(ED: Updated with a message from Cyril Despres.)

KTM introduced its 2013 Rally Racing team while bidding farewell to five-time Dakar Rally winner Cyril Despres.

Despres won all five of his Dakar victories with KTM, winning in 2005, 2007, 2010, 2012 and 2013. He leaves the team to pursue a new challenge, with Honda rumored to be seeking his services for its newly-revived rally racing program.

Taking Despres’ place on the Red Bull KTM Factory team is American Kurt Caselli who raced in the 2013 Dakar Rally as a replacement for the injured Marc Coma. Caselli is joined by Ruben Faria, a long-time support rider of Despres’ who finished second in the 2013 Dakar Rally. Coma missed this year’s competion due to injury but has wins in 2006, 2009 and 2011 to his credit. He’ll seek his fourth Dakar with KTM in 2014. KTM will also offer full factory support to Francesco “Chaleco” Lopez who finished third at the 2013 Dakar Rally. Continue Reading »

Today at Intermot 2012, Honda unveiled the CRF450 Rally, the machine it plans to enter in the 2013 Dakar Rally, marking the manufacturer’s return to the race after more than two decades. Honda has competed nine times from 1981 in the forerunner of the present Dakar Rally, the Paris-Dakar Rally. Cyril Neveu of France took Honda to its first victory in 1982, the race’s fourth year, and from 1986 to 1989 Honda won four consecutive titles for an overall record of five victories in nine years.

The CRF450 Rally is based on Honda’s commercial CRF450X enduro racing model, and features electronic fuel injection, auxiliary fuel tanks in the panniers and lower side fairings, and the requisite navigation equipment located behind the windscreen. Interestingly, the navigation device is not a GPS, but instead is a backlit unit designed to hold the “Road Book” — a set of pace notes each competitor receives and is then free to modify. Continue Reading »

Star Motorcycles will be auctioning this Stratoliner Deluxe at the annual STAR Days rally in Reno, Nevada this July. Proceeds from the auction go to Feed the Children charity. The custom 2010 Stratoliner Deluxe wears a Benny Flores paint job, PM wheels, fairing lowers, a Garmin Zumo 665 GPS unit as well as a variety of Star accessories.

“The annual Feed the Children auction at STAR Days each year generates thousands of dollars to help feed and clothe children who so desperately need it,” said Alan Cease, President of Star Touring and Riding. “And this beautiful Stratoliner Deluxe is sure to the key attraction at this year’s annual auction.”

 

Harley-Davidson has announced its plans for the 2011 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Aug. 6-13 in the Black Hills region of South Dakota.

Scheduled Harley-Davidson activities include the AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building, the XR1200 Racing Experience, Muscular Dystrophy Association pin sale and custom motorcycle raffle and the Harley-Davidson Ride-In Show.

Harley-Davidson will also display its 2012 models, the H-D1 customization program and its MotorClothes line of apparel, and offer free helmet fittings and a bike wash. Demo rides will be offered through the week at Hersrud’s Chevrolet dealership near I-90 at Exit 30.

[Source: Harley-Davidson]

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Victory Motorcycles announced its schedule of events for the 71st annual Sturgis Rally, Aug. 8-14 in Sturgis, S.D.

The Medina, Minn., manufacturer returns this year as an official sponsor for Sturgis events at the Legendary Buffalo Chip, with a special one-off Victory Kingpin customized by Klock Werks Kustom Cycle to be given away on the Buffalo Chip stage.

Victory will be sponsoring the Buffalo Chip Legends Ride on Aug. 8, with special guests expected to include Arlen, Cory and Zack Ness, Roland Sands and Rupert Boneham from television’s Survivor. Victory will also host its traditional ride-in rally for Victory owners on Aug. 11.

Demo rides on all Victory models will also be offered throughout the week at a demo site at Exit 30 on I-90.

[Source: Victory]

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In July last year the second “Old Indians Never Die” rally took place in Pebbleshire, Scotland, the DVD should be available sometime this year.  The first rally was documented on film and was released in 1997, it can still be purchased on Amazon here.  The trailer for the second documentary is featured after the jump along with some other footage from the more recent rally, it looks great!

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Although I’ve never followed the Dakar Rally (formerly known as Paris-Dakar) intently, I’ve nevertheless been fascinated by the machines and men competing in this seemingly impossible-to-finish race. As far as I’m concerned it’s less a race and more a brutal test of human endurance.

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