The organizers of the Dakar Rally have released details on the 2011 edition of the adventure race. Dashing hopes that the race would return to its namesake, the Dakar Rally will again be held in Chile and Argentina. With the route going as far north as the Peruvian border, Dakar riders will see many more sand-filled stages, and will have to contend with a number of rule changes. Stage schedule and more, after the jump.
After a strong showing at this year’s Dakar Rally, Aprilia has seen a growing demand from non-factory backed teams who are interested in running the Aprilia RXV 4.5 Rally bike in the Dakar and other adventure racing series. Bending to this demand, Aprilia, in conjunction with Team Giofil, will be making available ready-to-race RXV 4.5 Rally motorcycles to private riders.
On the heels of a strong Dakar Rally showing, Aprilia is rumored to have a full-tilt adventure bike in the works. Based on the Shiver platform, the Aprilia Tuareg will feature a 750cc v-twin motor, steel tube chassis, and a 21″ front wheel for maximum off-road capability. The Aprilia Toureg is expected to tip the scales under 200kg (441lbs), and a road version with a 19″ front wheel and 1200cc motor could also make the 2011 line-up.
It doesn’t seem to matter where the Dakar Rally is located, or what restrictions race officials place on the motorcycle class, KTM continues its dominance of motorcycling’s most grueling and infamous race. After battling with Marc Coma and Aprilia’s Chilean secret weapon Francisco Lopez for stage wins and overall supremacy, Despres took his third Dakar victory, and continued a KTM tradition.
The Boston Globe is running a series of photos from the Dakar Rally, which we think are some of the best shots we’ve seen of the race to date. A mixture of octane and gorgeous landscape, we think you’ll enjoy these shots as much as we did. You can find the rest of them here at boston.com.
Rally racers are currently on their 12th stage of the race, heading from in San Juan, Argentina to San Rafael. After today, the riders will have to complete two more stages before the rally concludes where it began in Buenos Aires.
Photo: GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images
Thursday, the organizers (ASO) of the Dakar Rally announced that the event will only allow 450cc motorcycls in the professional class. Taking the news a bit hard, KTM has now claimed that the new class regulations are specifically “designed to end the dominance of KTM” in the historic and difficult race.
Unable to field and prep 450cc rally bikes, the Austrian company has announced that it will cut the race completely out of its schedule and budget, leaving nearly 50 riders SOL for bikes and/or sponsorships.
UPDATE: The cause of death was due to pulmonary edema according to the autopsy. The forensic report also said his body showed no signs of injury or dehydration, and he would have died between nightfall on Sunday and dawn on Monday. This is truly sad news.
It is unfortunate news that we report that the 30th running of the Dakar Rally has suffered its first fatality. 49 year old French rider Pascal Terry (Yamaha #192) died sometime between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning from a cause not yet determined.