2011
Oz Safari: Stage 7 – FUN FINISH, 14th place overall!
All finished! 2 specials and then 2 short super specials. Total result 14th general, time 34:35:45. So happy!!!
Congratulations to the winner Todd Smith, who now claimed the victory ahead of his brother Jake Smith (who did Dakar 2011). Two years ago it was the other way around.
And also congrats to third Rod Faggoter, who will go Dakar 2012 with Team Husaberg!
Great event, I didn’t think I’d finish this high in the result. It’s been the toughest starting field in years… And this time I am almost unscratched.
And I’m the best international rider 😉 yeeaaah!
This was my 20th rally and the 20th I finished – keeping up my statistics 100%! It is even a greater record than my 14th position.
The tracks were difficult with sand, stones, tall grass, deep ruts and hidden obstacles… yet the speed was very fast. I rode carefully and attentively, still fell a few times, but luckily got no severe injuries. Just a tiny scratch on my elbow.
It has been very tough, many competitors had accidents and about half of them couldn’t make it all the way.
THANKS
Big thanks to team Husaberg Australia, and especially Garry Connell for putting the team together. My thoughts are with poor Garry who had a bad crash yesterday – still in hospital (get well soon).
Also to my friend and now rookie mechanic Rikard “Eppis” Epstein, who never has worked on bikes before and was thrown into this only 2 weeks before start.
More on thanks to the entire Safari Organisation and all officialls at checkpoints and time controls etc, for arranging this great event.
And last, thanks to all my fellow competitors for contributing to a great spirit out here – it’s been so fun racing with you (even if I HATE the dust some of you make… thinking of the two KTM 950, #75 and #89 that I’ve been having a great time with).
All the results are on the Australasian Safari website.
Oh dear … is this a girl who got lost in a rally!!?? Not me!
Oz Safari: Stage 5 – The going gets tough
Today was a “marathon stage” where we are not allowed to get service from our crew during the fuel stop. We have to fix everything ourselves. For me this is normal, like during Dakar. Rule number one: TAKE CARE.
Another fast sandy stage, through very varied terrain. Very fun and very fast. This stage was also the same as I did back in 2009, when a stick hit my foot so hard it pierced through my boot and leg. Bearing this in mind I was extra cautious.
Very cold morning and a 86 kilometer liasion to the start. All frozen when I arrived. Started the stage at quite fast travelling speed, “happy speed” I call it. Just the speed to feel safe and have fun. Then when warmed up paced up a bit and passed my team mate Aussie #26 Ben O, who had some bike problem.
At kilometer 125 I passed my team mate Italian Manuel Lucchese who crashed at 150 kmph in a rutted washout. The helicopter was there to help him so nothing I could do. But I sure rolled off the gas after this. Continued the whole stage not pushing it and mostly relying on visual judgment of the track not trusting the roadbook too much. Basically just cruising along, but still quite fast.
When back in the bivouack I heard about many crashes and broken bikes today. And many of my Husaberg team mates: Mick Heuchan #73 bounced big off his bike landing in a tree, Team boss Garry Connell #14 crashed at exactly the same spot as Manuel, lucky to be able to continue. And #26 Ben O also came off hard. Damien Grabham #73 still suffering from a big crash two days ago, did well until his engine stopped just a couple of kms from the finish, and Mick towed him as the good team mate he is!
I guess my decision to roll off the gas today was a good move.
Sam Sunderland Husaberg #10 had a really good stage, finishing second – well done!
Now I’ve moved up to 18th general, and I plan to continue my “cruise” to the finish.
Video of the day. Annie at 1:50 min:
http://marathonrally.com/news/australasian_safari_video_movie_of_the_day_ss04_laverton_laverton_round.19194.0.html
Oz Safari: Stage 2 – The race is on!
Today stage 2: Good stage, very fast going. Kept a nice pace, trapped in some dust. Decided not to take any risks. Garry had a fall today, got little winded. Sam was not starting today because he hit a kangaroo badly yesterday and got a concussion. David, Damien, Manuel and Mick are all going strong.
Previous:
My fuel problem is hopefully solved! The mechanics worked late night and found what was wrong. The extra tank was not connected properly, and therefore I was short on fuel on stage 1. Would have been among the top 20 if not losing all that time… Well the race continues.
Positions:
Stage 2 – 23
Stage 1 – 25
We have 2 mechanics from Sweden, my very good friends: Magnus (Mange) Arnalid serving Team Husaberg and Rikard Epstein taking care of my bike and me :-).
Coming up! Australasian Safari Rally, 22-30 Sept
Soon I will take off down under… It is time for the Australasian Safari Rally, and for me this is my third start.
Aussie Garry Connell has once again put together a massive Husaberg Team with some really top riders, like Damien Grabham (Safari winner Ben Grabham’s really fast brother). And this year we will actually outnumber the official KTM team! First time this happens…
KTM is topping their team with three-time Dakar-winner Cyril Despres (FRA). It’s gonna be a killer race!
Team Husaberg Riders
· Damien Grabham
· David Schwarz
· Mick Heuchan
· Sam Sunderland
· Manuel Lucchese
· Annie Seel
· Ben Young
· Ben Obrien
· Garry Connell
So red. So hot. So Sabelt! – Thanx LM-Motorsport.com
So red. So hot. So Sabelt!
My new racing suit just arrived. I will wear it on this weekends 6-hour car race driving Alfa Romeo!
Thank you Lars Lergell!
www.LM-motorsport.com
Testing Pewano Volvo XC60 rally car
Testing the NEW rally car built in Sweden: Pewano Volvo XC60 Rally Raid.
Awesome drive – I love it! Dreaming of Dakar now…
More info about Team Pewano and the car: www.pewano.com
Artikel Midnattssolsrallyt
Ericsson Motorsport intervjuar mig och min kartläsare Maria Andersson under Midnattsolsrallyt:
Från ökendrottningen till Midnattssolsrallyts lyxprinsessa
Du bytte två hjul mot fyra – hur kändes det?
– Riktigt pirrigt. För mig var det så mycket nytt och verkligen en utmaning. Målet var att ta bilen i mål – oskadd så det var spännande.
Läs hela artikeln:
http://www.emotorsport.se/special/intervju-annieseel-msr11.php?in=4
Etapp 3: sista dagen
Etapp 3: Sista dagen körs via Eskilstuna och Katrineholm till Brevens Bruk, sedan tillbaka via Hälleforsnäs och Malmköping till mål i Västerås.
Sista dagen i rallyt. Jag och Maria var supertaggade att öka farten lite nu när jag börjat bli varm i rallyoverallen. Det var så fina och roliga sträckor, speciellt de avslutande rallysträckorna var riktigt luriga och knixiga – Maria fick verkligen hålla mig på rätt spår när det svängde över krön hela tiden.
Gick i mål som 76:a totalt, jättenöjd med det efter kopplingsraset första dagen där jag tyvärr fick avbryta efter SS4 med maxtid. Sen meckades det halva natten så jag kunde starta om – underbart team som ställer upp. Efter det funka bilen perfekt hela racet.
Maria Andersson har varit suverän som kartis och jag har nu lärt mig att köra på riktiga siffernoter som i VM! Så kul när man får in flytet, helt magiskt att jag nu “ser” kurvan med öronen!
Kenny Bräck vann, snabbast på i princip alla sträckor – så imponerande! Och han blev snabbaste blondin…
Fjolårssegraren Kenneth Bäcklund kom 2:a, och min teamkollega rallylegenden Björn Waldegård slutade 3:a.
Jag är så tacksam att ha fått den här fantastiska chansen att köra rally! Det har varit galet roligt!
Foto: Fotogubben.eu
Tack Team Tidö och teamchef David von Schinkel som har skapat ett underbart team, och fått med sig underbara partners som Optiker KlarSynt, Gulf Oil, Carrera Sunglasses, EFG Bank, Öhlins, Sparco, Peltor etc…
På kvällen svidade jag om till “prinsessa” och hoppade insom prisutdelare och fick krama om segrarna!
Kung Kenny Bräck, flankerad av rallybrudarna Maria Andersson och mig.
Etapp 2, Roslagen
Fredagens sträckor via Uppsala, Österbybruk, Forsmark, Östhammar, Almunge.
Tack vare världens bästa team med meckar som jobbat halva natten kunde jag starta andra etappen i Midnattssolsrallyt. Porschen har fått ny koppling och växellåda.
Kolla brillorna 😉
Regnade första tre sträckorna = lite halt så jag tog det försiktigt. Efter lunch kom solen och jag gasade lite mer. Med Marias suveräna notläsning kunde jag öka mer på de två sista sträckorna som var galet roliga, snabba och krokiga, fick t.o.m i femmans växel.
81:a nu. Det börjar likna rally!!
Foton ss12 nära Almunge: Benny Eriksson
Kolla live webb TV “After Rally” på www.sportbladet.se/, lör kl 19-21. Finns på youtube om ni missar, sök midnattssolsrallyt After rally
“Tröstätning…”
Rallymiddag Team Tidö tältet. Med stil och finess.
Kopplingen fått tätning, vi kopplar av med ätning 🙂
Annie Seel - Rally Princess of Dakar 