TIMMERMANS Dominique BEL 24/07/1967 183 cm 82 kg

Vehicle

MODEL	MAKE
WFR 450	YAMAHA

RANKING

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15
Scratch	178	177	162	147	133	-	132	130	127	-	-	-	-	-
Stage	178	177	162	144	140	-	127	129	122	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Overall	178	171	153	145	146	-	140	134	125	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Dominique Timmermans : «I entered without believing too much»

«I entered without believing too much. And in July I received a letter confirming my entry. I read it two or three times before realising it…» Dominique Timmermans isn’t melodramatic, but his first go in the Dakar represents a lot for this tranquil and reclusive competitor who decided to make his childhood dream come true and experience this legendary rally from the inside. He’s more the kind of guy who likes family trips for his leisure time but Dominique admits that this is a “great adventure” for him and that the July letter triggered “massive adrenaline”.

“But you quickly come back to earth: there are sponsors to be found, paperwork and a number of problems to resolve…” Convinced by two French riders Dominique Marcant and Olivier Mutelet, whom he met on the Shamrock, to do the Dakar, Dominique Timmermans had to take the bull by the horns to solve the problems. “I quickly reduced the time spent looking for sponsors in view of the difficulty of the task in order to concentrate on my physical preparation. It really has me worried: I dread the length of the stages and the heat.” Dominique is aiming for nothing other than to finish and that is why he had to break his piggy-bank: “I may not do the Dakar many times, so I have given myself the best possible chance in paying for an assistance service. I don’t want to have to work on the bike at 3 in the morning and then leave at 4.” Happy to confront a “new sandbox”, Dominique seems sufficiently rested since his experience in the Rally of Tunisia; “I finished with a broken scapula. I also know that on the Dakar you have to be mentally strong.”

Dakar start photos on line: www.maindruphoto.com

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