Cyril Despres Post-Dakar Video
For the first time since winning his fourth Dakar Rally title, Cyril Despres took a trip to a place that has much significance in the Frenchman’s winning ways – KTM Headquarters in Austria.
During his recent visit, KTM filmed Despres and some major members of the KTM family talking about the recent victory at the 33rd Dakar Rally, which took the Red Bull KTM 450 Rally rider almost 5,600 miles from Mar del Plata, Argentina, through Chile to Lima, Peru.
During the 15-day South-American race, which included only one day of rest, Despres won four stages, and took the win by over an hour from three-time Dakar winner and fellow KTM rider Marc Coma. Following the race, Despres discussed a bit of what it took to take the win.
Cyril Despres (Red Bull KTM 450 Rally) says: “We won and it’s simply fantastic. This is without a shadow of a doubt the toughest Dakar I’ve ever raced in. It was difficult physically, but even more psychologically.
“Challenging yourself every morning and fighting on the course takes its toll on your mind. It’s not like a 42-kilometer marathon; here, you have to earn your place every morning. All victories are beautiful, but this one is special because it came down to the wire and was decided at the last minute.
“This was an unimaginable scenario, with the leaders separated by mere seconds. I’ve done 90 or 85 rallies throughout my life, and this one was the one where I had to fight the hardest. Today will leave its mark on me.”
The 2012 Dakar Rally is now in the history books for a Despres win in the motorcycle category, along with his other titles from 2005, 2007 and 2010, all of which were also won on KTM motorcycles.
With his 2012 victory, Despres also gave KTM 11 consecutive Dakar titles; the Austrian brand has won every Dakar Rally since 2001 with the exception of 2008 (Africa), which was canceled due to security threats.
