NUMBER 6: KTM – REPSOL REDBULL
Giovanni Sala (ITA)

For the small family formed by the close-knit Dakar elite, Giovanni Sala is simultaneously a good pal and “elder brother”. But the Italian does not instil fear in the hearts of the most competitive riders in the field. Due to the fact that he has not reproduced over the dunes the talent that made him so utterly dominant on the cross tracks, the four-time endurance world champion still numbers among the group of eternal outsiders. That said, the consistency he has displayed since first participating in 1998 still places him among the candidates for a place on the podium, perhaps even the top one…

On his second day of competition in the world’s biggest raid rally, Sala won his second special in Almeria. In 1999, it was at the end of the route, in Nouakchott, that he produced his best performance of the year, before finishing 7th in the overall ranking. In 2000, his January adventure ended with a fall during the fifth stage, but “Gio” keeps on making the trip in search of a place in the Top 10 (6th in 2002) or a couple of stage victories. Only at the 2004 event, out of which Sala limped with two broken ribs, has he failed to add a new entry to his list of honours.

Recruited in 2005 as official driver for KTM – Repsol, Sala will share the leadership of the team for the Dakar with Marc Coma and Carlo De Gavardo. The division of roles within the group will no doubt be fine-tuned over the first few days of the race. He is then likely to be designated as water-bearer deluxe, but that won’t prevent him from grabbing the odd stage victory or trying his luck in the overall ranking.


Giovanni Sala’s “Dakar” honours

1993 17th in overall ranking, Grenada – Dakar (1 special).
1994 7th in overall ranking, Grenada – Dakar (1 special).
1995 Abandoned on Stage 5, Dakar – Cairo
1996 14th in overall ranking, Paris – Dakar (2 specials)
1997 6th in overall ranking, Arras-Madrid-Dakar (2 specials)
1998 14th in overall ranking, Marseilles - Sharm-el-Sheikh (2 specials).
1999 Abandoned on Stage 6, Clermont-Ferrand – Dakar
2000 8th in overall ranking, Barcelona - Dakar

NUMBER 306 – MITSUBISHI
Hiroshi Masuoka (JAP) – Pascal Maimon (FRA)

As a driver, Hiroshi Masuoka is simultaneously discreet and spectacular. Renowned for his inexhaustible attacking temperament, he handles this paradox as assuredly as he does the steering wheel. For in spite of a certain kamikaze inclination that is rarely suited to the endurance disciplines, his is one of the most consistent personalities on the Dakar. This emblematic figure from the Mitsubishi company in Japan took part in his first all-terrain race in 1979 and made his Dakar debut in 1987… almost twenty years ago.

In 1990, he finished first in the T2 category, before taking fourth place in the overall ranking four years later. Between 1995 and 2000, he finished in the Top Ten on six occasions, the high points being two fourth spots in 1997 and 1998. The following season, he obtained good results with a Mitsubishi Pajero, before his hour of glory arrived in 2002, when he became only the second Japanese driver to add his name to the honours list of this prestigious rally, with the Mitsubishi Motors team. Hiroshi Masuoka proceeded to retain his title in 2003, the year when he also prevailed in the Baja Italy. In 2004, Japan’s best-performing Japanese driver completed a remarkable series of ten Dakar Top 10 finishes, including a runner-up spot behind his team-mate Stéphane Peterhansel in 2004.

In last year’s event, the metronome from the three diamonds firm experienced his first abandonment in the Dakar for almost fifteen years, due to engine trouble during Stage 10. It came as proof that even at “Mitsu”, the mechanics are not infallible.


Hiroshi Masuoka’s “Dakar” honours

1987 29th overall, Paris - Dakar
1990 10th overall, Paris - Dakar (1st in the T2 category)
1992 20th overall, Paris - Le Cap
1994 4th overall, Paris - Dakar
1995 10th overall, Grenada - Dakar
1996 6th overall, Grenada - Dakar
1997 4th overall, Dakar - Agades - Dakar
1998 4th overall, Paris - Grenada -Dakar
1999 6th overall, Grenada - Dakar
2000 6th overall, Dakar – Cairo in Mitsubishi Pajero
2001 2nd overall, Dakar in Mitsubishi Pajero
2002 1st overall, Arras - Dakar in Mitsubishi Pajero
2003 1st overall, Marseilles – Sharm-el-Sheikh
2004 2nd overall, Clermont-Ferrand - Dakar
2005 Abandoned on Stage 10, Barcelona - Dakar


Co-pilot: Pascal MAIMON (FRA)

First participation in 1988.
Winner of the Dakar in 2002 with H. Masuoka.
Dakar co-pilot of Bruno Saby (1992), Giniel De Villiers (2004) and Kenjiro Shinozuka (2005).

NUMBER 513 – TATRA PETROBRAS-LUBRAX
Andre De Azevedo (BRE)
Jaromir Martinec (RTC) – Maykel Justo (RTC)

As in the case of the legendary Marreau brothers, the Dakar is often a family affair. There are innumerable crews formed by father and son, husband and wife, or pairs of brothers. But they don’t necessarily have to do the Dakar in the same vehicle in order to share the adventure. The best example of this is perhaps the De Azevedo brothers, André and his younger sibling Jean.

Passionate about bikes ever since entering his first race at just 14 years of age, André De Azevedo contested his first Dakar in the motorbike category. In all, he has entered five times on two wheels, enjoying a Top 10 success in 1993 and, most notably, a 100% success rate. Having initiated and guided his younger brother in the discipline, Jean switched to behind the wheel of a truck in 1999, rapidly becoming Tatra’s trump card behind the Czech Karel Loprais.

For in only his second truck participation, the Brazilian clinched a place on the podium in the category, a performance he repeated four years later by coming second behind Tchaguine, his best-ever result in the rally.

Last year, André De Azevedo was forced to quit at the 11th stage of a race that saw him encounter a string of mechanical problems in rapid succession, particularly during the notorious Stage 7 between Zouérat and Tichit. This hiccup has only added to the motivation of the native of Sao Chosé, whose consistency always represents a threat in the overall ranking and has secured him Top 10 successes each time he has completed the route. Consequently, he will automatically have outsider status again this year.


Andre De Azevedo’s “Dakar” honours

1990 (bike) 22nd overall, Paris – Dakar
1991 (bike) 21st overall, Paris – Dakar
1993 (bike) 9th overall, Paris – Dakar
1994 (bike) 15th overall, Paris – Dakar
1997 (bike) 15th overall, Dakar – Dakar
1999 (truck) 3rd overall, Grenada – Dakar
2000 (truck) 4th overall, Dakar – Cairo
2001 (truck) abandoned at Stage 9, Paris – Dakar
2002 (truck) 10th overall, Arras – Dakar
2003 (truck) 2nd overall, Marseilles – Sharm El Sheik
2004 (truck) 6th overall, Clermot-Ferrand – Dakar
2005 (truck) abandoned at Stage 11, Barcelona – Dakar

Gautier De Hauteclocque

Sometimes at the Dakar, the fates conspire to pit one generation against another or even produce historical allusions. So it was for Gautier de Hautecloque, who, courtesy of the raid rally, felt closest to a grandfather whom he has never known, a certain Maréchal Leclerc. In 2004, during the Tunisia Rally, he experienced “a very special moment” while riding in a special on the battlefield where the second D.B. had faced Rommel’s Afrika Corps for the first time. This thrill-seeking biking devotee is now looking to continue his own African expedition at the heart of the Dakar caravan, while sparing a thought or two for the liberator of Paris, who completed the trek in reverse during the Second World War.

But if truth be told, the usual preoccupations of Gautier de Hautecloque could scarcely be further removed from those of his illustrious forebear. For his own world centres more on the imaginary, on fantasy, and on staging an event in a broader sense. An engineer by day, his true passion is the organisation of role-playing games at night. It is on the basis of an original idea that this hyperactive 42 year old concocted his financing for the Dakar Euromilhões: “I spend my time designing interactive spectacles which I offer to local councils. The development of these scenarios requires several months’ work each time, after which I sell them the show on a “turnkey” basis. It amounts to a massive undertaking involving more than 500 participants-players and therefore requires meticulous organisation,” Gautier explains.

Unable to prepare for the Dakar via the traditional channels of finding a sponsor, this “rookie” with a difference is nevertheless going into the Dakar in search of the same challenge as all the amateur competitors. “For once, I’ve decided to think only of myself and put together my own adventure. I will be the master of the game. At this Dakar, it will be me against me. That’s why I’ve decided to do it without assistance, so I’II have to push myself all the way. One thing’s for sure: failure is just not in my vocabulary,” explains Gautier De Hautecloque, who, like everyone on the Dakar, sets great store by the notion of surpassing oneself.

Francis Gadioux

For what is his first-ever Dakar, Francis Gadioux has a head brimming with ideas. His debutant status, despite considerable experience gained through honest endeavour in the French motocross championship, is in no way restricting the ambitions of this company boss from the Poitou region: “the simple fact of being here is not enough to satisfy me. I am nothing if not competitive, so I hope to finish in the top 20. It would obviously be fantastic to repeat what I achieved in my first two raid rallies in Tunisia and Morocco, namely to finish as the first-placed private rider. However, I’m well aware that the field is a lot more competitive in the Dakar.”

The sporting stakes are high, but Francis Gadioux is primarily driven by a desire to see another project take shape while on the Dakar. Having fallen under the spell of Africa in general and Senegal in particular several years ago, he has joined forces with four other company bosses from his home region to set up an association which works in conjunction with SOS Sahel: it’s only a modest contribution, but we are placing the emphasis on the management of water. The goal of ‘’Goutte à goutte’’ is to develop irrigation where there is already water, in order to optimise usage and distribution for crops, most notably by means of the ‘drop by drop’ system. But of course, it’s a huge project and we are still only at the beginning.”

Courtesy of their ‘modest contribution’, Francis Gadioux and his sponsors have already raised almost €20,000, which has been directly used to improve the management of small farm production units. This aid, which is channelled by SOS Sahel to the village grouping in charge of the different actions, constitutes the first section of an initiative scheduled to unfold over 3 years and which should generate around €50,000 in total. Outside the Dakar, Francis is also mounting awareness-raising operations on the occasion of the Trek Dial, a trip he organises each year to win over new partners. It represents an original way of discovering motorbikes, Africa, and how to be useful there.





Francis Gadioux: “I am ‘Senegalese’, as they say.”

“I want to make this sporting project a communication vehicle for my association, Goutte à Goutte.”
Aged 38 – he will celebrate his 39th birthday during Stage 12 –, Francis Gadioux makes no secret of what motivated him to take part in his first Dakar this year. And to promote his association and derive maximum benefit from its media coverage, this business chief from Poitiers with a passion for Africa and especially Senegal, is counting on his ability to be a thorn in the side of the leading riders and claim the first private rider position. Or semi-private at least, as he could find himself serving as water-carrier for David Frétigné in the event of need.

Let’s talk about this project of your ‘‘Goutte à Goutte’’ association…
We formed this association 6 months ago with four other Poitiers company bosses who share my love of Africa and motorbikes. Sponsored by SOS International, the main aim of this structure is to raise funds to facilitate work on the land of other more important associations such as SOS Sahel.

How did that lead you to the Dakar?
About 10 years ago, I happened to visit Senegal, invited by a friend who lived in the country. This trip was a real eye-opener for me, and I’ve been back every year since. But not to the Club Med, I hasten to add! When I go there, it is to rediscover my haven of tranquillity, to experience Africa in every sense, with all its colours and perfumes. In addition, I often go to stay among the Peuls… Basically, as I’m an endurance specialist, I did a private raid in 2003 over 12 days, going from Morocco to Senegal via Mauritania, where I was bitten by a terrible bug: a massive over-dependence on all-terrain biking in the middle of the desert and preferably with only a road atlas to find my way! (laughs). Consequently, the Dakar was the next logical step, especially with the added good reasons to do with ‘’Goutte à goutte’’.

What is your aim for this first participation?
The declared objective is to finish. But having said that, I have to be realistic. In a race like that, you need luck on your side, as abandonment due to mechanical breakdown can always occur, especially when you’re being a little less economical with your equipment.

Have you prepared in any special way?
I’ve followed a long course of physical preparation in order to be in tiptop condition for the rally. In addition, two months before the start, I spent two weeks in Mauritania and Senegal getting race-fit. I’ve been doing plenty of dune work and I’ve also made a big effort to subject myself to real rally conditions by doing two or three days of over 600 km.