Fifty up for Casteu

January 7 ^th 2025 - 18:43 [GMT + 3]

David Casteu acquainted himself with the summit of the rankings in his career as a biker (2nd in 2007 and 4th in 2009 with 3 stage wins under his belt). However, for the year when he will celebrate his 50th birthday, he is putting himself in the shoes of a very focused amateur, to be able to better help his clients, to whom he promises the Dakar dream with a sense of reality.

David Casteu’s smile radiates through eras and over continents. On the Dakar 2025, he is among four bikers who have experienced the African, South American and now Saudi periods of the rally, just like Guatemalan Francisco Arredondo, Romanian Emanuel Gyenes and Czech rider David Pabiška. He also discovered the various parts of the rankings, from 39th place for his first participation as a pure amateur to 2nd place as an official KTM rider and water carrier for Cyril Despres in 2007, including 69th during a terrible year full of mishaps in 2011 and finally 18th in 2016 when he gave up his place behind the handlebars… albeit temporarily, because the man from Nice never said he was stopping riding and here he is back on the Dakar to celebrate the year of his 50th birthday, but not only for that. “What I do now is to look after the amateur riders who are making their first steps in the rally-raid discipline with the dream of participating in the Dakar. I’m well aware that the rally has changed enormously, so I wanted to take part again to gain a better understanding of it and be able to give them the right information and help them prepare as well as possible”.

For the 2025 edition, this passer-on of passion has set himself the task of bringing himself up to date to cement his credibility, having fun and leading by example. Casteu is not taking this responsibility lightly and has diligently prepared for his 14th participation: “I lost 15 kilos. I’ve been focused on this Dakar for a year and a half, because I know where I’m going. In the morning, when I get up to go and sweat with my personal trainer, I know why I’m doing it. This is also what I explain to the future riders I have under my wing. This race is not to be underestimated”. As part of this gradual build-up to the rally, the returning rider completed a full year of competition in 2024, which finished next to his base in Morocco. The organiser of the Casteu Trophy, and hotel owner specialised in dune excursions, finished 18th on the most recent edition of the Rallye du Maroc. As a result, he is not worried about his technical and physical level. What’s more, at break zone C on the 48 HR Chrono stage, it was above all wonder and the stirring up of old memories that enlivened David: “It’s true that I was a newcomer to this format and I hadn’t ridden a stage as hard as that since Tichit in Mauritania! But I let my experience do the talking, there is no point in going on all-out attack and risking damaging the bike. So, I took plenty of deep breaths, took it easy on my hands when necessary and in the end I’m not hurting anywhere. Well, I think I’ll have a few aches tomorrow morning and I can guarantee I’ll be in bed by 19.30!” For the 47th edition, rather neatly, Casteu finished the XXL stage with a distance of almost 1,000 km in 47th place, showing his sense of timing…