Today, 183 of the toughest motorcyclists from all over the world lined up for the 2011 Dakar Rally. Today's journey was largely ceremonial, as riders make their last preparations before the first full day of racing on Sunday.
Thousands of people gathered at Obelisk in Buenos Aires to see these adventurers off on their two-week trek through the Atacama desert for the 33rd Dakar Rally. Here are a few quotes from the top motorcyclists at the Rally.
Cyril Despres - Once KTM decided to continue in rally-raid, they began to work on a rally version of the 450. Now, I guess you could call it the little brother of the bike I won the Dakar with last year, with 20 less kilograms. We first raced it on Rally Morocco and I won: I couldn’t have hoped for better. It is very comfortable to ride and very reliable and only an idiot never changes his mind. Last year, we really had to work for the win and I think it’ll be the same this year. When you’ve won three Dakars, naturally you are the favourite and this isn’t the first time I’ve had to deal with it. I’ll take the role of favourite.
Mark Coma - I’ve been waiting impatiently for the Dakar to retake the title and take advantage of the new structure that we have put together. You have to change, it reinvents you. We worked on this nearly all season long without talking about too much, in order to create a surprise. It is a big bet in the mid-term. Everything was done with going for the win in mind.
Helder Rodrigues - It has been the best of my last three seasons. I’ve also very well prepared and I’m happy with the configuration of the route that seems to be harder and harder. It is a configuration that suits me. I’m aiming for the top 3 and even better. The team is very strong. We are confident and more importantly, we are young and ambitious.
David Casteu - After the Dakar, I spent three months in hospital. This time allowed me to think about how I ride. The Dakar I very long, and
when I see a guy like Ullevalseter finish second, I say to myself that we can do something. It is a lesson. Throughout the season, I approached it more like a team manager and it paid off because I won the world 450cc title. Now, there is more pressure on the Dakar, and I am sure it will be a terrific fight. I think that with all the work we did this season, my Sherco is an advantage. In any case, I am not worried about Despres and Coma. We all have the same chance.
Pal Anders Ullevalseter - I was supposed to compete in Morocco but I didn’t get my 450 KTM on time, but I feel very positive. I have to be positive anyway. The new bike is fantastic. I tested it out in Norway and in Tunisia back in July. It’s lighter but more adapted to the technical roads. Normally I’m a man for big machines in the desert but on the Dakar in South America there are a lot more twisty paths. Having the favourites on 450cc will open the field. There are so many new favourites but it should remain pretty much the same. It should be tighter on technical stages but I hope to make a difference after 10 days on the long and hard specials. The new navigation rules suit me with the 800m radius around the Way-Points. I have done 8 Dakars so my navigation isn’t that bad. I feel like a Top 5 favourite but I still need speed on the twisty tracks.
Jonah Street - Last year the Dakar was really difficult for me. Mentally, it was hard for me to ride fast. I began to think about retirement but I talked with my wife at length and I decided to continue…beyond the change in engine displacement for the ‘elite’ riders, for me the big difference has to do with the new navigation rules. It is very exciting. The Dakar is all about navigation. The race will be a lot closer because the KTMs can no longer run markedly faster than the others. When I race the goal is always the same: to win.
Olivier Pain - I have the impression that in the Yamaha team the conditions have been brought together to do even better with riders like Viladoms and Rodrigues. The atmosphere is very good; we’re all fast on our bikes and relaxed at the bivouac. And we have a new bike, the YZF, which has improved speed compared to last year. I still respect riders like Despres and Coma, who are the ones to beat. But I am going to try to stay close to them and finish in the top five. Navigation is becoming one my strengths, I believe it is in this domain is where you’ll find the best riders.
Ruben Faria - The project is the same as last year: work for Cyril to win. To do this, my role is not to make any mistakes and stay as close as I can to him. The bike that we have this year is incredible and with my size this is a format that better suits me. Cyril always impresses me, he is strong mentally and has extraordinary race craft. Last year everyone had overheating problems on stage three. But he figured it out sooner than everyone else that the engine couldn’t be pushed to its limits, which resulted in the stage win with a 10 minute margin of victory!
