Photo: KTM via Youtube
The 2019 Dakar Rally kicks off about a month from now, on January 6, and racers on both two- and four wheels are getting ready to once again compete until they drop.
Over the past few weeks, on the four-wheel machines front we got news of MINI entering the race with the John Cooper Works buggies and SsangYong taking a shot at Dakar stardom in the new Rexton DKR. On the motorcycle front, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing is among the first to announce their lineup and plans for next year’s event.
Red Bull’s lineup of riders includes three previous Dakar winners, so its only natural for the team to aim for the top spot and secure their 18th consecutive victory. Among the three is current 2018 winner, Matthias Walkner, who will ride a KTM 450 RALLY motorcycle to defend his title.
“It’s difficult to know how things will be with the race held in just one country and with so much of it in the sand,” said in a statement Walkner.
“I believe it will be very close with a lot of guys fighting for the win, but if everything goes to plan and I can keep to a consistent pace, I would hope for at least another podium finish.”
2018 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion Toby Price is also on board to secure the win for Red Bull, as is Sam Sunderland, a rider which spent the better part of the year recovering from an injury he got at the previous Dakar event. A newcomer to the team is Luciano Benavides.
All three riders will go for the win on KTM 450 RALLY bikes. Currently Red Bull is putting the team through its paces in Abu Dhabi
The 2019 Dakar rally will kick off on January 6 in Lima, Peru. The race will last for eleven days and will take men and machine on a 5,000 km (3,100 miles) trip. Around 70 percent of those thousands of miles are on sand.
Red Bull’s lineup of riders includes three previous Dakar winners, so its only natural for the team to aim for the top spot and secure their 18th consecutive victory. Among the three is current 2018 winner, Matthias Walkner, who will ride a KTM 450 RALLY motorcycle to defend his title.
“It’s difficult to know how things will be with the race held in just one country and with so much of it in the sand,” said in a statement Walkner.
“I believe it will be very close with a lot of guys fighting for the win, but if everything goes to plan and I can keep to a consistent pace, I would hope for at least another podium finish.”
2018 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion Toby Price is also on board to secure the win for Red Bull, as is Sam Sunderland, a rider which spent the better part of the year recovering from an injury he got at the previous Dakar event. A newcomer to the team is Luciano Benavides.
All three riders will go for the win on KTM 450 RALLY bikes. Currently Red Bull is putting the team through its paces in Abu Dhabi
The 2019 Dakar rally will kick off on January 6 in Lima, Peru. The race will last for eleven days and will take men and machine on a 5,000 km (3,100 miles) trip. Around 70 percent of those thousands of miles are on sand.
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