Here is an update from JY
Well, I have some disappointing news.
I have just informed the organisers that Team TR3OC are having to withdraw from this years Tuareg Rally
Over the last couple of days, myself and the other team members have been reviewing just what we still have to do simply to get to the “start line” of the rally but however you look at it, 8 weeks yesterday we need to be in Morocco for signing on and we haven’t as yet (no matter how close it seems) even got a bike that we know works.
Further problems, are that we don’t yet know (1) how it performs off-road and in sand and (2) how to ride it !!
When the fabrication work finished on the IBR bike, I tested, broke, rebuilt, tested, broke again and finally fixed the bike for 3 months before leaving for the USA and that event was, in my opinion, nowhere near the challenge that this one is – and yet I still had unforeseen problems on the rally itself.
At best we all agreed that we could see us having 3 weeks to do the same on the outfit but whereas, I already had huge experience of Long Distance Riding before embarking on the IBR, neither myself nor Pete N have virtually any off road experience. Add to this that many vehicles fail on this rally and those remember are relatively new cars and new bikes – we, on the other hand, are attempting to take it on with a 40 year old outfit.
This is not us giving up. It is simply a postponement so that when in 2016 we finally do make it to the start line of the rally, we will have a machine that the TR3OC can be proud of and one that gives us a real chance of completing the rally
In the meantime this year, once the outfit is finished we fully intend to test it under competitive conditions, so you should still have something to follow.
I’m really sorry that this year there’ll be no Team TR3OC entry in the 2015 Tuareg Rally, but assuming there is a 2016 rally, we will be there and we will be properly prepared.