Dakar moto 2017: the favorites, the challenges and the route

The start of the 39th Dakar will be given in a little less than a month and a half in Asunción, the capital of Paraguay, where the "King of Rallies" is going for the first time. Marc Coma, former Dakar winner turned sporting director of the event, promises “ the most difficult edition in South American history of the rally ”. Favorites and other bikers are warned…

Dakar 2017 route: make way for sport and navigation

"The Dakar 2017 route carries the values ​​of rally raid, with a physical challenge that will push the pilots into the world of extreme endurance: 7 stages will exceed 400 km, including one of more than 500 km. The rally will last 6 days above 3000 meters of altitude ", describes Marc Coma to illustrate his feeling that the Dakar 2017 will be the most difficult organized in South America.

Very comfortable in his new role of sporting director of the event, the former flag bearer of the official KTM team did not mince his words during the traditional press conference presenting the Dakar, in the company of the director of the Etienne Lavigne event (below). According to Coma, the bikers will have to surpass themselves to overcome long marathon stages, especially as the conditions will be radically different between the three countries crossed (Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina) from January 2 to January 14, 2017…

The tropical heat of Asunción (sometimes over 40 ° C at that time) will be followed by negative temperatures a few days later in the heights of Bolivia, with incursions between 3000 and 5000 meters of altitude! Mental, mechanical and physical condition will be put to the test, especially as navigation will regain a more important place via modifications to the functioning of the GPS: "less guidance, more orientation", promises the organizer ASO.

The favorites: beat Toby at all "Price" !

Brilliant, Toby Price occupies the status of favorite on the benchmark bike on the grid: the official KTM, with 15 consecutive Dakar successes. But the young Australian will have to deal with a complex, physical course punctuated by unprecedented specials … These elements could benefit promising "youngsters" whose long teeth have sharpened, such as the Argentinian Kevin Benavides (Honda) and the French Adrien van Beveren (Yamaha), who completed his first participation in the before going to win his ! 

The experienced Helder Rodriguez will also be there on his official Yamaha, as will the always very fast Joan Barreda, unlucky victim of an engine failure during the on his factory Honda. His teammate Paulo Gonçalves also has a revenge to take on the fate after having to throw in the towel in 2016 because of a punctured radiator, followed by a fall on his official CRF450 Rallye…

The Frenchman Michael Metge could also cause a sensation by switching from Yamaha to Honda, after his disappointment at having had to put aside his legitimate Top 5 ambitions following major electronic problems on his WRF450 Rally last year. Great expectations also for the British Sam Sunderland on the official KTM, the astonishing Slovak Stefan Svitko or the Chilean Pablo Quintanilla, winner of the last stage 2016 on his Husqvarna. 

In short, the spectacle should once again be at the rendezvous for the biggest rally-raid in the world, very followed by the South American public: they were 4.4 million to applaud and encourage the pilots on the side of the roads. last year! Bolivia, Argentina and now Paraguay are delighted in advance of this palpable fervor during these 15 days of competition, with significant economic benefits: each year, the host countries would benefit on average from some "300 million dollars of direct economic impact, "ASO calculated.

The Dakar 2017 route in video

The favorites of the Dakar 2017 in video

Dakar calendar 2017 

Related articles

• Dakar – Dakar moto 2017: Sherco ready for departure in Paraguay –

  Dakar moto 2017: Sherco ready for departure in Paraguay Sherco lines up three drivers for the Dakar: the French Adrien Metge (11th in the Dakar 2016 ),…

• Dakar – Dakar moto 2017 – stage 7: the race gets bogged down in Bolivia –

  Dakar moto 2017 – stage 7: the race gets bogged down in Bolivia The weather conditions did not improve in Bolivia on Sunday during the first day of rest…

• Dakar – Route and challenges of the Dakar motorcycle 2015 –

  Route and challenges of the Dakar motorcycle 2015 As every year since 2009, the port of Le Havre (76) was transformed this weekend into a huge logistics…

• Dakar – Dakar moto 2017: report, declarations and classifications of stage 2 –

  Dakar moto 2017: report, declarations and classifications of stage 2 Toby Price, the first non-European winner in the Dakar, slammed his rivals on the…

• Dakar – Dakar moto 2017: report, declarations and classifications of stage 4 –

  Dakar moto 2017: report, declarations and classifications of stage 4 The fourth day of the Dakar motorcycle 2017 will have been fatal to several…

• Dakar – Dakar moto 2017: report and classification of stage 1 (update) –

  Dakar moto 2017: report and classification of stage 1 (update) Frenchman Xavier de Soultrait won his first stage victory in the Dakar 2017 after…

• Dakar – Dakar moto 2019: update on the route and the favorites –

  Dakar moto 2019: update on the route and favorites The Austrian manufacturer KTM, undefeated on the Dakar motorcycle since 2000, is a huge favorite to…

• Dakar – Dakar moto 2017: report, declarations and classifications of stage 3 –

  Dakar moto 2017: report, statements and classifications of stage 3 Untouchable during the third stage of the Dakar motorcycle 2017, Joan Barreda reverses…

• Dakar – Dakar moto 2017: report, declarations and classifications of stage 7 –

  Dakar moto 2017: report, declarations and classifications of stage 7 The official Honda team , heavily penalized on the fourth stage following a…

• Dakar – Dakar moto 2017: report, declarations and classifications of stage 5 –

  Dakar moto 2017 : report, declarations and classifications of stage 5 After Matthias Walkner, Sam Sunderland in turn brings the official KTM team to…