Mrdakar Domination
.70 KDYH ZRQ 'DNDU UDOOLHV RQ WKH WURW VR KRZ KDYH WKH\ NHSW WKHLU DOO FRQTXHULQJ FRPSHWLWLYH IRU " .70 UDOO\ FKLHI Stefan Huber H[SODLQVF
generat‘‘thisgeneration ‘This generation are used to going fast and hitting stuff hard’
How is the bike better than last year?
After last year’s rally we did a lot of suspension tests and found something good with the suspension linkage. It’s a big step forward – this year there will be a lot of off-piste sections in Saudi Arabia [the entire rally is held there, it’s four times the size of France you know] and the new harder suspension will help the riders.
Why is the suspension harder?
The boys ride so aggressively these days and they hit stuff harder and harder. If they find an obstacle they lift the front wheel over it and hit it hard with the rear. You have to adapt to the style of today’s riders.
Has the riding style changed dramatically then?
For sure. This generation is coming from different sports [not just enduro] so some will have a motocross background others come from desert rallies, like the Baja 1000. They’re used to going fast and hitting stuff hard.
What are the differences between the factory bike and the replica that privateers use?
The 52mm front fork and factory rear shock. The cylinder head and cam timing are a bit different, the gearbox has different ratios and the frame is TIG welded, but other than that, they’re very similar.
What about maintenance on the Dakar?
It’s mostly just oil changes and minor servicing. If it’s a sandy stage and a rider uses the clutch a lot, we’ll change that. Toby Price hardly uses the clutch so we could leave it alone for the whole Dakar. On the last Dakar we didn’t open a top-end at all – we are allowed to change a piston every day, but we didn’t need to.
How are the bikes at the end of the race?
If you changed the top-end and serviced them you could use them for the next world championship round. It’s what privateers do.
The2020dakarrunsfrom2-17january.you canwatchitoneurosportandredbulltv