All-terrain – Motorcycle rally-raid: Cyril Despres leaves the official KTM team – KTM occasions

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Motorcycle rally-raid: Cyril Despres leaves the official KTM team

All-terrain - Motorcycle rally-raid: Cyril Despres leaves the official KTM team - KTM occasions

Cyril Despres will not play a sixth victory at the Dakar 2014 alongside KTM: at 39, the defending champion wants to take up new challenges and leaves the official ultra-dominating structure of the Austrian manufacturer. Marc Coma, Ruben Faria and Kurt Caselli will be the three KTM factory riders for the coming season.

Cyril Despres will not play a sixth victory in the Dakar 2014 alongside KTM: at 39, he wants to take on new challenges and leaves the official ultra-domineering structure of the Austrian manufacturer. Marc Coma, Ruben Faria and Kurt Caselli will be the three KTM factory riders for the coming season.

"Cyril will always be part of KTM history", Pit Beirer

After five Dakar titles with KTM (2005, 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2012), Cyril Despres let his employer know that he felt the need to "move and face new challenges", indicates Pit Beirer , the boss of KTM Motorsport.

Stressing that the Frenchman’s exemplary career and successes were fully recognized throughout the world of motorcycle sport, the head of the competition department added that "Cyril will always be part of the history of our company".

"We thank him for his contribution and I join the entire KTM Motorsports team and our entire society in wishing him the best in his future choices", concludes Beirer..

Forced to review the configuration of its official structure following the departure of one of its main headliners, KTM has chosen to combine experience with youth to maintain its reputation of invincibility.

Marc Coma – injured just before the 2013 Dakar – naturally retains his status as standard bearer and puts on his favorite costume. The Spaniard will team up with Kurt Caselli, the very promising American driver who successfully replaced Coma in 2013, and the Portuguese Ruben Faria.

A beautiful and well-deserved promotion for the former water carrier of Cyril Despres who achieved an exceptional 2013 Dakar (2nd overall with a stage victory), while knowing "to stay in his place" at the right time: his dedication and its steady rise in power are therefore rightly rewarded. Finally, the Chilean pilot Francesco "Chaleco" Lopez will benefit from the official support of the Orange brand on his 450 Satellite Rally.

And after ?
 
As for Cyril Despres, he has not yet made known his intentions for the upcoming rally-raid season and the Dakar 2014. The most likely hypothesis would be that the native of Nemours launches a new challenge by joining a structure developing, in order to hoist it to victory.

We are thinking in particular of Honda, which has both the financial and technical resources likely to seduce the five-time winner of the Dakar. Yamaha could also decide to move up a gear by poaching Despres, in order to transform the undeniable progress of its YZF 450 …

Unless the Frenchman – now tied for victories with Cyril Neveu in the Dakar – decides to attempt a completely different reconversion. On four-wheelers, for example? MNC conducted the investigation and indeed unearthed an interview favoring this hypothesis: … and stay connected to know the real continuation of the career of the talented tricolor motorcycle rallyman !

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