Dakar 2003. Previous info

Ready for the great race
Repsol driver´s optimistics for the Dakar 2003
Fabrizio Meoni, winner of the last Dakar, confessed last year after the finish: When I started the last special I knew: Nani (Roma) is going to win and I thought that being second was all right. I resigned and waited for Nani to get me and take over. He didnt arrive and I was really surprised to learn what had happened once I had crossed the finish line.  The Telefónica MoviStar Repsol team had been that close to win the hardest rally of the world at their first participation. A perfect team strategy, with Isidre Esteve and Jordi Arcarons unconditionally supporting Roma, had almost managed to get the first Spanish victory at the Dakar. But in the last instant, a small navigation mistake cost Roma the victory, even though Meoni himself had given up. The Telefónica MoviStar Repsol team, with its Spanish riders, mechanics and sponsors, gets back this year to make a new assault on victory. The young revelation Marc Coma has substituted Jordi Arcarons, who decided to retire from motorbike racing after a decade and a half of success. Coma, whose debut last year had a big impact he managed to put himself among the top ten of the rally with his experimental CSV will be taking the start on a single cylinder 660 KTM with the intention of gathering experience to take the relay in the future. His two team-mates Nani Roma and Isidre Esteve, will be taking part on the evolution of last years winning bike: the two-cylinder 950 KTM. Both have the target to fight for victory.   Roma, who is stronger than ever, has already experience in this battle: since his debut in 1996, he has been fighting for victory against some of the best riders of history Peterhansel, Orioli, Arcarons&. Crashes, breakdowns and disgraces stood between him and victory, which was very close at least on two occasions: 2000 and 2002. Isidre Esteve starts with the ballast of a wrist injury he suffered during the last team practice. He recovered in record time and got back to activity last week. His wrist still becomes inflamed but Esteve is optimistic, thanks to this years route, which will allow him for some warm-up days before the hard stages. And while Romas strategy will be to attack and keep watch from the beginning, Esteve will go from little to more, following the pace of his recovery.   The main rivals of the Spaniards will be the Italian Fabrizio Meoni, the Frenchman Richard Sainct both winners on two occasions -, the South African Alfie Cox, the Chilean Carlo de Gavardo and the Italian Giovanni Sala. All of them will be taking part in the Dakar on official KTM bikes. The main novelty of the race is the route. The big raid has changed its course: instead of going west, the riders will go east. The race will be starting on January 1st in Marseille and after a stop in Narbonne, the riders will spend the night of day 2 in Spain. The third prologue stage of the rally will be held the following day at the Castellón beach, and the participants will then board for Africa at the Valencia port.   After one day and two nights on the water, the raid will race three days in Tunisia and enter Libya. The fifth stage in the Arabian country will lead to the Egyptian border. This country will host the race with one resting day, January 13th. On the last six stages, from Siwa to Sharm El Sheik, the raid will be disputed travelling along millenary tracks, already used by the pharaohs, such as those leading to the famous Luxor. The hardest rally of the world will finish for the first time at the side of the Red Sea, on southern part of the Sinai.