N° 040 - TEAM DOUBLE DIAMOND - RALLY PANAM
David SCHWARZ
SCHWARZ
David
AUS
19/07/1970
173 cm
80 kg
Vehicle
MODEL MAKE
690 RALLY KTM
RANKING
  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Scratch 13 16 18 24 26 51 50 37 36 30 - 51 39 28
Stage 13 16 18 23 26 51 50 37 33 70 - 49 38 28 - -
Overall 13 15 12 18 18 19 21 21 21 37 - 41 38 36 - -

David Schwarz : «It’s like in Australia»

Four years after a first promising attempt, Australian David Schwarz makes his Dakar return with the confidence of a pro. There’s no doubt about his talent. “My first Dakar was the very first time I rode a rally-raid motorcycle”, says the native of central Australia. It was a 37th place result that concluded a fierce race, enamelled with technical problems “that never stopped increasing”, but one that he felt “comfortable” and satisfied with.

David has always dreamed of the Dakar. But this enduro regular wasn’t sure that crossing the desert was for him. And then in 1998, his friend Andy Haydon finished a spectacular 3rd place overall. “I said to myself, if he can do it, so can I”, remembers David, who doesn’t hide his excitation about the idea of a rally with “varied terrain and landscapes.”

There is one unknown. On his return to the rally will David do better than his terrific performance four years ago? He would like to think so, insomuch as the Argentinean and Chilean terrain should give him an advantage. “These tracks resemble those I know. It’s like in Australia.” He speaks from experience. He had the chance to ride the Chilean tracks on a trip in 2004. Being a fanatic of the Australia Safari, the race of record down under, David is capable of coping with long days on his bike, which the Dakar is known the world over for.

Dakar start photos on line: www.maindruphoto.com
»