes had burst and we lost all our water as we pulled up at our assistance area.”
“In total we lost 1 hour and 58 minutes today – I know ‘cause I hit the stopwatch every time we came to a halt. My team chief Gilles worked out that without the stops we would have finished in the top 20 – still that’s rallye-raid for you. Maybe we will have a bit more luck tomorrow.”
Tomorrow the Dakar heads to Tan Tan for the last night in Morocco. Then after that the fun really starts in Mauritania!
STAGE 3 – Nador to Er Rachidia
Ronn Bailey and Kevin Heath’s much hoped for trouble-free run again failed to materialise today with the buggy crew once more breaking down on the piste (gravelled road). Nevertheless they have just made it into the bivouac and are now able to hand over their vehicle to their mechanics for a thorough overhaul.
Ronn Bailey
“We were going really well early on in the special and must have overtaken 40 competitors. And then just when we thought we were at last going to have a clear run the belt that drives the power steering and a whole bunch of other stuff broke. The problem was that our buggy is mid-engined and where we needed to get to, to fix the problem, was right behind the firewall. In all it took us over one-and-a-half hours to restart and all the competitors we’d overtaken came right back past us again. It meant we ended up stuck in everybody’s dust all the way to the end of the special.
Never mind – as I keep telling myself – and anyone else who will listen – we are here to finish and we are still on target for Lac Rose.”
Tomorrow is going to be no picnic for Ronn and Kevin, with a 679 km stage from Er Rachidia to Quarzazate including 20 or so kilometres of sand dunes.
STAGE 2 – Portimao to Malaga Update 2
Ronn Bailey and Kevin Heath’s ‘luck’ continues to hold. Late last night the arrived five minutes before the last ferry to Morocco and just squeezed their buggy into the hold before the doors slammed shut.
Ronn Bailey
The car is held together with duct tape, both myself and Kevin are very stiff but we have made it on to the boat and are heading for Nador. We are going to have to nurse the car all the way to Er Rachidia and when we get there we are going to get our physio to give us a good massage while our mechanics give our vehicle a good going over.”
STAGE 2 – Portimao to Malaga
The drama continues… Having successfully negotiated the day’s special, disaster struck on the freeway heading for Malaga when Ronn Bailey was forced to take evasive action to avoid hitting a local driver. The buggy was seriously damaged when it hit the central reservation and went into a series of rolls but both Ronn and his co-driver Kevin Heath miraculously escaped with cuts and bruises.
Ronn Bailey
“We were driving along the freeway behind our assistance vehicle and taking care not to go over the speed limit (the organizers check each competitor’s GPS to make sure all local laws are respected and impose heavy time penalties for speeding) when we were forced to swerve to avoid a Portuguese car. In the processes we hit the central reservation and rolled the car five times. The bodywork was completely destroyed but incredibly we landed on our wheels and were able to drive off to safety. Fortunately we had our race harnesses on and so escaped serious injury – if we had hit the other car the driver would have died for sure. All this happened in front of a service station with hundreds of spectators so we had plenty of witnesses!”
“There was a lot of work to do on the car to get going again but our assistance crew did an incredible job. At the moment we are heading towards the ferry and should just make the last ferry. If we do it is in large part thanks to the Portuguese police who provided us with an escort so that we lost as little time as possible. I can’t thank them enough. Will we make it? Keep your fingers crossed – I tell you there’s never a dull moment on the Dakar.”
Assuming Ronn and Kevin make it to Malaga in time they still have one more obstacle before getting on the boat to Nador – the technical scrutineers. The buggy might be capable of driving down the freeway but it also has to be examined by the FIA officials and declared fit to race.
STAGE 1 – Lisbon to Portimao
A difficult start for Ronn Bailey, Kevin Heath and their Chevy LS7 buggy on the first stage of the 2007 Dakar between Lisbon and Portimao in Portugal. At km 70 their vehicle came to a grinding halt with electrical problems and then just towards the end of the special they suffered a puncture. At the time of writing Ronn and Kevin are on the liaison stage to the night stop in Portimao and should comfortably make the 9 pm deadline so as to be eligible for tomorrow’s stage.
Ronn Bailey
“The day started off really well. The special was very sandy – almost like being in Africa - and the car was going really well. We were particularly happy with how our Goodyear tires were performing. Then at kilometre 70 we came to a dead stop. We eventually managed to work out it was the alternator – despite it being a brand new part – and managed to bypass the problem and get going again. Then just before the end we got a puncture trying to make up for lost time.”
“Unfortunately our electrical gremlins came back to haunt us once we got out of the special and we had to change the part. Right now we are 200 kilometres from Portimao, on the liaison, but should be OK to get to the parc ferme before our 9 pm deadline.”
“Despite a less than an ideal start to the race, I am strangely satisfied how we and the whole team have reacted. There was no panic, either in the special or on the liaison, we just got on with sorting out problems as and when they arose. My goal isn’t to win the Dakar, it is to get to the end, and it is by overcoming our difficulties in a controlled fashion that we will make it all the way to the finish. …tomorrow is another day, with new challenges….”
The second stage of the 2007 Dakar should be considerably easier for all the competitors – just 67 km of relatively straightforward racing, before a long haul on the road to Malaga in Spain to catch the ferry to Africa.
Great News!!!!
The Race Car has gone through and passed Scrutineering.
It was necessary to get an official extension on the scrutineering time period for the car after some issues with the GPS and itrack monitoring system were discovered.
Our mechanics went to work along with some help from the manufactureres of the electronic tracking systems and got the systems up, running and to official specifications in the limited timeframe that was given to the team and we passed.
'The Phoenix Arises' as Ronn Bailey Motorsports Commences Final Preparations for the Dakar 2007
Recovers From a Near-Quest Ending Crash
LAS VEGAS, December, 15 2006
While the Dakar 2007, the world's longest, most grueling, most dangerous off-road race, may seem like risky business for the only two American CEOs, it is "all business" in their third attempt to finish the 29th edition of the Euromilhoes Lisboa-Dakar 2007 rally from January 6-21st 2007.
Ronn Bailey, owner/driver of Ronn Bailey Motorsports, and CEO and CTO of Vanguard Integrity Professionals, will maneuver his custom built Chevy LS7 buggy with his co-pilot and CEO of Electra, Kevin Heath, in the 2007 Dakar.
Just three weeks ago, the racecar with Ronn Bailey as pilot, plunged down the face of a 70' dune in the Mojave Desert -- flipping, crashing, and burning. It was one of the final practices before the car was to be shipped to Paris in final preparation for the Dakar. Though no one was injured, more than 40 percent of the race car was destroyed. The subsequent rebuilding effort, dubbed as 'The Phoenix Arises', was accomplished against all odds and an iron-clad schedule.
For the second year, Dakar competitors will start in Lisbon, Portugal on an arduous 8,696 km. (5,400 miles) course including 5010 km. of timed specials in the fifteen stages. Some 525 teams from 42 different countries will be driving some 250 motorcycles, 187 cars, and 88 trucks. The drivers and bikers will first battle it out during two Specials in Portugal and through Spain. Then they will cross the Mediterranean to Africa, where they will face treacherous dunes, long stretches of harsh, rocky terrain and navigational challenges throughout the stages in Morocco, Mauritania, Mali and Senegal (only 40 percent of entrants will make it to the finish).
This year, Bailey created Ronn Bailey Motorsports, opening a state-of-the art-racing facility in Boulder City to build a buggy that would be highly competitive and finish the Dakar 2007. Outfitted with a LS7 engine, the body is composed of lightweight carbon fiber and Kevlar materials aerodynamically shaped with an enclosed cockpit and gull wing doors. A number of new innovations in design and testing have optimized the car to remain extremely competitive despite debilitating sand dune conditions that comprise much of the race.
While Bailey and his team entered a number of races this year in preparation for the Dakar, they also had an outstanding competitive season against many veteran and professional competitors. Bailey won the Sonora 250 in Mexico, scored third overall in the SouthCoast 250 and Midnight Special evening rally and was solidly in first place during the Caliente 250 before an accident knocked him out of the race. Bailey kicked off the 2006 season with an impressive second place finish in the Buffalo Bills 400.
According to Bailey, "If this past year is any indication of what our race team can achieve and how competitive we are, then we can certainly expect to finish and maybe even score first place in our Class I vehicle category. My co-pilot, Kevin Heath is a veteran Dakar motorcyclist with superb navigation skills, as well as a lifelong endurance sport athlete, so we have a lot of factors in our favor going into this incredible life experience."
Bailey, 58, took a remarkable first step in off road racing by entering the 2005 Dakar having never competed in any off road race, and assembled a car and team in only four months. Although he finished the Dakar race, he was declared "retired" by officials after being lost in a blinding sandstorm without gas or food for three days in Mauritania. In only his third race and second Dakar, in 2006, he actually finished in the twelfth position during Stage 8, passing most of the competitors, only to be disqualified in Stage 9 for missing two checkpoints due to mechanical problems.
Co-pilot Kevin Heath, who lives in San Diego, was forced to withdraw in Stage 7 of the 2006 Dakar, after flipping off his cycle and suffering broken ribs and a compound fracture of his arm. In the 2005 Dakar, mechanical problems and a subsequent run-in with local bandits ended that race effort for Heath.
"Ronn has made great strides over the last three years," Heath explains. "He has shown that he has the heart of a champion and has amply demonstrated that he can race competitively under the most extreme conditions. Dakar is all about navigating, and I'm looking forward to playing that role as Ronn's co-pilot."
