With the 2013 Dakar Rally just over a month away, many competitors are mentally and physically preparing for the 35th running of the world’s “toughest” race.
And one of these men is also one of the most successful Dakar finishers in the world – Red Bull KTM’s Cyril Despres. The Frenchman took his fourth Dakar title after beating out his rival Marc Coma in the 2012 edition. Despres also won the 2012 Morocco Rally last month, which is the final rally race before Dakar.
In the video above, Despres shares his thoughts on the upcoming Dakar Rally, which will set off from the Pacific coast in Lima to Santiago for the first time in its history. The 2013 Dakar Rally will follow the north-south direction, which has not been used since Dakar came to South America in 2009.
Despres took the Dakar title in 2005, 2007, 2010 and 2012, all on KTM machinery. 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.
