Face to face
bike
False start was a real stroke of luck
Bernard Montaz
Everyone remembers the image: the bike being returned to the bivouac suspended from a helicopter seemed to epitomize the “hell” experienced by the competitors on the Zouerat-Tichit stage last year. The machine in question belonged to Bernard Montaz, who had quit mid-race for the 2nd year running, not only because of a carburetor clogged with sand, but also due to his sense of solidarity. “I’m not trying to pass myself off as a Saint Bernard of the desert, but it’s impossible for me to leave a pal in the sh… I just can’t get used to the suffering of others. I could probably have sorted out my own problem, but the situation around me was so difficult…” It sounds bad enough to put one off for good. “When I got home, I told everyone that was it… but by June, I had forgotten it all… That’s the thing about the Dakar: it’s difficult to take part, but it’s even more difficult not to.” Consequently, at the age of 48, this “real mountaineer” from the Southern Alps has set out on the Dakar for the seventh consecutive year, still on the Honda 650 XR that he has prepared himself, and still with no assistance.
Consequently, since the start of the rally, Bernard has suffered a string of mishaps. After just 76 kilometers of the first stage, he broke his engine! But resourcefulness personified, the man from the Savoie region had made provision for a replacement engine, as you do, in case misfortune should strike before hitting African soil. He promptly phoned his friends Jacky and Joseph, his road companions throughout Europe, the engine in question being stored in a trunk in the back of their camper van. Unfortunately, the two stooges were unable to make a U-turn on the link route, so they opted to leave the engine in the safe keeping of Francisco, a barman at a motorway service station. The situation would surely have been enough to discourage most people, but Bernard is made of sterner stuff. Gritting his teeth, he somehow managed to coax his machine as far as the aforementioned service station. After obtaining the brand-new engine and duly thanking Francisco, he managed to convince his friends to wait for him where they were by the side of the road, as luck would have it, next to a bike dealership. Receptive to Bernard’s entreaties, the garage-owner needed little persuading to open up his workshop to them.
That was where good friend Jacky really came into his own. He is quite simply the world champion of Honda mechanics and 37 minutes later, the defective HS engine had been removed and the sparkling new replacement installed. Bernard was then free to get back on his bike, although too late to contest the stage. The regulations do permit this kind of “joker” on the European section, but his non-completion of the first stage and the engine change cost him a whopping ten-hour penalty. Bernard isn’t bothered, however: “You’ve got to realize, I thought I was a goner but I’ve still hanging on in there. That’s quite something,” he says with a smile.
These travails left Bernard really raring to go, and to make up for his first-day delay, he attacked the second special a touch too strongly. As a result, he suffered two falls and somehow contrived to break a toe through his boot, but the Frenchman is nothing if not resilient. The early going in Africa passed off without further problems, despite one minor fall. And Bernard is happy now, for he is back on the continent he loves at last after six months’ absence. So whatever fate throws at him, Bernard is sure to keep on smiling.
car
Everyone remembers the image: the bike being returned to the bivouac suspended from a helicopter seemed to epitomize the “hell” experienced by the competitors on the Zouerat-Tichit stage last year. The machine in question belonged to Bernard Montaz, who had quit mid-race for the 2nd year running, not only because of a carburetor clogged with sand, but also due to his sense of solidarity. “I’m not trying to pass myself off as a Saint Bernard of the desert, but it’s impossible for me to leave a pal in the sh… I just can’t get used to the suffering of others. I could probably have sorted out my own problem, but the situation around me was so difficult…” It sounds bad enough to put one off for good. “When I got home, I told everyone that was it… but by June, I had forgotten it all… That’s the thing about the Dakar: it’s difficult to take part, but it’s even more difficult not to.” Consequently, at the age of 48, this “real mountaineer” from the Southern Alps has set out on the Dakar for the seventh consecutive year, still on the Honda 650 XR that he has prepared himself, and still with no assistance.
Consequently, since the start of the rally, Bernard has suffered a string of mishaps. After just 76 kilometers of the first stage, he broke his engine! But resourcefulness personified, the man from the Savoie region had made provision for a replacement engine, as you do, in case misfortune should strike before hitting African soil. He promptly phoned his friends Jacky and Joseph, his road companions throughout Europe, the engine in question being stored in a trunk in the back of their camper van. Unfortunately, the two stooges were unable to make a U-turn on the link route, so they opted to leave the engine in the safe keeping of Francisco, a barman at a motorway service station. The situation would surely have been enough to discourage most people, but Bernard is made of sterner stuff. Gritting his teeth, he somehow managed to coax his machine as far as the aforementioned service station. After obtaining the brand-new engine and duly thanking Francisco, he managed to convince his friends to wait for him where they were by the side of the road, as luck would have it, next to a bike dealership. Receptive to Bernard’s entreaties, the garage-owner needed little persuading to open up his workshop to them.
That was where good friend Jacky really came into his own. He is quite simply the world champion of Honda mechanics and 37 minutes later, the defective HS engine had been removed and the sparkling new replacement installed. Bernard was then free to get back on his bike, although too late to contest the stage. The regulations do permit this kind of “joker” on the European section, but his non-completion of the first stage and the engine change cost him a whopping ten-hour penalty. Bernard isn’t bothered, however: “You’ve got to realize, I thought I was a goner but I’ve still hanging on in there. That’s quite something,” he says with a smile.
These travails left Bernard really raring to go, and to make up for his first-day delay, he attacked the second special a touch too strongly. As a result, he suffered two falls and somehow contrived to break a toe through his boot, but the Frenchman is nothing if not resilient. The early going in Africa passed off without further problems, despite one minor fall. And Bernard is happy now, for he is back on the continent he loves at last after six months’ absence. So whatever fate throws at him, Bernard is sure to keep on smiling.
“To do better than before”
Eric Vigouroux – Alexandre Winocq
Eric Vigouroux’s long relationship with the Dakar began over twenty years ago, when he first chanced upon the rally on television. Those somewhat eccentric early adventurers, hurtling through the desert on their unfeasible machines, stimulated his imagination for many years before he finally joined their number in 1997. He did so with a precise objective in mind: to become the first person to complete the Dakar on a quad bike. It was a bold challenge, but Eric stuck to it doggedly, and after two successive abandonments in 1997 and 1998, he finally reached Dakar in 1999, 10th overall in the bike ranking. “Rather than merely bringing closure, that first finish at Lake Rose marked the start of my real love affair with the Dakar,” he confides. “You can’t imagine the feeling that comes over you when you get to Dakar beach. You feel relieved at having finished, but at the same time, you’re already thinking about doing it again.”
And so it was that, the following year, Eric set out again, but with a completely different vehicle. This time, he was at the wheel of a Pro-Truck, a real monster propelled by a Chevrolet engine. “It was a really awesome machine and just like with a quad bike, you need a big heart in order to be effective,” emphasizes Eric, who recorded an encouraging 37th position before abandoning in 2002, then finishing 14th in 2003. “Having to give up in 2002 really bothered me. So for myself, I needed to get bounce back quickly with a good performance. My 14th place in 2003, followed by 26th in 2004, gave me the experience and desire to continue towards my goal of making the top ten one day.” In 2005, however, he was forced to pull out at the last minute when his car fell foul of the new regulations. As a result, he is entering this year with renewed hunger for pulling off another major coup. In conjunction with his American partners, he has developed a new pick-up designed to allow him to mix it with the big boys, and the early action on the Portuguese stages suggests they are on the right lines: “We’ve been working on the car for a year and a half. The latest trials in Arizona at the start of November really impressed us, so we decided to enter it this year. It’s a bit over the top, but we’ve finally discovered a car that really stands up well to the race conditions. I was feeling the pressure somewhat but now I’m pretty relaxed. We’ve made the right choices, both in terms of equipment and the people we’ve been working with.” And Eric certainly does not lack ambition for the challenge ahead: “The objective is clear: to do better than 14th and have a go at winning the 2-wheel-drive category.” In 30th place after the first two stages, Eric Vigouroux has every reason to be satisfied so far, as it is in the desert where he should really come into his own.
Eric Vigouroux’s long relationship with the Dakar began over twenty years ago, when he first chanced upon the rally on television. Those somewhat eccentric early adventurers, hurtling through the desert on their unfeasible machines, stimulated his imagination for many years before he finally joined their number in 1997. He did so with a precise objective in mind: to become the first person to complete the Dakar on a quad bike. It was a bold challenge, but Eric stuck to it doggedly, and after two successive abandonments in 1997 and 1998, he finally reached Dakar in 1999, 10th overall in the bike ranking. “Rather than merely bringing closure, that first finish at Lake Rose marked the start of my real love affair with the Dakar,” he confides. “You can’t imagine the feeling that comes over you when you get to Dakar beach. You feel relieved at having finished, but at the same time, you’re already thinking about doing it again.”
And so it was that, the following year, Eric set out again, but with a completely different vehicle. This time, he was at the wheel of a Pro-Truck, a real monster propelled by a Chevrolet engine. “It was a really awesome machine and just like with a quad bike, you need a big heart in order to be effective,” emphasizes Eric, who recorded an encouraging 37th position before abandoning in 2002, then finishing 14th in 2003. “Having to give up in 2002 really bothered me. So for myself, I needed to get bounce back quickly with a good performance. My 14th place in 2003, followed by 26th in 2004, gave me the experience and desire to continue towards my goal of making the top ten one day.” In 2005, however, he was forced to pull out at the last minute when his car fell foul of the new regulations. As a result, he is entering this year with renewed hunger for pulling off another major coup. In conjunction with his American partners, he has developed a new pick-up designed to allow him to mix it with the big boys, and the early action on the Portuguese stages suggests they are on the right lines: “We’ve been working on the car for a year and a half. The latest trials in Arizona at the start of November really impressed us, so we decided to enter it this year. It’s a bit over the top, but we’ve finally discovered a car that really stands up well to the race conditions. I was feeling the pressure somewhat but now I’m pretty relaxed. We’ve made the right choices, both in terms of equipment and the people we’ve been working with.” And Eric certainly does not lack ambition for the challenge ahead: “The objective is clear: to do better than 14th and have a go at winning the 2-wheel-drive category.” In 30th place after the first two stages, Eric Vigouroux has every reason to be satisfied so far, as it is in the desert where he should really come into his own.