Dakar Preview
By TMX Archives on 19th Dec 07
Coma and Despres are set for a showdown....Ten British riders set out for Dakar dream
THE most famous rallye in the world – the Dakar – gets underway just after the New Year break, when 245 motorcycles, 20 quads, 205 cars and 100 trucks from 50 countries head for the Dark Continent to battle across nearly 10,000 kilometres of the world's most remote and dangerous terrain.
After scrutineering and documentation on January 3 and 4, the 2008 event will start in Lisbon for the third and final year on Saturday, January 5, before heading to Morocco and on through Mauritania and Senegal.
The 2008 event will not pass through Mali, but the organizing ASO have pledged a tricky event nonetheless. The rest day will be in Nouakchott on January 13 and the rally will finish in Dakar on Sunday, January 20.
The massive entry in the truck, car and motorcycle categories was again full by the July cut-off date, with a large reserve list waiting for their chance to take part in the most dangerous of all the long-distance rallies.
On paper, the 2008 Dakar should again be a fight between the defending champion, Frenchman Cyril Despres, and Spaniard Marc Coma. Both riders have been the class of the field since the tragic deaths of Frenchman Richard Sainct and Italian Fabrizio Meoni and the serious injuries to both Spaniard Isidre Esteve Pujol and American Chris Blais.
Cross-country Rallye riding is the most life-threatening of all the two-wheel sports and, while this year's Dakar has a large number of entrants, it is one of the weakest in terms of quality riders for several years.
KTM should prevail once again, but choosing between 33-year-old Despres and Coma is no easy task. Coma led last season before wrecking his chances with a navigational problem and a serious crash very late on, but he has the pace to match Despres on his day. The duel will be fascinating.
"I have unfinished business on this event,” said Coma. "Last year should have been my race and I made a mistake. I intend to make amends.”
Frenchman David Casteu often plays the bridesmaid to the leading pair, but he has a consistent pace and rarely makes big mistakes. He and Spaniard Jordi Viladoms are the pick of the rest of the field, although Viladoms has a tendency to crash on
occasion.
Norway's Pal-Anders Ullesvalseter is a former FIM World Cross-Country Rallye Champion, but has never fulfilled that potential on the Dakar. He is a consistent, reliable rider, but lacks the pace to match the leaders over 16 days.
Other drivers likely to feature on specific stages are Portugal's Helder Rodrigues – the favourite to win the Portuguese special stages – Latvia's improving Janis Vinters, Frenchman Thierry Bethys, Poland's Jacek Czachor and American Jonah Street.
There is strength in depth in the middle section of the entry list, with the French duo of David Fretigne and Michel Marchini likely to be competitive on muddy surfaces in Europe on their Yamahas, while Chile's Francisco Lopez will also be looking for a good result.
Both Portugal's Paulo Goncalves and Brazilian Jean De Azevedo are overdue a top result. De Azevedo is a former stage winner on the Dakar Rallye and is an outside bet for a podium finish. He rode particularly well in the UAE Desert Challenge in October and has the dogged determination to prevail in tricky weather conditions, like those that riders are sure to face in the Mauritanian wilderness.
for full report and pictures see T+MX News, Friday, December 21, 2007
