Dakar 2015 : Argentine, Chili, Bolivie… et Peugeot !

Peugeot took advantage of today’s presentation of the 2015 Dakar – which will start and finish in Buenos Aires, Argentina (January 4-17) – to announce its comeback to the event, 25 years after its last, successful participation. Carlos Sainz and Cyril Despres have been named as drivers of the Peugeot 2008 DKR.

Next year’s Dakar – the seventh in South America – will take the form of a 9,000km loop, starting and finishing in Buenos Aires and visiting both Chile and Bolivia. The event will begin in the Argentine capital on January 4 and, after four stages in Bolivia and several more in Chile, will end on January 17. There will be ‘marathon’ legs for all three classes but different rest days for the car, truck and bike runners.

Ahead of the organisers’ press conference this morning in Paris, Peugeot tweeted the news of its Dakar comeback, a quarter of a century after its last participation. The French make won the event four times in a row from 1987 to 1990 with Finns Ari Vatanen and Juha Kankkunen, initially with the Peugeot 205 T16, then with the Peugeot 405 T16. Both cars were equipped with Michelin rubber.

Shortly afterwards, Peugeot released details of its 2015 cross-country rally programme. Carlos Sainz and Cyril Despres have been recruited to drive the Total- and Red Bull-backed 2008 DKR crossovers, but there was no mention of multiple Dakar winner Stéphane Peterhansel whose name has been linked with the project for some time.

The 2015 Dakar has the makings of being another classic, with the likes of Mini, Peugeot, Toyota, Ford and a number of other top privateer teams seeking to follow in the footsteps of this year’s car winners Nani Roma and Michel Périn.

A l’occasion de la présentation du Rallye Dakar 2015 qui partira et arrivera à Buenos Aires (du 4 au 17 janvier), Peugeot a annoncé son retour sur cette épreuve 25 ans après sa dernière participation (et victoire) avec Carlos Sainz et Cyril Despres sur des Peugeot 2008 DKR.

Le Rallye Dakar 2015 décrira une boucle sud-américaine de 9000 km autour de Buenos Aires qui passera par le Chili et la Bolivie. L’épreuve s’élancera de la capitale argentine le 4 janvier et sera de retour à Buenos Aires le 17 janvier après quatre étapes en Bolivie et plusieurs au Chili. Etapes-marathon dans toutes les catégories et journées de repos alternées seront au programme de cette 7^e édition en Amérique-du-Sud.

Avant le début de la conférence de presse ASO organisée à Paris, Peugeot avait tweeté son retour officiel sur le Dakar 25 ans après sa dernière participation. Peugeot a gagné quatre fois d’affilée cette épreuve entre 1987 et 1990 avec ses Finlandais Ari Vatanen et Juha Kankkunen au volant de Peugeot 205 T16 Grand Raid et Peugeot 405 T16 Grand Raid chaussées de pneumatiques Michelin.

Dans la foulée, le constructeur français a dévoilé son programme Tout-Terrain 2015 : Carlos Sainz et Cyril Despres piloteront des Peugeot CrossOver 2008 DKR aux couleurs de Total et Red-Bull. Stéphane Peterhansel, annoncé depuis longtemps chez Peugeot, n’a pas été officialisé aujourd’hui.

Avec Mini, Peugeot, Toyota, Ford et beaucoup d’autres équipes « privées » de pointe, l’édition 2015 ne devrait pas manquer de prétendants pour succéder à Nani Roma/Michel Périn en catégorie Autos.

Royal Enfield in Middle East Enduro Ride 2014

A Modern Motorcycle Diaries Adventure through the country of Oman on Royal Enfield's.

A 500 km Enduro Ride loop around the amazing scenery, off roads, and remote villages this middle eastern country has to offer.

Stories of Bike : Chemistry

Royal Enfield by Tendance

In Paris, the main Royal Enfield dealer is Tendance Roadster. They’re based in Levallois-Perret, near the old Clément-Bayard factory where Citroën built the 2CV. Dealer principal Guillaume Tirard is a fan of custom bikes too, and after a weekend getting bogged down in mud during a forest ride, he decided to modify a Bullet Electra Deluxe.
Compared to a stock Royal Enfield, Tirard’s bike has more considerably more power, more grip in the dirt, and less weight. He’s installed Tendance’s ‘Solution F Engine preparation,’ a kit that gives 27% more power via a high compression piston, a hotter cam, and a remapped injection system (and new control unit). The custom exhaust is slim and sits high, scrambler-style—a marked contrast to the unusually low placement of the standard exhaust.

The tank, headlamp and side panels have been refinished in matte black, and the tank fitted with classic knee grips. The wheels are now Akront-type Morad rims, shod with Mitas E-09 enduro rubber. New aluminum fenders have been installed, with a small rack behind the seat for carrying a daypack. Offroad bars create an airier cockpit and give the rider more leverage.

The chunky taillight and indicators of the stock Royal Enfield have been replaced by slimline items more in keeping with the retro feel of the bike, and the large two-up seat has given way to a lightweight brown leather sprung seat.

They’re relatively simple but well-chosen mods, and they completely transform the character of the rather staid Bullet Electra. Top marks for a thoughtful build—and I bet it’s très amusant to ride as well.
Visit the Tendance Roadster website (in French) and Facebook page for more details. Images by Daniel Beres.


via BIKEEXIF