As in 2004, two South African quad riders, Cornel de Villiers and Johan Steenkamp, will once again take on the gruelling 2007 Euromilhöes Lisboa Dakar Rally, which starts off in Lisbon on January 6 and finishes in Dakar, Senegal, on January 21.
De Villiers, the four-time South African national off-road quad champion and winner of the quad category of the 2004 Dakar rally, together with teammate Johan Steenkamp form part of the French MD Rallye Team and are two of 14 quad riders who will take on the almost 8 000km of this, the 28th edition of the Dakar rally.
The two riders, together with mechanic Geoff Osche, left for Portugal on December 29 and survived a big scare on arrival at Madrid’s international airport when a car bomb exploded while they were in the plane on their way to Portugal.
De Villiers won the quad category in 2004 on the trusty Bombardier DS650, but this year he and Steenkamp, a veteran racer who unfortunately crashed out of the 2004 Dakar, hope the big and powerful Bombardier Outlander 800 will make their racing lives somewhat easier — especially during the desert stages.
The Outlander’s four-wheel drive system will definitely work to their advantage — especially when getting stuck in the dunes — while the independent rear suspension will make for a more comfortable ride.
They will again experience ”camel grass” (big, rock-hard humps of grass and sand) and they are confident their Outlander, with its longer wheelbase and independent rear suspension, will take on these obstacles with more ease.
De Villiers, the 1998, 2001, 2002 and 2004 off-road quad champion, has been racing and testing the sturdy 800cc V-twin Outlander during the 2005 off-road racing season and is responsible for almost all the modifications, alterations and developments on the two Dakar quads.
These include two auxiliary 20-litre aluminium fuel tanks covering the rear wheels, the toolbox design, the front bumper and protecting skid plates underneath the quads.
Both De Villiers and Steenkamp will make use of their Dakar knowledge and are more prepared for the task ahead this time round. — Sapa