Wednesday, December 21 2011
The 34th Dakar Rally will, on New Years Day, set off from Buenos Aires for the 9000km two week race- without a doubt one of the toughest races in the world. Yamaha is represented by 40 of the 188 entrants in the motorcycle class and over half of the 32 Quad riders.
One of the big motorcycle contenders will be Helder Rodrigues, the 2011 FIM Cross Country Rallies Champion.
Rodrigues: “My objective is to finish even better. Like last year, I have worked all season to improve- this year’s route should allow me to show that I know how to take on the pitfalls and complexities of the rally.”
Other riders to watch out for include Olivier Pain, who clinched ninth place in 2010 and, at only 29, is one of the younger competitors. David Casteu was a Dakar vice champion in 2007 and for 2012 will join the Yamaha Motor France-backed team alongside Pain. Casteu hopes to make his eighth run at the rally a good one, before moving towards the four-wheel category in future years.
Casteu: “It means a lot to me to ride for Yamaha. It is a constructor with a soul and a history on the Dakar. I am part of the generation that was spellbound by Peterhansel’s wins on a Yamaha. Now, what I wish is to end my career as a rider with Yamaha and then create projects for the next generation. Today, our goal is to win the Dakar. Rodrigues rides for Yamaha Portugal and at Yamaha France we have two lead riders, Olivier Pain and myself. The bike has made progress compared to last year and for my part I will make a few changes to my strategy. I will set off a little slower and ride with a ‘wait and see’ approach.”
While Yamaha will see high competition in the bike sector, confidence will be high when it comes to the Quads. The Patronelli brothers, Marcos and Alejandro, have claimed the last two Dakars between them on their Yamaha YFM700Rs. Also on a Yamaha Raptor, Tomas Maffei, who took a stage victory back in January.
In the Women’s competition, FIM Cross Country Rallies World Champion, Camelia Liparoti will be aiming to better her 10th place finish. Yamaha took eleven of the thirteen 2011 Quad stages with five different riders; for 2012, anything approaching the same level of achievement will be an outstanding acievement.
The 2012 Dakar will now involve fourteen days of racing, as the bikes, quads, cars and trucks, plough a course from one side of the continent to the other.
