N° 069 - TEAM CROCO AVENTURE
- ESTRADE
- David
- FRA
- 07/08/1974
- 176 cm
- 76 kg
|
| MODEL |
MAKE |
| 450 |
SHERCO |
 |
| |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
|
| Scratch |
109
|
132
|
93
|
136
|
108
|
-
|
97
|
82
|
109
|
83
|
-
|
77
|
79
|
64
|
| Stage |
109
|
132
|
93
|
131
|
108
|
-
|
95
|
85
|
106
|
85
|
-
|
75
|
77
|
64
|
-
|
-
|
| Overall |
109
|
112
|
96
|
105
|
99
|
-
|
121
|
119
|
110
|
104
|
-
|
103
|
98
|
96
|
-
|
-
|
David Estrade: “Two days to prepare my trunk”
He’s probably one of the latest registered competitors of the 2009 Dakar. The last weekend before the technical scrutineering at Le Havre, just a few days before the machines were shipped on a cargo set for South America, David Estrade got a phone call from the Croco Aventure team: Cyril Portal, registered for the Dakar had injured himself and David had been considered to take his place. “I was working with my father that day”, explains David. “My face became pale and I told him: get down from your ladder, we have to clean everything up, I’m going to the Dakar and I have two or three things to prepare”. Actually he had two days to prepare his trunk. “I also had to find some money quickly”, adds the biker. Concerning his physical preparation, even though he could have been slightly fitter with a few weeks of extra exercise, David isn’t too worried: “I’m a long term sportsman”, he says.
While he learnt his participation to his first Dakar at the last moment, David had considered doing it ever since 2002 and his experience on the Shamrock. The physio started riding bikes around ten years ago following the tips of one of his patients. Used to enduro, he doesn’t worry about the technical parts of the Dakar but is more concerned about the sandy landscapes that the competitors will have to go through. “I believe that the crucial part of the Dakar remains navigation. You have to be able to read every note of your road book and especially not get lost because after things add up, you’re tired and you get upset”.
For his first Dakar, David who will compete on a Sherco, a French injection bike used by only three riders, wants to “loop the loop” and therefore reach the finish in Buenos Aires. “To want to do better for your first Dakar seems slightly pretentious”, he adds.
Dakar start photos on line: www.maindruphoto.com