The countdown to the 30th edition of the Dakar is speeding up and in less than a month, the teams and drivers that are participing will be in Lisbon to have their cars checked and to do the paperwork. Following the scheduled plan to prepare the race Jordi Arcarons, Team Manager of Repsol KTM, and the team ended two days of testing iu the Pyrenees, near to the town of Oliana.
These two days have helped to improve the teamwork of all the members; riders, mechanics, physical trainers and all the others too many to mention. The two days gave prority to the study of the regulations for 2008, with an in-depth review of the rules so as to avoid errors in the race. Moreover, the members of the Team Repsol KTM took advantage of this time to study each and every one of the stages in this year`s race in detail, to review the logistics, the organisation and the responsibilities of each one of them.
The engines were also checked in Oliana. The three definitive motorbikes arrived from Austria, these will be ridden by Marc Coma, Jordi Viladoms and Gerard Farrés.
The mechanics that will accompany the three riders in Africa, together with two suspension specialists from WP, tested all the relevant parts with Coma, Viladoms and Farrés, so that they will be ready for any unforeseen surprises that may occur in the race. In addition to the different tests with the suspension there was also time for running the motorbikes in as allowed in the regulations.
The President of the Federación Catalana de Motociclismo, el Sr. Angel Viladoms, joined the 16 members of the Team Repsol KTM in Oliana yesterday as he wanted to see the work and development of the team in person as they prepare for the forthcoming legendary African race.Next week the Team Repsol KTM will terminate its training plan before going to Lisbon. The team will dedicate time to navigation, a whole day in the zone of the desert like Monegros will be spent working on this important aspect of the race.
Jordi Arcarons >> Audio
These two days were spent on the penultimate tests before the race, first we rode with the spare engines and those that will be used on the bikes at the start in Lisbon. We also did a suspension test, mainly for the riders to check that the settings are the correct ones. The idea was to work as a team and get to know the regulations well, there are some changes compared to last year, big penalties, and this is basic knowledge for all team members, from the riders to the mechanics and assistance, they have to know how not to be penalised at every moment. We also did an in-depth analysis of the stages, commenting on the difficulties, such as the three when the riders will not have any mechanical assistance. That is why the riders also had a mechanics test, so that they know the secrets of their bikes, can solve any problems themselves and know how to maintain the bike on the marathon stages. Finally they also worked on the navigation and the use of the roadbook. This was a task for the whole team, on foot so that all of them know how a roadbook is used, and what a rider feels when he is riding alone, when to make important decisions or when you get lost after losing your way. In summary a whole lot of positive work, we are going to spend practically 24 days together and the co-existence is another very important factor, when each member must know exactly what their job is and be ready to do it perfectly.
