Cyril Despres conquers Sardinian Rally
By TMX Archives on 10th May 08
KTM factory rider Cyril Despres of France put in superb last day performance in the five day Sardinian Rally to secure a solid victory and underline the champion that he is.
Riders had to tackle demanding mountain and coastal terrain on the beautifulMediterranean island and each day presented them with new offroad challenges.
The race was never a clear cut issue until the final day. While secondplaced Matteo Graziani and KTM factory rider David Casteu went into the finalstage still as top contenders, they were unable to overcome the power of theleading French KTM rider. In the final reckoning it was Despres on the top ofthe podium, Italian Matteo Graziani in second place and fellow KTM factory riderFrancisco Lopez of Chile who took the minor placing in the first of the worldchampionship series.
Fighting to stay ahead of the game
Despres showed his skill, stamina and endurance. He overcame some smallmistakes in the early part of the rally and some problems with his navigation inthe middle of the week. But on the last day he was definitely a tour de force.He went out and took the special tests, the stage and rode to victory in thefinal 300 km with the same tactical skill that has won him races like thelegendary Dakar.
Despres satisfied
"After the cancellationof the 2008 Dakar quite a few riders have made the World Championship theirprinciple objective and it is a great source of satisfaction to win the openinground," Despres told his fans. He also praised the beauty and variety of terrainon the island, saying he felt like "a kid in a toy shop". The next race on thehit list of the French rider is the Erzberg Rodeo in June.
Casteufinishes solidly after mid race incident
David Casteu also succeeded inmaking up valuable ground after an incident in the middle of the rally when hewas involved in a collision with Jordi Farres. The incident came about whenCasteu and Lopez made a navigation mistake and were riding back on the course tocorrect it. While the Frenchman Casteu was able to continue to the finish,Farres was not so lucky. He fractured his foot and had to retire.
Theother KTM factory riders, Jordi Viladoms (Repsol KTM), Casteu (Offroad KTM) andFrans Verhoeven (Kastle KTM Vectra) all finished in the top 10. Indeed six ofthe top 10 riders were riding machines from the Austrian manufacturer, makingthe 2008 Sardinia Rally a real success for KTM as well as the company's factoryteam riders.
Final Results
1. Cyril Despres, France, KTM
2.Matteo Graziani, Italy, KTM
3. Francisco Lopez, Chile, KTM
4. MassimoChiesa, Italy, Kawasaki
5. Jordi Viladoms, Spain, KTM
6. Luca Manca,Italy, TM
7. David Casteu, France, KTM
8. Victor Rivera, Spain, PKL
9. Helder Rodrigues, Portugual, Honda
10. Frans Verhoeven, Netherlands,KTM