(lifepr) München, 20.12.2010 – The Dakar 2011 is approaching fast for Team „BMW Motorrad by speedbrain“. As bikes and equipment are on their way by sea to South America , the 14-men squad under the guidance of team principal Wolfgang Fischer feels well prepared for their debut appearance in the rally legend.
The race gets underway on 1 January 2011 in Buenos Aires. Four riders will compete aboard speedbrain BMW G 450 RR motorcyles, having secured backing from BMW Motorrad and Monster Energy.
Rally routinier Frans Verhoeven, who has been developing the bike all throughout 2010, provided major input when it came to building a competitive race weapon based on the BMW 450 X. Being a multiple stage winner, the Dutchman has a lot of experience regarding the Dakar. He’s certainly a top rider to reckon with.
David Frétigné unfortunately is a questionmark. The Frenchman injured himself during the Rally Oil Libya Maroc and, although making good progress, will have to see whether doctors give green lights to compete. This may only happen shortly before the start. Meanwhile Jose Helio Gonçalves Rodrigues Filho, also know under the name „Ze Helio“, sits in standby mode. The Brazilian already rode for speedbrain in the Rally dos Sertoes. The multi-time rally champ has a lot of knowledge from racing all over South America, he could make an excellent replacement.
Paulo Goncalves and Pedro Bianchi Prata from Portugal complete Team „BMW Motorrad by speedbrain“. While Bianchi Prata performs sometimes a back up supporting role for his team pilots, Goncalves is an eventual front-runner. The former Motocross ace has shown several times before that he can go pretty quick on a rally bike. Goncalves finished the Portimao-Marrakesch 2010 on the podium.
The nearly 6,000 mile long Dakar 2011 does its best to create the thrill and challenges which the previous editions have presented since the beginning in 1979. The Argentina/Chile route consists of everything from sand dunes to mountainous conditions: over the plains of Patagonia, across the Atacama Desert and through the Andes Mountains (all in the heat of summer south of the equator).
Team „BMW Motorrad by Speedbrain“ is working closely with Team Monster Energy X-Raid, which is entering the Dakar 2011 with BMW X3 and Mini All4 race cars. Both teams are using synergy effects in the logistics.
The race ends in Buenos Aires on 16 January.