N° 030 - TEAM GUIDON CHALLENGE
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| MODEL | MAKE |
| KTM |
Julien Gauthier: «I didn’t think I’d be doing the Dakar this soon»
The Dakar adventure somewhat came “by surprise” and landed on the shoulders of Julien Gauthier. The 24 year old Gauthier, who finished 3rd in the French Enduro Championship, was in the right place at the right time when the class champion and second place riders retired and left him the winner of the Dakar Enduro Challenge, which offers a young rider to compete in his first Dakar free of charge and with a team of mechanics from Meca’System. “I had to think fast and this is an opportunity not to pass up”, Julien, who recently left the French Army backed team, explains. The military presence Julien experienced within the team over the past two years has helped him concentrate on his preparation to be “ultra consistent, so you can ride a bike all year long”.
Despite the enduro results and “rather hard”, training “consisting of jogging, weights and swimming”, the Dakar represents the greatest challenge Julien has ever faced. “I’m a little apprehensive. I’m interested in this race, but I never thought I’d be doing it this soon. I thought I’d at least have done a couple of rallies before to learn more about navigation…”
But Julien also knows that he’d never be able to find the resources he has been given this year. “Not a single financial worry!” That is also why I said yes.” Free from material obligations, he can focus on navigation and rely on the massive experience of his team. “As for the technical side, I think I’ll be able to get on. My goal is to finish, without over doing it and I have a proven bike ‘a KTM 525). Beyond that I will try to stay concentrated in the stages. We’ll see how it goes…”
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