Daily Updates

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Each day during the rally check here for updates on how we are doing, how the car is performing and messages from Mac and Kike. If you would like to send a message to the team during the rally, use the CONTACT page and your message will be forwarded. Despite stories in Local Tabloid Rags, we at Teambraveheart have never asked for, or was it ever intended for donations to be made via the Contact page or the PO Box number on the page. All donations are to be made via the donations link which takes you to the JUST GIVING page who in turn pass any donation directly to the Society and not to ourselves as the News article would have you beleive.The first section of each day will be from the Dakar daily route guide. For the exact land profiles copy and paste the link into a new web browser

Day 1 Lisbon - Portimao 370 Km

Fine-tuning the preparation of the machine and testing its capacities in racing conditions are the usual exercises in Europe. For the first time, competitors must also try out their hand at navigation. Tracks, and fast ones at that, are ideal for riding and driving, but there will be as many traps as there are changes in direction. There will be a real overall classification on New Year’s Eve........With day 1 nerves under our belts we can now look forward to the rest of each days challenges. For a first stage it was a tough one, with today’s special full of mud traps, I’m sure we lost time there! But it gives us an idea off what is to come. It will be a hard slog but we will rise to the challenge that is set out before us on a daily basis. Thank you for your donations and kind support. Mac & Kike. Land profile http://www.dakar.com/2006/DAK/LIVE/us/100/parcours.html

Day 2 Portimao - Malaga 567 Km

A special of over 100 kms in Europe: another first. On this fast and mountainous track, the thrill of riding and driving and the beauty of the site sometimes remind us of the famous Pikes Peak rise in Colorado. After a special fought out against a backdrop of true wonder, Spain will just be a 400-km liaison through to the landing stage in Malaga, for racing competitors only. The crossing lasts seven hours........In words borrowed from the Dakar Home Page "Like yesterday, driving skills required for a good result should be close to those of a WRC driver" and who was the fastest BRITISH Team? Ok Scottish would have been even better, but for today we will be British. Yes it was Teambraveheart, we did have a really good day, good conditions also, bright sunshine and not to cold, there was a good crowd on the special and the reception when arriving in Malaga was something that Kike and I will remember all our days and this is only Day 2.Long way to go yet and its goodbye to Europe and hello Africa with all the fun of the desert, this is where things will start to change and the days will become long. Mac. Land profile http://www.dakar.com/2006/DAK/LIVE/us/200/parcours.html

Day 3 Nador - Er Rachidia 672 Km

He who looks will find. The fact that the title of the stage has appeared three times in the history of the rally will not be of much help, since the course of the special is totally new. Crossing the wadis, Morocco’s classic traps, will be on the menu, and the first major errors of navigation are to be anticipated. Those used to old-version GPS technology could pay the price for a tricky period of adaptation........Navigation was very important today as there was no GPS to help us out, so it was back to basics for Kike with the Map book provided,it was a good day for driving with a very tough,fast course and a lenghty special ahead for us. I think this stage was designed to get rid of some of the weaker Teams (not that you can call any team in the Dakar weak)and it certainly did.It wasnt a surface that we are used to so we didn't make the impact that I had hoped for that we did yesterday,102nd today and 112th overall to date and we are still here, which is the main thing. Mac. Land profile http://www.dakar.com/2006/DAK/LIVE/us/300/parcours.html

Day 4 Er Rachidia - Ouarzazate 639 Km

This could be considered as a Dakar classic, but there is something unknown here too. It is perhaps the rally’s most varied special. With the first dunes, it will doubtless be the time to get out the shovels and sand mats, before taking on the shotts, stretches of sandy or stony wadis... It’s a time for co-drivers to bury their head in the road book, not in the sand........Another tough stage today and a taste of the sand,a lot of teams are losing time without the GPS guidance but Kike is doing brilliant and keeping us going in the right direction. It was a fast stage today throughout, even the special was fast but it was too our cost as we got speeding time penalties going through the two villages on the route which without we would have been higher up the stage table today. Still a very pleasing 51st today which leaves us 80th overall. Tomorrow is a very long stage, around 800km which will be tough but we will stay focused and carry on relentlessly. Mac. Land profile http://www.dakar.com/2006/DAK/LIVE/us/500/parcours.html

Day 5 Ouarzazate - Tan Tan 819 Km

Communication between driver and co-driver will have to be fine-tuned to a maximum on account alternate fast stretches and navigational traps. In comparison to the 2005 edition, competitors will have almost tripled their mileage in specials before leaving Morocco. The timing of the 1,250 kms already covered should produce a coherent classification........Today was good, both men and machine performed well. The stage was long and fast and already this years Dakar is testing everyone to the limit with the special stages, but that is why we are all here. Longer days now and even longer nights as the rally doesn't stop, you can hear mechanics working through the night prepairing or repairing the vehicles for the next days challenge.It is an experiance that is hard to comprehend as the scale of this event is truly awesome.Tomorrow will be a true tester, long, fast with about 100km of pure sand to overcome, the field will be split wide open after this stage. Land profile http://www.dakar.com/2006/DAK/LIVE/us/500/parcours.html

Day 6 Tan Tan - Zouerat 792 Km

The hours of sleep stored up from previous stages will be an asset when tackling this long road. The long liaison to the start of the special will take place at night, in conditions which require maximum vigilance. The first part of the sector counting towards classification will be fought out over a wide, fast track, before taking on a much sandier stretch halfway through the special........Todays stage was considered a transition stage, which means it gave us a taste of the sand dunes and what is to come in the next few stages.It went well today, better than I had expected, but it was a 3am start, not a lot of sleep in the bivouac as the work doesnt stop even when your trying to sleep,you hear the generators running and noise from the mechanics, but that is the Dakar, it is a true test of Man and Machine.Tomorrows stage will be tough,not as long as today but it has a 500km special which is nearly all sand to look forward to. Mac. Land profile http://www.dakar.com/2006/DAK/LIVE/us/600/parcours.html

Day 7 Zouerat - Atar 521 Km

Navigational finesse will be rewarded during the major difficulty of this first week which will be contested off track. Absolutely off-track. Indications will be sparse on the road-book, and those who miss the WPM’s will have all their work cut out to find the right passes. After the dunes, competitors will be driving along stony plateaux and slaloming in camel grass........Appologies for no update yesterday, had to make an emergency detour via Paris..Long story! Ok today was one of our best days yet, 43rd on stage and an inspiring 42nd overall, things just fell into place and the sand didn't pose as big a problem as I thought it would today,Im not saying its going to be like that on every sandy stage,Lady Luck must have been wearing a Braveheart Tshirt today, once again very good direction from Kike and if I say so myself the driving was none to shabby either.The last 100Km of the stage we seemed to have an engine problem, the power would die away then return, hopefully tonight we can resolve the problem.Tomorrow will be tottally different lots more sand which is going to catch a lot of us out, the buggies should do well though. Again from Kike and myself thankyou for all the backing and your generous donations, it makes what we are doing worth while. Mac. Land profile http://www.dakar.com/2006/DAK/LIVE/us/700/parcours.html

Day 8 Atar - Nouakchott 568 Km

On the first part of the special, the windy route crosses canyons and wadis. Competitors will feel themselves shot like a pinball against the massifs. After the series of zigzags, a very fast stretch will temp the most itchy to push the speedo. But over-confidence could lead to bad surprises........As i thought today was very long and very tough, not because of the overall length but for the sanddunes, dont think there was one team that didnt have to dig themselves out at least once and as soon as you got going again you got stuck again, thats the nature of the beast. The car has a tottall lack of power today so we are having to take it very easy and not push the engine which is giving us different problems as you need all the power you can get at times going over the dunes.We will have to use our day off to get to the bottom of this problem and get back on track.In todays stage it seen 15 cars not make it to the finish and withdraw and that makes a total of 49 so far the rally.The next stage is on Monday, we will need a good rest as the special is the longest of the rally and not for the faint hearted. Mac. Land profile http://www.dakar.com/2006/DAK/LIVE/us/800/parcours.html

Day of rest at the Bivouac

The engine fuel system has been striped, flushed out and put back together, it appears that we have had bad fuel which has caused the lack of power.The engine sounds far healthier and back to 100% we will definetly be back on track tomorow.

Day 9 Nouakchott - Kiffa 874 Km

For the rally’s longest special, stretches of dense dunes over twenty kilometres in length follow on from each other at the beginning and the end of the route. Between the two sandy stretches, driving will be over a fast, rocky track. At places, the track crosses large dunes which will have to be got round to stay on large, black-soil plateaux........Our thoughts and well wishes go out to the family of KTM Rider Andy Caldecott who tragically died racing in todays stage.Only after the end of a stage does it hit home that a person has died, he was a biker not part of the car clan, but we all knew who he was and he was very respected.I wont say much today as my thoughts are else where, we had a good day. RIP Andy Caldecott. Mac. Land profile http://www.dakar.com/2006/DAK/LIVE/us/900/parcours.html

Day 10 Kiffa - Kayes 333 Km

Brushland entrance to Mali. The vegetation thickens. Among baobabs, the narrow, furrowed dirt track winds its way through the savanna. This fast special favours driving, riding and sliding over the first laterite sections. Despite the tricky shotts which line the course, this will be a transition day before the challenges of Black Africa........Not a long stage today, 60k in and we took a bad landing which left us with only 2 wheel drive. That slowed us down quite a bit for the rest of the stage as we couldnt risk pushing it. A lot of vehicles failed today 19 I think, which you wouldnt expect on a short stage, this shows just how hard each individual stage is and when you think you are in for an easy day thats when it gets you. Mac. Land profile http://www.dakar.com./2006/DAK/LIVE/us/1000/parcours.html

Day 11 Kayes - Bamako 705 Km

Although care has been taken for the course to avoid the wildlife reserve of Badinko and the biosphere reserve of the Baoulé loop, the caravan progresses through a sumptuous setting, with a continuous sequence of forests and savannas. As the tracks are narrow, extreme care is recommended in the eventuality of any navigational error requiring a u-turn........It was a dangerous road today so we took it easy through the special and again today the stage took out some good vehicles. Shortly after the special we crashed at high speed and the vehicle is damaged beyond repair.Thats us out of the rally for this year. I would like to thank everyone for their support during the stages. Land profile http://www.dakar.com./2006/DAK/LIVE/us/1100/parcours.html

The Day after.

Just a brief word to let all you peeps know the big chap is on his way home now.Bruised and sore but with his head held high and in good spirits, hopefully tomorrow I will put the full story of what actually happened about the crash and also thank the people that stopped and helped Mac and Kike, hope the Daily Rags are looking and they will get the TRUE STORY TO PRINT instead of the usuall lies and journalistic license that they use to sell there daily fish and chip wraps!!!