After an impressive 2018 Dakar Rally assault, Rod Faggotter will return with the Yamalube Yamaha Rally Team for the 2019 Dakar Rally. With this 41st edition of the prestigious event contested exclusively in Peru, Yamaha will be strongly represented by Adrien Van Beveren, Xavier de Soultrait alongside Faggotter. Franco Caimi’s participation will be decided prior to the event’s start in Peru.
Spearheading the team’s efforts for yet another year is Adrien Van Beveren. One of the revelations of the 2018 Dakar Rally, Adrien is eager to impress by fighting for the overall victory next January. At the top of his game following months of hard work, the French rider is now ready to do battle in the dunes of Peru.
Putting in many thousands of racing and training kilometres aboard his WR450F Rally machine in 2018, Xavier de Soultrait is set to enter the fifth Dakar Rally of his career this coming January. Working hard to further improve his navigational skills, the Frenchman has his eyes set on climbing onto the podium in Lima.
Playing a crucial role for the Yamalube Yamaha Rally team during the last two Dakar Rallies, Rodney Faggotter remains with the squad going into the 2019 edition of the event. Enjoying an extremely consistent run that saw him finish 16th overall at the 2018 Dakar Rally, the Aussie will look to improve on this result in January 2019.
With the team 100% ready to have Franco Caimi enter the 2019 Dakar Rally, his participation will be decided just before the start of the race. Doing everything possible to return to full fitness following his injury during the Morocco Rally, the rider from Argentina is expecting to undergo his last medical checks just a few days before the start of the event.
Rodney Faggotter – Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team
“I’m looking forward to the 2019 Dakar. I’ve been racing some Bajas and training hard back home in Australia these last few months. I feel strong physically and also mentally. In the beginning of December we’ve spent a full week testing and training with the team in Morocco and that was a good morale booster for me. We have a great spirit within the team and I want to be there for my teammates if they need me. I want to have a good clean run and do my own race. This Dakar might seem shorter, but we all know it’s still going to be a long and demanding race. If it all goes well, I’m confident I can improve my overall result from last year and fight for a spot inside the top-10.”
Alexandre Kowalski – Yamalube Yamaha Rally Team Director
“We’ve worked really hard for this Dakar and I am proud to confirm we are ready for this big challenge. All of our riders are strong in the sand and for this January we’ve made some additional modifications to our WR450F Rally machine. Adrien is fully fit and ready for the race. He’s really confident on his bike and determined to be part of the fight for the overall win. Xavier is in the best possible condition at the moment and we expect him to be a strong contender in January. We’re also happy to have Rodney in our team. Rod is tough mentally and he will be a strong asset for the team. Rod is also a skilled bike mechanic and this is crucial for the Dakar. As for Franco, he’s done everything possible to be fit. He’ll undergo medical checks in Lima to determine whether he is fit to race. From our side, we will be fully prepared to have him with us throughout this adventure in Peru.”