Honda Goes to Dakar in 2013!

Will Big Red be able to conquer the Dakar as they did the Baja and many other grueling endurance events the world over? They lost out at the Baja 500 this year for the first time in 15 years to an upstart Kawasaki team (not really - the THR Monster Team was very strong as evidenced by the results), but Team Green does not yet have a factory-backed bike in the Dakar and it is Honda after 23 years away. It will be an interesting few months as we hear more from Honda about their Dakar 2013 machine.

We know the team, though: Helder Rodrigues, from Portugal, motocross and enduro rider Felipe Zanol of Brazil, Sam Sunderland from the United Kingdom and Javier Pizzolito of Argentina. For a little more have a quick read here:

http://tinyurl.com/6rgstwk

Tecate 500 Runner-up William Ray “Bill” Halbert Passes Away...

Bill Halbert was a respected man in his community and in the motorcycling world in general. You may not have heard of him, but he probably has made a difference to many people over the years. He was a resident of Brookings, Oregon, and one-time owner of the Grand Prix Motorcycle shop in Lynwood, Washington. He also was both a parts manager and regional sales manager for Husqvarna Motorcycle. He even raced in AMA District 38 desert races - his favorite: Tecate Baja 500, where he finished as high as second place overall with his team. He passed away on 14 November 2009. Sad news...and so close by.

http://tinyurl.com/yl86vpg