After a promising debut, Sherco TVS Factory Rally Team is all set to reignite its challenge in the upcoming Dakar Rally 2016. One of the toughest racing events in the world, Dakar 2016 will kick-start on January 2, 2016 at Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Sherco TVS Factory Rally Team will be represented by three international riders, Alain Duclos from France, Joan Pedrero from Spain and Florent Vayssade from France at the Dakar 2016.
The 9,319 kilometer Dakar route, which will traverse through Argentina and Bolivia, is marked by an increasing level of difficulty as the race progresses. The 38th edition of Dakar has 14 stages out of which 4,701 kilometers are special stages, where the route will be the most demanding. The 14-day rally will culminate at Villa Carlos Paz – Rosario on January 16, 2016.
“The Dakar Rally is the epitome of high endurance racing. Participation in the high voltage and action filled Dakar Rally offers huge takeaways with respect to endurance, power, quality and performance of the motorcycle under extreme conditions. The Apache RTR series, our flagship product is extremely popular among racing buffs across the country. We are in a constant process of improving and refining our motorcycles and Dakar provides an ideal platform to develop new technologies that can be adapted for future TVS Apache RTR series motorcycles. The key attributes that we seek to impart in future models include durability and performance under severe conditions”, says Arun Siddharth, Head of Marketing, Motorcycles, TVS Motor Company.
The 2016 RTR 450 Racing model that will be ridden in this edition of the Dakar is the result of accumulated experience in rally raid by the technicians and the huge development work done by the engineers. All this technological and human investment has helped to increase the engine performance and reliability as well as providing updates in the ergonomics, lightness and a more rigid chassis to provide a machine that can hold its own among the world's best.
According to Arvind Pangaonkar, Head of Team TVS Racing, "From a technical stand point, participation in the Dakar Rally is the ultimate motorcycling challenge, nothing is really tougher than racing for two weeks across incredibly hostile environments. Our learning's here will help us greatly in future models. Sherco is undoubtedly a great technical team to collaborate with. The close co-operation between TVS and Sherco and the seamless manner in which we learn and share is what makes this partnership stronger. We share a dynamic relationship and a zeal to demonstrate our ability to develop increasingly competitive products.”
Anticipating the interest in the Dakar Rally; TVS Racing will have a microsite to follow the team in their second outing during the Dakar Rally. Enthusiasts can follow the race at: www.tvsapache.com.
Sherco TVS Factory Rally Team Riders:
- Joan Pedrero (Rider No.17)
Best results at Dakar: - 5th in 2011 & 2013
- Winner Stage 1 in 2014
- 7 times in the Top 10 in individual stages
- Alain Duclos (Rider No. 20)
Best results at Dakar: - 6th in 2010
- 7th in 2006
- Frequently in the Top 10 in the stages
- Florent Vayssade (Rider No. 60)
A talented rider, participating in his 2nd Dakar Rally, Florent Vayssade caught the attention of Sherco after his impressive display at the Rally Raid in Morocco.