Face to face
bike
Change to win
NUMBER 3 - KTM Gauloises
Isidre Esteve Pujol (ESP)
At the age of 33 and after sixteen years of bike competition, Isidre Esteve Pujol is donning a new costume for this 28th Dakar. The designated successor to Roma at the head of the Repsol KTM team when “Nani” switched to four wheels, Isidre finally left the Spanish stable in 2005 to join the opposition, namely the blue bikes of Gauloises. While Esteve finds himself in the position of “team-mate and competitor” of the title-holder Cyril Despres. And his rivalry with his junior Marc Coma will be even more pronounced now that he is no longer hindered by team strategies.
In his eight Dakar participations, this former Spanish endurance champion has quit just once: this was in 2003 when he rode a dual-cylinder KTM after fracturing his arm a few weeks before the rally’s start. Down the years, he has forged a reputation as a rider of rare consistency. An ever-present in the top 30, he finished first in the production category and fourth overall in 2001. In 2004, Isidre dominated the race as far as Mauritania, where a mechanical problem ruined his chance of making the podium.
In last year’s rally, he found himself in direct competition with his compatriot Marc Coma. Accepting good-naturedly the supporting role of water-carrier allotted to him after the first days’ racing, Esteve accomplished his mission all the way to Dakar, again finishing at the foot of the podium less than 3’ behind his “leader” at the end of a 5,431-km special!
This season, the constant jockeying for position with Marc Coma has continued. In the two World Cup rounds in which he has taken part, Esteve finished second in the Por Las Pampas rally behind Coma, and won the Morocco rally… ahead of Coma! Clearly, the tracks of the 28th Euromilhoes Dakar will constitute the ideal setting for another Spanish-style duel.
Isidre Esteve Pujol’s Dakar honours
1998 18th overall, Paris-Grenada-Dakar
1999 11th overall, Grenade-Dakar
2000 12th overall, Dakar-Cairo
2001 4th overall, Paris-Dakar (winner of the Production category)
2002 5th overall, Arras-Madrid-Dakar
2004 23rd overall, Clermont-Ferrand-Dakar (winner of a special)
2005 4th overall, Barcelona-Dakar (one special)
car
Isidre Esteve Pujol (ESP)
At the age of 33 and after sixteen years of bike competition, Isidre Esteve Pujol is donning a new costume for this 28th Dakar. The designated successor to Roma at the head of the Repsol KTM team when “Nani” switched to four wheels, Isidre finally left the Spanish stable in 2005 to join the opposition, namely the blue bikes of Gauloises. While Esteve finds himself in the position of “team-mate and competitor” of the title-holder Cyril Despres. And his rivalry with his junior Marc Coma will be even more pronounced now that he is no longer hindered by team strategies.
In his eight Dakar participations, this former Spanish endurance champion has quit just once: this was in 2003 when he rode a dual-cylinder KTM after fracturing his arm a few weeks before the rally’s start. Down the years, he has forged a reputation as a rider of rare consistency. An ever-present in the top 30, he finished first in the production category and fourth overall in 2001. In 2004, Isidre dominated the race as far as Mauritania, where a mechanical problem ruined his chance of making the podium.
In last year’s rally, he found himself in direct competition with his compatriot Marc Coma. Accepting good-naturedly the supporting role of water-carrier allotted to him after the first days’ racing, Esteve accomplished his mission all the way to Dakar, again finishing at the foot of the podium less than 3’ behind his “leader” at the end of a 5,431-km special!
This season, the constant jockeying for position with Marc Coma has continued. In the two World Cup rounds in which he has taken part, Esteve finished second in the Por Las Pampas rally behind Coma, and won the Morocco rally… ahead of Coma! Clearly, the tracks of the 28th Euromilhoes Dakar will constitute the ideal setting for another Spanish-style duel.
Isidre Esteve Pujol’s Dakar honours
1998 18th overall, Paris-Grenada-Dakar
1999 11th overall, Grenade-Dakar
2000 12th overall, Dakar-Cairo
2001 4th overall, Paris-Dakar (winner of the Production category)
2002 5th overall, Arras-Madrid-Dakar
2004 23rd overall, Clermont-Ferrand-Dakar (winner of a special)
2005 4th overall, Barcelona-Dakar (one special)
A lot to live up to!
NUMBER 307 – Volkswagen
Bruno Saby (FRA) – Michel Perin (FRA)
A multiple French rally champion and winner of the Monte-Carlo and Tour de Corse, Bruno Saby has made a perfect success of his conversion to raid rallies, tasting Dakar glory in 1993 in a Mitsubishi Pajero. The man from Grenoble has taken part in the event 12 times, eight with “Mitsu”, two in the Ford Ranger Protruck and, lastly, twice more at the wheel of the Volkswagen Touareg, which he is driving again for this 28th Dakar.
5th in the overall ranking at last year’s rally, Bruno Saby had a more than satisfying race, his initial objective having primarily been to develop the Race Touareg. With a view to the construction of the brand-new Race Touareg 2, the Frenchman has continued to shoulder this responsibility throughout the regular season. However, this long drawn-out job has not prevented him from shining on the four World Cup rounds in which he has participated, claiming three victories and a second-place finish which, at the age of 56, enabled him to claim his first major international title and most importantly to bring VW their first international-level recognition.
Volkswagen and their star driver will therefore be going into the 2006 Dakar full of confidence, with the objective of victory having been unequivocally declared. The competition will be tight, both within his own team, where Saby will have to share the leadership with three other potential winners, Kleinschmidt, De Villiers and Sainz, and externally, where Mitsubishi will be favourites once again. But armed with almost unrivalled experience in the field, a vehicle he knows like the back of his hand and, above all, an exemplary partnership with his co-driver Michel Perin, the 1993 Dakar winner has every intention of confirming his status and adding his name to the winners list for the second time.
Bruno Saby’s “Dakar” honours
1992 27th overall , Paris – Le Cap
1993 Winner, Paris-Dakar
1994 abandoned, Stage 11, Paris-Dakar-Paris
1995 2nd overall , Grenade-Dakar
1996 7th overall , Grenade-Dakar
1997 3rd overall , Dakar-Dakar
1998 3rd overall , Paris-Dakar
2000 7th overall , Dakar –Cairo (3rd in T3)
2001 13th overall , Paris-Dakar
2002 ab., Stage 8, Arras-Madrid-Dakar
2004 6th overall, Clermont-Ferrand - Dakar
2005 5th overall, Barcelona-Dakar
Co-driver: Michel PERIN (FRA)
- Triple-winner of the Dakar in 94-95-96 as Pierre Lartigue’s co-driver
- Five times winner of the all-terrain rally World Cup: 93,94,95,96 as Pierre Lartigue’s co-driver and 2005 as Bruno Saby’s co-driver
- Double French rally champion 89-90 as François Chatriot’s co-driver
Bruno Saby (FRA) – Michel Perin (FRA)
A multiple French rally champion and winner of the Monte-Carlo and Tour de Corse, Bruno Saby has made a perfect success of his conversion to raid rallies, tasting Dakar glory in 1993 in a Mitsubishi Pajero. The man from Grenoble has taken part in the event 12 times, eight with “Mitsu”, two in the Ford Ranger Protruck and, lastly, twice more at the wheel of the Volkswagen Touareg, which he is driving again for this 28th Dakar.
5th in the overall ranking at last year’s rally, Bruno Saby had a more than satisfying race, his initial objective having primarily been to develop the Race Touareg. With a view to the construction of the brand-new Race Touareg 2, the Frenchman has continued to shoulder this responsibility throughout the regular season. However, this long drawn-out job has not prevented him from shining on the four World Cup rounds in which he has participated, claiming three victories and a second-place finish which, at the age of 56, enabled him to claim his first major international title and most importantly to bring VW their first international-level recognition.
Volkswagen and their star driver will therefore be going into the 2006 Dakar full of confidence, with the objective of victory having been unequivocally declared. The competition will be tight, both within his own team, where Saby will have to share the leadership with three other potential winners, Kleinschmidt, De Villiers and Sainz, and externally, where Mitsubishi will be favourites once again. But armed with almost unrivalled experience in the field, a vehicle he knows like the back of his hand and, above all, an exemplary partnership with his co-driver Michel Perin, the 1993 Dakar winner has every intention of confirming his status and adding his name to the winners list for the second time.
Bruno Saby’s “Dakar” honours
1992 27th overall , Paris – Le Cap
1993 Winner, Paris-Dakar
1994 abandoned, Stage 11, Paris-Dakar-Paris
1995 2nd overall , Grenade-Dakar
1996 7th overall , Grenade-Dakar
1997 3rd overall , Dakar-Dakar
1998 3rd overall , Paris-Dakar
2000 7th overall , Dakar –Cairo (3rd in T3)
2001 13th overall , Paris-Dakar
2002 ab., Stage 8, Arras-Madrid-Dakar
2004 6th overall, Clermont-Ferrand - Dakar
2005 5th overall, Barcelona-Dakar
Co-driver: Michel PERIN (FRA)
- Triple-winner of the Dakar in 94-95-96 as Pierre Lartigue’s co-driver
- Five times winner of the all-terrain rally World Cup: 93,94,95,96 as Pierre Lartigue’s co-driver and 2005 as Bruno Saby’s co-driver
- Double French rally champion 89-90 as François Chatriot’s co-driver