Yesterday, the organizers of the Dakar Rally announced that the motorcycle portion of the annual event would consist of 450cc motorcycles beginning in 2010 with a grace period of one year in which the bigger bikes could still be used with restrictors. Today, KTM (the winner of the last eight Dakar Rallies) announced that they were withdrawing their efforts from the race.
Yesterday, the promoters of what is generally regarded as the biggest off-road race in the world stated that that the change would level the playing field in the motorcycle division.Yamaha has already been fielding a 450 with top 10 results with David Fretigne, but the class has been dominated of late by the big bikes - first by BMW and lately by KTM. According to promoters, 450cc bikes made up 40 percent of the entries in the 2009 Dakar Rally.
Although event organizers didn't come right out and say it, the 450s will also slow speeds enough to make the event safer for competitors.
Because a lot of the privateer Dakar racers already own the bigger bikes, the 2010 Dakar will be open to both 450s and the bigger bikes, though the twins will be restricted by a method not yet decided upon. It will, however, be provided by the rally organization, a release from the promoters states. The organizers have also stated that possible winners of the event will be forced to ride 450cc motorcycles in 2010 and will not have the grace period that the privateers will get.
Today, the following statement came from KTM...
Following the announcement at a press conference on June 4, 2009 of the French "ASO" - the organisers of the "South American Dakar" that from 2010, only motorcycles with a maximum displacement of 450 cc will be permitted to compete, KTM, after eight consecutive victories, has decided to immediately accept the consequences and announces its withdrawal from the "Dakar."
The company will no longer be represented at the rally in South America either with an official factory team or a KTM-supported team. At the same time, KTM underlines that the company remains committed to rally sport and will now concentrate its efforts on the world championship and other important rallies.
The organiser's short term change to the rules, designed to end the dominance of KTM, and which comes without any advance warning, hits the KTM factory hard. Today, just six months before the start - and at a time when not only the factory team but also dozens of private teams are deep in preparations for this extremely complex rally, the immediate withdrawal of the worldwide market leader of offroad sports motorcycle is the only possible consequence.
"Every sport regulation needs changes and adjustments to new developments to retain an interest in it, but this also require the appropriate lead times. We have the entire material for the 690 Rally motorcycles for our factory team as well as that for 50 customers' motorcycles in our storage facility ready to be constructed in June. Riders' contracts have been finalised and all the team members have been engaged. The financial consequences that results from this decision are enormous. Quite apart from this, we are shocked by the organiser's lack of loyalty, above all because of the huge efforts we made following the cancellation of the Dakar in 2008 by contributing to the new edition - even during a period of extreme economic crisis," said KTM Motor Sport Advisor and "Rally Legend" Heinz Kinigadner in a first statement.
Following the decision for the deployment of 450cc motorcycles, which are unthinkably unsuitable for use in long distance rallies, KTM can no longer economically justify a commitment to be engaged in the Dakar in the future. KTM Motor Sport Director Winfried Kerschhaggl: "Rally sport serves to prove the efficiency and stability of our large volume series single cylinder. There is no question that we will remain active in rally sport! Having said that, for KTM, the rally in South America is now history. We will now fully concentrate on the Rally World Championship and we will seek out alternatives. Maybe we will soon again see full KTM Rally engagement on African soil - back to the roots!"
With its commitment to rally sports, KTM naturally takes the obligations to its long term worldwide customers seriously because it is they who have decided to put their trust in the products and in the unique service of the Austrian company for rally sport by choosing KTM motorcycles.
