N° 001 - TEAM RED BULL KTM

DESPRES Cyril FRA 24/01/1974

Vehicle

MODEL	MAKE
LC4 660 RALLYE	KTM

Cyril Despres: « I am not the fastest but I am not the slowest either! »

Cyril Despres is one of the odds on favourite for victory on the 30th edition. At 33 years of age, the defending champion is without a doubt the man to follow at the head of the race in the motorcycle category, where another duel with Marc Coma is expected.

A revelation in the sport in 2001 when he finished 3rd on the Rally of Tunisia and won the Rally of Morocco aboard a Honda 650, Cyril Despres was given the means to make a remarkable ascension on the Dakar, first with BMW, then in the KTM team. After finishing on the podium in 2003 and 2004, the Frenchman took his first success in 2005, in pulling away from the competition on the Atar-Atar stage. The death of Fabrizio Meoni, the following day, gave Despres yet another reason to power on in the colours of the Gauloises KTM team, just a few months after the devastating passing of friend and team mate Richard Sainct.

Riding with an injured shoulder during the 2006 Dakar, the mano-a-mano over several years with Marc Coma went the Frenchman’s way after an amazing turn of events in 2007. The crash, then retirement of the Spaniard on the penultimate stage, left a clear path for Despres, after his chances for success had been compromised several times during the rally. However, on the Lake Rose podium it was Despres who raised the trophy!

The twice winner, who is now a connoisseur of rally constraints, will set off from Lisbon with the same ambitions. His serenity and race philosophy will constitute some major advantages as he aims for a third Dakar win. “I am not the fastest rider in the world, but it isn’t necessary to win the Dakar. I am not the slowest either, so I always have a shot”.

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