Continuing their preparation ahead of the 2019 Dakar Rally, Adrien Van Beveren, Xavier de Soultrait and Franco Caimi are all-set to contest the 2018 edition of Peru’s Desafio Inca. A three-day event in the massive sand dunes outside the city of Ica, the Desafio Inca will offer the Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team trio the possibility to test themselves in conditions similar to those expected at the upcoming Dakar in January.
Entering the main part of their preparation for the 2019 Dakar last month at the Atacama Rally in Chile, Adrien, Xavier and Franco look forward to continue making progress this coming weekend in Peru.
Looking forward to the three days of racing that lie ahead, 2018 Dakar sensation Adrien Van Beveren will be looking to make full use of his sand racing prowess. Physically and mentally ready for the challenge, Adrien is expected to be a force to be reckoned with in Peru.
For Xavier de Soultrait, the Frenchman also has his eyes set on continuing to improve ahead of the coming Dakar. As for all Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team riders, the Desafio Inca rally will allow Xavier to gain more racing time aboard his WR450F Rally machine.
Wrapping up the Atacama Rally in August with a fifth place result, Franco Caimi will go after another strong result at the 2018 Desafio Inca. Working hard to improve on all the little details since the start of the season, the Argentinean is ready to battle in the dunes of Peru.
The 2018 Desafio Inca starts with its first of three rally stages on Friday, September 14. Each stage will feature two long loops outside Ica and the total distance to be covered over the three stages is more than 850km.
Xavier de Soultrait – Yamalube Yamaha Official Team rider
“The Desafio Inca is one of the most important events in our preparation for the upcoming Dakar. Following my injury at the previous Dakar I’ve been trying really hard to get back my speed and confidence and so far everything has been going according to our plans. This next three days we will get the chance to race our bikes in conditions that are quite similar to what we’ll face next January. My personal goal this weekend is to avoid mistakes and gain as much experience as possible. Without any pressure, I want to race my bike the way I know how and remain consistent throughout the event. It will be a good chance to continue our progress heading to the Morocco Rally next month and then to the biggest event of the year, the upcoming Dakar Rally.”
Franco Caimi – Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team rider
“I’ve been training really hard these last couple of months and I really hope this hard work will pay off. Right after the Atacama Rally I headed back home to Argentina and continued my training schedule. I feel ready for this weekend’s racing and my goal is to continue building on my speed and confidence here in Peru. This race includes lots of racing in big sandy dunes, so it will be a good chance to train ahead of the coming Dakar. These Peruvian dunes are quite unique. They have this special white sand that sometimes makes it hard to read the terrain when going fast. It’s a challenge for sure, but that’s why we are here. The Desafio Inca will be a big learning experience and I will do my best for a good overall result at the end of the weekend.”
Alexandre Kowalski – Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team director
“The work continues and we are happy that Adrien, Xavier and Franco are 100% fit and ready for the Desafio Inca here in Peru. This might just be a three-day event, but it is a crucial test for our team. It will give us the chance to continue with the development of our WR450F Rally machine and it will also allow our riders to get some more race time in the sand dunes of Peru. The information we have so far is that the coming Dakar will feature 70% to 80% of dunes and this makes the Desafio Inca a really important event for us. We are confident our riders can battle for some good overall results here in Peru, but our eyes are set on the coming Dakar. More than them going all out this weekend, we want our riders to collect experience and become even stronger in these particular racing conditions. We have a great team spirit and we are all looking forward to sharing the experience collected from this weekend’s racing in order to get even better.”
Adrien Van Beveren – Yamalube Yamaha Official Team rider