Euromilhões Lisboa - Dakar 2007 : Dakar

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Ari Vatanen (FIN): “I still have what it takes”

One might have imagined that he went back to his dear European studies. But he’s decided to return to a rally that has made him a legend ever since his fabulous days with Peugeot between 1987 and 1991, a record that still hasn’t been beaten. A star on asphalt in a first life, Ari Vatanen later became a regular in the Dakar. After being part of the Nissan project that finished with the deception of the 2005 edition, the Finn thought he had said farewell to his beloved event: “We didn’t benefit from our hard work and that was the most difficult part of that story”
Without a car for 2006, Vatanen hadn’t however said his last word. Informed about the departures of Saby and Kleinschmidt, the still young 54-year-old was attracted by the smell of the Volkswagen diesel Race Touareg, hoping for victory in 2007: “I knew that there was an opportunity to be part of this very competitive team so I immediately knocked on their door. And after insisting, they eventually opened that door and we organised test sessions in July. I quickly understood that I still had what it takes”, explains Ari.
The ambitions of the driver seem to be the same as those of his new employer, 20 years after his first appearance… and his first victory. This birthday race will bring back some old memories to Vatanen who will meet again, but this time as his team mate, his former WRC rival Carlos Sainz: “We both witnessed magnificent battles, especially during the 1000 lakes rally. It’ll be very interesting to see each other again during the Dakar”.
And because his return carries the sign of past memories, Ari Vatanen will share his journey through Africa with one of his old co-drivers during a few legs of the rally-raid World Cup back in 1995. Fabrizia Pons, who since then went on the podium of the Dakar with Jutta Kleinschmidt, should prove to be the ideal partner to share Ari Vatanen’s new challenge.

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Loprais: “I do not aim at a specific result”

The universe of the Dakar and experiences lived on it contribute to the transmission of values and passions. This is certainly one of the reasons why the rally has so many family stories. And Ales Loprais is certainly going to live one of the most ambitious of this kind. The legacy of his uncle, who won the rally 6 times in the trucks category, undoubtedly has contributed to this 26-year-old man’s experience. Although this is Ales’ first race in the driver’s seat, this young man already boasts of a certain experience on the Dakar: “In fact, I have been involved in different ways in the life of the team since 1999. I drove, for instance, some assistance vehicles and last year I vas the navigator onboard my uncle’s race truck. Unfortunately, we had a few problems with the truck and we had to withdraw after the 11th stage. We were 5th at that time”.

For the 2007 edition, the family heritage is threatened by driver Russian Vladimir Chagin who could equal the uncle’s record who would remain powerless from the press car where he will be seated. Ales, who already knows the level of his competitors, does not necessarily feel entrusted with a mission that is way beyond the means of his machine: “Above all, the objective is to remain in the race, the closest possible to the leading trucks. I do not aim at a specific result but I hope I will do well”.

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Ullevalseter: “I will be very happy with a 5th position”

In this discipline which brings together competitors of very different levels, Ullevalseter is precisely the type of driver that is hard to categorise. Not really a professional, since he does not enjoy the support of a professional group like KTM, Pal Anders is not just a “privateer” either. Thanks to his talent as a rider and his experience as a biker (he started motocrossing in 1987), he has been able to stand up to the best factory riders for a few seasons now.

Pal Anders Ullevalseter started his first rally raid five years ago with the UAE Desert Challenge. Since then, Pal Anders has been quite discreet but highly effective and has become one of the most regular riders on the Dakar. He finished in the Top 10 in his first three editions: 9th in 2002, 7th in 2003 and 5th in 2004. In 2005, a fall and a broken collarbone forced the Norwegian to withdraw. Finally, he was able to live up to his reputation and get back on track in 2006 with a 6th position.

The Scandinavian, who claimed a bitter World Title in 2004 (he won the Pharaons Rally after the collective withdrawal of Richard Sainct’s team mates), has competed with the best during the entire 2006 season, finishing 3rd in the World Championship and second in the overall standing at the foot of the pyramids in the Pharaons Rally. Pal Anders knows the limits of his bike and does not consider racing for victory against the first three or four major contenders: “I know that my bike’s maximum speed is not high enough to compete with the very top competitors on the fastest stages. So on those days I will try not to lose too much time and I will try to compensate on the technical stages. I will be very happy again if I finish this Dakar around the 5th position”.

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Med Zidane Soueid Ahmed: “I will be at home, so I am not allowed to make mistakes”

He had seen the Dakar so many times cross his country that it only seemed natural for the Mauritanian rider Med Zidane Soueid Ahmed to eventually end up racing in it. He spent his childhood in Senegal where he was already crazy about motor sports and then became a pioneer in this sport giving a boost to the use of motorbikes in his country. On the streets of Nouakchott, motorbikes had long had a bad reputation and were associated with rascals and mechanics. Motorcycling eventually won its spurs in Mauritania, partly thanks to him. “Each time the Dakar passed where I lived and each time I saw a rider, I imagined myself riding in his place”, says this 33-year-old dreamer.

But this year there is no need for him to imagine himself riding over the Saharan dunes because he will be riding a KTM 660 for real. Baham Lekhal and Med Zidane Soueid Ahmed are in fact the first two Mauritanians who will try to reach Dakar and complete the famous rally. His secret to cross the finish line: “Be strong in your head, because it is where everything happens. If we are mentally ready, the body is forced to follow”, he says. But before reaching the Pink Lake (Retba), Med Zidane Soueid Ahmed intends to make use of the 3 000 km of the route on the sandy and rocky tracks of Mauritania to further encourage his fellow citizens to ride bikes and to show them that it is not impossible to compete in such a huge event.

For him, the Atar-Tichit stage will be the most challenging, the “toughest”, he says, as he will inevitably have to resist all the pressure on him. “I will be at home, so I am not allowed to make mistakes”, he admits. But he stops smiling when he hears the criticism against the Dakar which spreads like locust invading a sorghum field. “They are rather ignorant. If the Dakar was so bad, there would not be so many people racing it and there would not be so many people on the side of the road to watch it”.

Rick Aarts (HOL) - Roland Rijpma (HOL): “The orphanage offers them a new future”

Rick Aarts and Roland Rijpma raced together their first Dakar last year. But the two men already knew the race since Rick Aarts had already been three times in assistance and Roland Rijpma had followed the rally from a press car once. But their small experience on the rally was not enough as the two men had to withdraw in Mauritania, in the Nouakchott – Kiffa stage.

But the sporting aspect was not the sole reason for their trip. The two Dutchmen had also decided that their African adventure would be a humanitarian one. Rick Aarts and Roland Rijpma have decided to continue this year in the Dakar with their project with the Kidz association. This association owns an orphanage in Dakar and maintains it all year long thanks to the funds raised. “During the Rally, many Dutch radios and newspapers help us by organising games. The money collected thanks to the text messages people send with their mobile phones or thanks to their calls goes directly to the association”, says Roland Rijpma, the co-driver. “With other competitors like Chris Keyds or Danny Kragt (two Dutch riders), we give this money to the Dakar Kidz association and help 28 children”. These children, like many others in Dakar, used to live on the street.

“The orphanage offers them a new future”, says cheerfully Rick Aarts, the driver. Here the children can sleep each night in their own bed and take a daily shower. The orphanage also provides the children with basic medical care. It has a kitchen and a small shop that sells handicrafts. “And above all this establishment has its own school”, insists Rick Aarts. The children have two hours of class per day. They learn basic mathematics and French. “And each year, when we arrive in Dakar, we bring the money we collected during the year. We always enjoy meeting the kids we help, it is nice to see their faces…”, say the two Dutchmen. When they leave the orphanage, when they are 18 years old, many children know how to read and write, and they have learned a trade (mason, carpenter etc.). Dakar Kidz offers them a new future.