Cyril Despres, the 07 RB Romaniacs Rally
By TMX Archives on 27th Jun 07
Cyril Despres recently won his third victory in the Red Bull Romaniacs Hard Enduro in only four years that the event has been run, offering riders the challenges of Romania's Carpathian Mountains. The third victory for Despres came only on the final day after his friend andfellow professional Michel Gau crashed and broke his arm in the final stages.Cyril talks to KTM.com about the 2007 event.
What are yourimpressions of the race this year?
Despres: It was certainly verytough, with long days on the bike and very varied landscapes. But as far asriding Enduro is concerned I think it is one of the best and most beautifulcountries I've experienced. The event was generally well organized, althoughthere were some problems with the location of one of the checkpoints and thiswas something that could have been avoided. But all in all it was a good balanceof terrain and it was very challenging for the riders.
In terms ofHard Enduro rallies, how do you rate the Romaniacs?
Despres: Ithink it is up there with the top three.
What about the situationconcerning Michel Gau's accident? This was an important point in the race foryou.
Despres: Sure, we were really fighting in the first days andthe results of the top three or four were very close. It was clear to us thatwhoever won that day was going to win the race. Then Michel hit a root and hecame off and went into a tree. In fact he broke his arm and dislocated his wristand we found out later he had also pinched a tendon because after that he didn'thave any feeling in his fingers. I stopped to help him because even though weare competitors we have been friends for 15 years. I was able to rig up a kindof a splint to get his arm in place until the first aid team got there.
How many riders passed you during that time?
Despres:I'm not sure but I didn't lose any time because I was able to call theorganizers as soon as it happened and then they called me again just as thefirst aid guys were arriving, so the time I spent with him was deducted from myaggregate time. By the way I have been to see him in the hospital in Marseillesand he is doing ok. He has to have some more tests about the ligament problembut he's in good spirits.
You were riding the new KTM 300 EXC-E 2008model and this is the first victory for this bike. What are yourimpressions?
Despres: Well as a rider we are always concernedabout the bikes having any extra weight and I was a bit unsure before the raceabout the addition of the battery and the electronic starter for that reason.But I have to say it was very helpful in many situations and it is definitely anadvantage when you have to stop at rocky sections or to push the bike over roughterrain. It's actually great to be able to just push that little button to startup again. Also the whole bike is nice to manage and I enjoyed riding it a lot,also with the new tank design. When you are on the bike for 200 km a day it'simportant to have a bike that is comfortable and that you feel good riding!