Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame, Class of 2011 Announced

The Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame has just announced the list of inductees for 2011, which includes one of the best known riders in motorcycle history: Robert Craig "Evel" Knievel.

The Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame is designed to recognize individuals or groups who have made a long term positive impact on the motorcycle community. The lifetime achievement awards will be presented at the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Breakfast at 9 a.m., Wednesday, August 10 at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in Rapid City, SD.

This year's list (arranged alphabetically) includes:

Don Emde – Don Emde comes by his passion for motorcycling naturally. He was born to a motorcycling family in 1951, and spent much of his youth either working in the family’s dealership or tearing up the tracks of Southern California as an amateur scrambler, dirt tracker and road racer. He turned pro in 1969, and set numerous records with his Daytona 200 win in 1972. Emde and his father became the first (and so far only) father son pair to win the Daytona 200. After his racing career, Don went on to become a successful publisher and author. He currently publishes Drag Specialties Magazine, Parts Magazine and Parts Europe Magazine.

Del Hofer – Del Hofer has been a Harley-Davidson dealer for 50 years, first in Huron, South Dakota, then in Fargo, North Dakota. His love of motorcycling is obvious through many of his activities. Del is active in the American Motorcyclists Association and is the longest serving member of the Harley-Davidson Dealer Advisory Board. A long-time AMA amateur racer in all styles of racing, Del also served as an AMA referee and District Congressman for quite some time. Del’s passion for motorcycling is evident to anyone who meets him. He encourages men and women alike to take safety courses, get active in riding and enjoy it in a safe and fun way.

Robert Craig “Evel” Knievel – Probably one of the best-known motorcycle riders in history, Evel Knievel liked to live on the edge. From riding his bicycle at an early age to pole vaulting when he was in the army to playing semi-pro hockey, Evel tried it all. In the early 1960s, Evel joined the motocross circuit with moderate success until a broken collar bone forced him to take a job as an insurance salesman. The insurance business didn’t hold him for long, though, and soon he moved his family to Washington where he started his first daredevil show. During his career, he attempted 75 ramp-to-ramp motorcycle jumps, many successfully. In 1974, Knievel was unsuccessful in his attempt to jump across the Snake River on a steam-powered rocket – the Skycycle X-2. Knievel died of pulmonary disease in 2007 at age 69.

Michael Prugh – While Michael Prugh is certainly well recognized as a motorcycle designer and manufacturer, it’s his work educating others that has taken him beyond the title of “builder.” Michael has been involved in many builds for charity and as a competitor. He took second place two years in a row in the AMD’s World Championship of Custom Bike Building and has been featured in numerous publications featuring various builds. In 2010, Prugh led a team of students from Western Dakota Tech to build “Method” a true “one off” bike that was auctioned at the annual Legends Ride. This year, Prugh is again teaming up with Western Dakota Tech, Black Hills Harley-Davidson and the Buffalo Chip to build a bike for the Legends Ride.

Gloria Tramontin Struck – You’d never believe this outspoken 85-year-old woman is the same girl who in 1941 at age 16 tearfully told her brother “I do not want to know how to ride!” Well, her brother won that argument and she’s been riding from that day until today. She’s owned 14 motorcycles in her lifetime, has traveled every state in the continental U.S. as well as Canada. At the age of 76, she took two trips to Europe, traveling a total of over 6,500 miles in 8 countries. Gloria has been a Motor Maid for 65 years, having joined in 1946 and is the longest member still riding. She continually encourages women to ride and to be involved. Gloria is an inspiration to riders and non-riders alike.

Mike & Margaret Wilson – While both Mike & Margaret Wilson have contributed individually to the sport and lifestyle of motorcycling, those who know this couple consider them to be a pair. Mike was an expert dirt-track and TT racer both before and after his stint in World War II. Right after his return, Mike bought a 45 cubic inch Harley-Davidson motorcycle as a birthday surprise for Margaret. Mike and Margaret were business partners in a Harley-Davidson then Honda dealership in Cedar Rapids, Iowa for over 25 years. Both Mike and Margaret have been avid riders and have spent countless hours encouraging others to ride, too. Known to an entire generation of women raiders, Margaret is a golden life member of the Motor Maids celebrating 60 years this year. Mike and Margaret both serve on the Board of Directors of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum and continue to work to preserve the heritage of motorcycling through their involvement.

Breakfast tickets are available for a $35.00 donation, tables of eight for $300.00. Tickets can be purchased through the Museum at 605.347.2001 or on line at www.sturgismuseum.com/cart/

Remembering Nathan Woods, Memorial Ride

The off-road community was deeply saddened to learn that two-time WORCS Champion and ISDE Gold Medalist Nathan Woods lost his life January 28th while practicing for the opening round of the 2011 WORCS Series in Taft, California. He was 32 years old.


A Celebration of The Life of Nathan Woods is planned for 2 p.m., Feb. 19th at the Madonna Inn Expo Center in San Luis Obispo, CA.


"I would like to take this opportunity to say a heart felt thank you for all your prayers, encouragement, thoughts and donations. This has been a difficult time for our family and the out pouring of support from the industry has been amazing. We would like to invite you to the Celebration of Life to honor Nathan. He was an amazing athlete, but more importantly he was a truly remarkable husband, father, and friend. Please join us in his celebration," said his wife, Amanda Woods in a post on Nathan Woods Offroad MX.

Details of a family memorial fund can be found on the website, where you can also make direct donations to Amanda and the family.

Woods is survived by his and their two sons Nathan Jr and Braxton. Woods long-time friends FMF/KTM rider Kurt Caselli and his former mechanic Charles Jirsa have gathered some of Woods’ closest friends to organize a ride day with all proceeds going directly to the Woods family.



The Nathan Woods Memorial Ride will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. February 23rd at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, CA, Home to the AMA Nationals and many other Motocross events. A $20.00 admission fee will be charged to all riders with 100% of the proceeds going directly to the Woods family. Gates will open at 9:00am on the morning of the ride day and an open practice session will be held from 10:00am to 4:00pm for both ATV’s and Motorcycle’s. A silent auction will also be held until 4:00pm with all proceeds going to the Woods family. If you have any items you would like to donate to the silent auction please bring them to the track on the day of the ride.


Please help to spread the word by encouraging family and friends to come out and ride to raise money for the family of an off-road icon that will never be forgotten.

KTM's Marc Coma and Cyril Despres Both 3-Time Dakar Champions

KTM factory rider Marc Coma captured his third Dakar Rally Championship on Saturday, January 15th, riding into Buenos Aires after a challenging 16-day race across Argentina and Chile, crossing the Andes and spending many days in the Atacama Desert. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was also a triumphant debut for the Australian KTM 450 rally bike that captured the 10th consecutive prize for KTM Motorsports. The engineers coupled the single-cylinder 4-stroke engine with a 5-speed gearbox. It has a dry weight of 330 lbs and features a 9.2 gallon fuel tank that straddles the frame. Cost: $41,200. The KTM brand has become synonymous with offroad racing and in particular the most challenging of annual rallies, The Dakar.

Fellow KTM factory rider Cyril Despres, the title holder going into the Dakar, fought the good fight right up until the finish, was second overall. He trailed Coma by just over 15 minutes after 9600 km of competitive riding over the most challenging terrain possible. Considering that Despres incurred a 10-minute penalty in the early part of the race, he and Coma rode on equal terms throughout the 13 stages and frequently finished only minutes apart. Indeed in the penultimate stage there was only 37 second separating the two riders at the end of the day. Between them Coma and Despres took victory in eight of the 13 stages – Coma won five stages and Despres won three. 
 
Worthy winner
Coma was a worthy overall winner of the 33rd edition of the race that took competitors in a huge sweep through Argentina, across the Andes at 4500 m altitude into northern Chile and up to the border with Peru, over a number of stages in the notoriously dry Atacama Desert, back across the Andes and through Argentina to the finish in the capital. It was his job on Saturday to open the road on what was a comparatively short stage and all he had to do was to keep Despres under control till they got to Buenos Aires. Coma first took control of the overall standings after Stage 4 and remained in front for the remainder of the rally. He conceded 1'30 to Despres in the final stage but the title was well and truly wrapped up.
 
Marc Coma: "Many sacrifices to get to here" 
"Staying focused was essential so I did focus on my riding. It was the only way to win. What was really tough was that I could not let my guard down, not even for a second. When a tough stsge was ending, the next one was even tougher. We all know that a Dakar is a difficult race but this year it was particularly difficult. This victory is the reward of all the hard work, the reward of many years and a lot of tensions over the last few days. It is the bonus you get for steering right and for so many sacrifices over the years."
 
Despres, a fight to the end
At the end of Stage 13 Cyril Despres, the consummate perfectionist said he was sad he had not done better. “I made some mistakes, they were two small mistakes but they held some heavy consequences,” he said. “This special is different if you are in first place as it was the case last year... then you want the race to be shorter. When you are second, you would want the race to be longer. But anyway, the feeling of finishing a Dakar is always nice especially here with all the people welcoming you. I am sad I could not do better. I have raced 11 Dakar, won three and been on the podium eight times. One more would have been great. But I just could not make any better.”
 
Good finish for KTM’s two factory co-riders
Another great result also came from the two co-riders to the leading KTM factory riders. Juan Pedrero of Spain, the water carrier for Coma, finished overall fifth and Ruben Faria who served the same function for Despres was seventh overall. The domination of the brand is further underlined by the fact that nine of the top 11 riders were on the Austrian-made bikes.

With today’s victory, Coma draws equal with fellow KTM factory rider Cyril Despres as they now have three titles each and have together dominated rally sport in recent years.

KTM congratulates all KTM riders who were courageous enough to tackle the Dakar, the rally that is at the very heart of this great sport.
 
Stage 13 Results
1, Frans Verhoeven, Belgium, BMW 
2, Helder Rodrigues, Portugal, Yamaha at 00:05 
3, Jean De Azevedo, Brazil, KTM, 26:04 at 00:05 
4, Cyril Despres, France, KTM, at 00:44 
5, Marc Coma, Spain, KTM at 2:16 
6, Henk Knuiman, Netherlands, KTM, 2:47 
7, Juan Pedrero, Spain, KTM at 3:05 
8, Pal Anders Ullevalseter, Norway, KTM 3:51 
9, Jacek Czachor, Poland, KTM, 4:38 
10, Miran Stanovnik, Slovenia, KTM, 5:16 
11. Teus Visser, Netherland, KTM 5:48 
15, Ruben Faria, Portugal, KTM, at 8:34
 
Final Overall Results 
1, Marc Coma, Spain, KTM 
2, Cyril Despres, France, KTM, at 15:04
3, Helder Rodrigues, Portugal, Yamaha, 1:40:20 
4, Chaleco Lopez, Chile, Aprilia, 
5, Juan Pedrero, Spain, KTM at 3:07:03 
6, Pal Anders Ullevalseter, Norway, KTM at 3:32:56 
7, Jean De Azevedo, Brazil, KTM, 3:59:38 
8, Ruben Faria, Portugal, KTM, at 4:13:01 
9, Jacek Czachor, Poland, KTM at 9:38:41 
10, Henk Knuiman, Netherlands, KTM 6:14:46 
11, Miran Stanovnik, Slovenia, KTM 6:13:49

AMA Supercross Series 2011 Opens at Angel's Stadium, LA

The 2011 AMA Supercross series (also an FIM World Championship) got underway in front of a capacity crowd of 45,000 fans Saturday, January 8th at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Los Angeles. 

Kawasaki rider Ryan Vilopoto stepped up to the podium in first position and Suzuki's Ryan Dunney took second position.

Yamaha rider and 2009 championship title holder, James Stewart (pictured above) took the third position on his YZ450F. The series of 17 indoor races continues Saturday (Jan. 15th) at Chase Field in Phoenix. Source: yamaha-racing.com

The 25 year old Floridian was competing in his first Main Event in almost a year and had to exercise patience and caution in recovering from a mid-pack start to work his way onto the podium. “There were only two spots on the track where you could do it [overtake] and I was just trying to make sure I made clean passes,” he said. “You know, it’s hard; you get in one side of the track and just follow all the way from the sand section until you get back through the whoops. Overall I’m happy though. Coming from 17th to third, I think that’s pretty good and lets me know that I still have the speed. Get a couple good starts and I think we’ll be right there.”

While Stewart needed half of the twenty laps to reach the leading group and was then unable to shut-down the four-five second gap to defending number one Ryan Dungey and winner Ryan Villopoto other Yamaha riders such as Kyle Chisholm and Nick Wey found the difficult track even harder going as they placed 11th and 12th respectively. Stewart’s new team-mate, Kyle Regal, was 13th.   Nick Paluzzi was the highest runner on the YZ250F with ninth place in the first round of the West Coast SX Lites.

2011 AMA-SX United States Angel Stadium 10/01/2011 20 Laps 1 Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 19'55.986  2 Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 0'03.671  3 James Stewart Yamaha USA 0'05.700  4 Trey Canard Honda USA 0'09.832  5 Chad Reed Honda AUS 0'27.453  6 Kevin Windham Honda USA 0'32.742  7 Ivan Tedesco Kawasaki USA 0'37.591  8 Brett Metcalfe Suzuki AUS 0'45.981  9 Josh Grant Honda USA 0'49.902  10 Andrew Short KTM USA 0'54.349  11 Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA 0'58.861  12 Nicholas Wey Yamaha USA -1Laps  13 Kyle Regal Yamaha USA -1Laps  14 Mike Alessi KTM USA -1Laps  15 Jason Thomas Suzuki USA -1Laps  16 Justin Brayton Yamaha USA -1Laps  19 David D Millsaps Yamaha USA -2Laps  20 Thomas Hahn Yamaha USA -17Laps  AMA-SX World Standing Rider Standings After Race 1 of 17 1. Ryan Villopoto Kawasaki USA 25 2. Ryan Dungey Suzuki USA 22 3. James Stewart Yamaha USA 20 4. Trey Canard Honda USA 18 5. Chad Reed Honda AUS 16 6. Kevin Windham Honda USA 15 7. Ivan Tedesco Kawasaki USA 14 8. Brett Metcalfe Suzuki AUS 13 9. Josh Grant Honda USA 12 10. Andrew Short KTM USA 11 11. Kyle Chisholm Yamaha USA 10 12. Nicholas Wey Yamaha USA 9 13. Kyle Regal Yamaha USA 8 14. Mike Alessi KTM USA 7 15. Jason Thomas Suzuki USA 6 16. Justin Brayton Yamaha USA 5 19. David D Millsaps Yamaha USA 2 20. Thomas Hahn Yamaha USA 1

Crowd: 45,000 Weather: Dry Lap Record: 0'44.601 (Ricky Carmichael , 01/01/2006) Last Years Winner: Ryan Dungey Manufacturer Standings 10/01/2011 1 Kawasaki 25 2 Suzuki 22 3 Yamaha 20 4 Honda 18 5 KT

First Third of 2011 Dakar Race: The Atacama Desert Challenge

Today (Friday, Jan. 7th) the 33rd Dakar rally will reach its sixth stage of 14 and the crucial "rest day" before the punishing trek back into Argentina from Chile. The riders, who set out from Buenos Aires on New Year's Day have raced across several thousand kilometres of diverse terrain and the harsh demands of the Atacama Desert -- the driest place on the planet in the first week of the 16-day challenge.



Here's a video summary of the race at stage six with Marc Como, the Despres-Faria duo and Helder Rodrigues out front and within minutes of each other.

Designed to test both riders and machinery to the limits of endurance, the race loops through Argentina and Chile, covering 9,000 kilometers and a huge variety of terrain that also includes the Andes Mountains.

The 2011 Dakar Rally reached full registration in the bike and quad categories four months before the start of the race that includes bikes, quads, cars and trucks.

Several thousand kilometres of diverse terrain and the harsh demands of the Atacama Desert have been completed so far.

Helder Rodrigues is "aiming for the podium" and Yamaha can look towards a decent outing from the Yamaha Racing France Ipone team whose riders Helder Rodrigues and Jordi Viladoms fill two of three positions for WR450F and YZ450F technology in the top ten of the bike category.

Rodrigues suffered a tyre problem and a delay with assistance in the early phases of the rally (although he admirably completed the opening stage with used rubber) and has since been playing catch-up. The Portuguese – who was fourth overall in 2010 – currently lies fifth after consistent progress and is three positions in front of America’s Jonah Street (Team Jonah Street/JVO) with Viladoms in ninth. Sadly Frenchman Olivier Pain (team-mate of Rodrigues and Viladoms) had to withdraw from the race after a fall on Stage 4 led to a broken wrist. The experienced Enduro rider scored three top-five positions before getting ready for stage 5 and was aiming for a stage win yesterday. Passing Way Point 8 at 218km of the 423km long stint in first position, Olivier crashed at 231km of the stage and was forced to retire.

“I saw that the Pain had fallen and Marc Coma was already with him,” said Rodrigues after reaching the bivouac yesterday. “Even so I had to stop to make sure he was well because this is more important than anything else and fortunately his accident was not very grave. Afterwards I continued but I confess that it was hard to find my concentration again and get on the right trail. It could have been better but tomorrow we continue in the Atacama- my preferred terrain – so I hope I can fight for the lead and get near the podium.”


The Quad category has seen Yamaha YFM700R machinery dominant with seven of the first ten classified riders reaching the end of Stage 5. The listing is headed by Alejandro Patronelli. The Argentine is attempting his second Dakar after winning two stages and finishing second to his brother in 2010. Last year’s victor, Marcos, lost all hope of defending his title after receiving a six hour penalty after Stage 1 and had to retire in stage 4 after injuring his knee but Alejandro has been flying the flag admirably for the family name and hasn’t dropped out of the top two in the general standings for four of the five stages; arriving first in two. “I’m exhausted and it has been a hard race so far but this is the Dakar and I will keep on pushing with this rhythm,” he said. Countrymen Tomas Maffei and Sebastian Halpern are running second and third respectively. One of the few female entrants, Franco-Italian Camelia Liparoti (using a YFM700R), is presently fifteenth from twenty Quad riders still in the rally.

A special mention must go to former six-times Dakar winner with Yamaha Stephane Peterhansel who is second in the car division and has not dropped out of the top three for the entire contest.

450km of sand and further off-road tracks lie in wait for the special stage 6 until the break in the town of Arica, near the Peruvian border. The pause in the schedule will permit valuable rest and recuperation time as well as a chance for mechanical repair.


Photos courtesy of Michel Maindru/Yamaha Motor France/ASO. Map from www.dakar.com.

Source: www.yamaha-racing.com.Here is a Yamaha's first week report at 1/3 of the race complete:

Daytona Bike Week 2011 Bike Shows & Races

Here's the latest update on the 70th Daytona Bike Week - March 4 to 13th, 2011.

BIKE SHOWS - At least 7 bike shows have been announced: Limpnickie Lot, Church of Chop, Pro-Am, Ol School Chopper, Sport Bike Fest, Boarwalk Ride-in & Rat's Hole Chopper Show.

Bator's Classic Daytona Motorcycle Auction  during Bike Week will include the Eddie James (estate) BMW collection.

The Daytona 200 and Daytona Supercross have been moved to stand-alone weekends.

The Daytona Supercross will kick off race week at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night, March 5th. The Daytona Flat Track, just behind Turn 1, will come alive March 5 for three days of amateur racing. The AMA Pro Flat Track events are scheduled from March 10-11 and the Daytona 200 will be raced on Saturday night, March 12th.

DAYTONA BEACH - In preparation for the 70th anniversary of Bike Week, the Daytona Regional Chamber's Bike Week Festival Task Force has selected the official logo design.

The official Bike Week 2011 logo was submitted by Hayworth Creative Public Relations of Ormond Beach, Fla., which has previously submitted winning designs for the 2003, 2005, 2008 and 2010. Each of those logos is the work of illustrator and designer Brian Boesch of Itchy Illustration.

2011 DAYTONA BIKE WEEK - BIKE SHOWS

Limpnickie Lot - Stone Edge Skate Park, 1848 S. Ridgewood Ave. South Daytona. Ride-in bike show TBA and a great place to check out a new generation of builders.
Church of Chop - Old School Rod & Bike Show at The Junkyard Saloon, DeLeon Springs - Friday, March 4th and Saturday, March 5th.
Pro-Am Bike Show - at The DeLand Bike Rally - Sunday, March 6th to Thurs., March 10th.
Ol School Chopper Show - at Willie's Tropical Tattoo, 824 S. Yonge St., Ormond Beach -
Thursday, March 10th.
Boardwalk Ride-in Bike Show - Oceanside boardwalk at Main Street - Friday, March 11th.
- 20 classes from domestic to metric with 50 trophies. Call Bill Chaffin at 386.871.0398.
Rat's Hole Bike Show - Daytona Lagoon, beachside on Earl Street - Sat., March 12th.
Sport Bike Fest - Hottest Custom Contest - at Martini's Chop House, 1815 S. Ridgewood Ave., Daytona Beach, Saturday, March 12th.

Bator's Daytona Classic Motorcycle Auction - Thursday's Parts & Memorabilia Auction, March 10 will include the massive BMW (estate) collection of motorcycle icon, Eddie James. Swap Meet, March 9 to 11; Classic Motorcycle Auction on Friday, March 11.

DAYTONA BIKE WEEK 2010 was the backdrop for an Indian Motorcycle Wedding. The bride and groom rode into the Daytona Beach Hilton on their Indian Motorcycles for the reception and lead a parade down Main Street.


BIKE RACES
The Daytona International Speedway has repaved the track. And the 2011 Daytona 200 Motorcycle Week will have a radical new look from season's past as Daytona International Speedway splits its two biggest races into back-to-back weekend events.


In recent years, the Daytona Supercross and Daytona 200 have been staged on consecutive days over the final days of 'Cycle Week on Friday and Saturday, or Saturday and Sunday. Now those two major motorcycle events will be held on different weekends during the traditional Bike Week time frame. The first weekend of activity will focus solely on the Supercross course, which will be carved into the infield grass dividing the tri-oval from pit road.

The Daytona Supercross, the birthplace of Supercross in the United States and the longest continuous Supercross event in America since 1971, will now kick off 'Cycle Week on Saturday night, March 5. The Daytona 200, a motorcycle race that has a history back to the 1930s, will be staged one a week later on March 12.

"Moving the Daytona 200 and Daytona Supercross to stand-alone weekends will further allow us to grow both events as well as the remainder of the March motorcycle schedule," Speedway president Joie Chitwood III said. "This new-look schedule gives motorcycle fans a better opportunity to enjoy all the different racing events that are showcased here."


The most historic, demanding and challenging Supercross event of the year, which has recently featured star riders such as Ryan Villopoto, James Stewart, Chad Reed, Kevin Windham and Andrew Short, this year served as the finale to the two-wheel racing program. For more information, call the Speedway at 800-748-7467.

New Year's Day: Dakar Race Begins

The 33rd running of the Dakar Rally begans in Buenos Aires on New Year's Day, covering a looping 9,000 kilometers between Argentina and Chile in 16 days.
Designed to test both riders and machinery to the limits of endurance, the race loops through Argentina and Chile, covering a huge variety of terrain, including the Andes and the Atacama Desert, recognized as the driest place on the planet.

The 2011 Dakar Rally reached full registration in the bike and quad categories, four months ago promising to offer excitement for all participants and avid off-road race fans.

Pictured (above) Spain's Gerard Farres Guell kicks up sand with his Aprilia during the 4th stage of the Dakar 2010 between Fiambala, Argentina, and Copiapo, Chile on January 5, 2010. Spain's Marc Coma won the stage, France's David Casteu took the second place and France's Cyril Despres the third. (GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images.) See more pictures.

This Year's Course
This year, riders will go very close to Bolivia and reach the northern-most tip of Chile on the border of Peru. To increase the level of suspense, organizers have designed the route so that the more difficult stages are in the second half of the rally. Read full article.

Last year, 362 Teams began the race with 176 motorcycles and quad bikes, 134 cars, and 52 trucks. 187 Teams finished the race, including 88 bikes, 14 quads, 57 cars and 28 trucks.

Click the map for an enlarged view.

The 2008 Dakar rally was cancelled on the eve of the race due to terrorist threats in North Africa, and organizers decided to move the event to South America.

A limited 200 motorcycles and quads are allowed to start the race, in order to provide for the best possible management of the sporting event. 

In the 33rd edition of the now famous race, the maximum engine size has been limited to 450cc. So racers like Cyril Despres and Marc Coma can no longer dominate the race on their 640+ cc KTM engines, but will instead be running on the new KTM 450s.

It will be a new era for the Austrian KTM motorcycle manufacturer with four factory-supported riders competing on the latest KTM 450 Rally enduro motorcycle. KTM will be attempting to capture the enduro title for the tenth consecutive time. 

Spearheading the KTM attack are two Dakar trophy riders that are recognized as the world's finest exponents of the sport - French-born Cyril Despres and Spaniard Marc Coma.

In 2011 they lead two separate teams and their co-riders are Ruben Faria of Portugal and Juan Pedrero Garcia of Spain. All four riders will be onboard the brand new KTM 450 Rally bike, which has been designed by KTM's R & D Department in close cooperation with the KTM Racing Department with valuable input from the two key factory riders.

The KTM 450 Rally has been specifically developed for the Dakar in response to a rule change by the organizers in 2009, which limited the engine size down to 450 cc.

The new bike, unveiled to the general public at Milan's EICMA Motorcycle Show in November, first saw action in the Rally of Morocco in October 2010 when Cyril Despres won the title.

Riders can cover 800-900 km (500-560 miles) per day, although some stages are shorter. The majority of the competitors are amateurs, many competing to fulfill a lifelong dream. KTM is not only at the Dakar to support its own factory riders but also to give practical support to a large contingent of privateers.

Maximum Bike Registration For 2011 Dakar Rally

The Dakar Rally has reached full registration in the bike and quad categories, four months ahead of the start of the rally raid. The 33rd edition of the Dakar will take place in Argentina and Chile from January 1st to 16th, 2011.



The 2010 Dakar Rally began and ended in Buenos Aires, covering a looping 9,000 kilometers between Argentina and Chile over 14 stages. 362 Teams began the race with 176 motorcycles and quad bikes, 134 cars, and 52 trucks. 187 Teams finished the race, including 88 bikes, 14 quads, 57 cars and 28 trucks.

Collected here are several photographs from the first 8 stages of Dakar Rally 2010 (37 photos total) including this photo of Spain's Gerard Farres Guell kicking up sand with his Aprilia during the 4th stage of the Dakar 2010 between Fiambala, Argentina, and Copiapo, Chile on January 5, 2010. Spain's Marc Coma won the stage, France's David Casteu took the second place and France's Cyril Despres the third. (GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images)

The History of The Dakar Rally
The adventure began back in 1977, when Thierry Sabine got lost on his motorbike in the Libyan desert during the Abidjan-Nice Rally. He survived the extreme desert sand conditions and returned home to France, enthralled by the landscape and promising to share his fascination with as many people as possible.

He proceeded to come up with a route starting in Europe, continuing to Algiers and crossing Agadez before eventually finishing at Dakar. The founder coined a motto for his inspiration: "A challenge for those who go. A dream for those who stay behind."

Courtesy of his great conviction and that modicum of madness peculiar to all great ideas, the plan quickly became a reality. Since then, the Paris-Dakar, a unique event sparked by the spirit of adventure, open to all riders and carrying a message of friendship between all men, has never failed to challenge, surprise and excite. Over the course of more than thirty years, it has generated innumerable sporting and human stories.

This Year's Rally Course

A limited 200 motorcycles and quads are allowed to start the race, in order to provide for the best possible management of the sporting event. As requests for further registrations are still flowing in, a waiting list has been established to allow a few more riders to join the race should any of the already registered contenders drop out in the weeks to come.

Click the map for an enlarged view.

In the 33rd edition of the now famous race, the maximum engine size has been limited to 450cc. So racers like Cyril Despres and Marc Coma can no longer dominate the race on their 640+ cc KTM engines, but will instead be running on the new KTM 450s.

After Aprilia – which managed to put Francisco “Chaleco” Lopez on the podium for his very first time in the raid – it is now BMW that has registered and is sporting big ambitions with the creation of the Speedbrain BMW Rally Team. The new team immediately hired David Frétigné and Frans Verhoeven, who first test drove the machine in 2010.

Bearing in mind that all the riders in the elite category have to register with a 450cc, the new outsiders will race on equal terms with the usual duel contenders Cyril Despres and Marc Coma, who both won the last five editions of the raid they participated in on KTM bikes. In the struggle for final victory, we will also have to count with the expertise of Yamaha with 450cc bikes, and on Honda and Sherco riders of the likes of David Casteu.

Source:: Dakar.com