Photo: Red Bull
Francisco "Chaleco" Lopez has his own page in the Guinness Book of World Records after becoming the rider that took an electric motorcycle to the highest altitude ever. The Chilean KTM factory rider used a Freeride E-XC motorcycle to reach 6,080 meters (19,947 ft) above sea level.
Lopez rode up the Ojos del Salado mountain, the highest volcano on Earth. This volcano sits right on the Chilean-Argentinian border, in the Atacama Desert. If this sounds somewhat familiar, how about we told you that the region is called Copiapo?
Now things are most likely becoming clearer... because we're deep in Dakar territory. And Lopez territory, that is. Lopez retired from the motorcycle rally ahead of the 2015 edition of the Dakar.
39 back then, Lopez said that he understood that he reached a limit where he could no longer deliver top performance, despite finishing third in 2010 ad 2013. Also, he added that if he ever retured to Dakar, he would be in a car.
Lopez and his team begun the ascend at 2,000 meters (6,562 ft), and took breaks at 4,000m (13,123 ft) and 6,000m (19,685 ft), with the base camp being at 4,500m (19,685 m) altitude.
Lopez spent around ten days getting used to the particular high-altitude conditions, trying to find the best tires for the record attempt and spotting the ideal uphill route.
On the tech side, KTM has to prepare a special version of the Freeride E-XC, with the low temperatures being the main enemy. Lopez rode at -25 Celsius (-13 F), and KTM had to make sure the bike would function properly, avoiding an embarrassing failure and any potential injury caused by malfunctions.
Wonder who's next, Zero?
Now things are most likely becoming clearer... because we're deep in Dakar territory. And Lopez territory, that is. Lopez retired from the motorcycle rally ahead of the 2015 edition of the Dakar.
39 back then, Lopez said that he understood that he reached a limit where he could no longer deliver top performance, despite finishing third in 2010 ad 2013. Also, he added that if he ever retured to Dakar, he would be in a car.
An area that was impassable prevented Chaleco Lopez from reaching the summit
The big and bold plan was to have Lopez riding all the way to the top of the Ojos del Salado volcano, but nature disagreed. He was forced to call it quits after reaching a section that proved to be impossible to surmount riding a motorcycle. The rocks covered in snow and ice proved to be impassable, so he had to settle for 6,080 meters.Lopez and his team begun the ascend at 2,000 meters (6,562 ft), and took breaks at 4,000m (13,123 ft) and 6,000m (19,685 ft), with the base camp being at 4,500m (19,685 m) altitude.
Lopez spent around ten days getting used to the particular high-altitude conditions, trying to find the best tires for the record attempt and spotting the ideal uphill route.
On the tech side, KTM has to prepare a special version of the Freeride E-XC, with the low temperatures being the main enemy. Lopez rode at -25 Celsius (-13 F), and KTM had to make sure the bike would function properly, avoiding an embarrassing failure and any potential injury caused by malfunctions.
Wonder who's next, Zero?
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