KTM AG is an Austrian motorcycle and sports car manufacturer owned by KTM Industries AG and Indian manufacturer Bajaj Auto. It was formed in 1992 but traces its foundation to as early as 1934. Today, KTM AG is the parent company of the KTM Group.
Fabrizio Meoni was an Italian off-road and rallying motorcycle racer. He was a member of the KTM Factory Team.
Marc Coma i Camps is a Spanish rally racing motorcycle rider. He won the Dakar Rally in 2006, 2009, 2011, 2014, and 2015 riding a KTM motorcycle, and is also a six-time winner of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship. Since 2015 he has been a race director of the Dakar Rally.
The Yamaha XT660 is dual-purpose on/off road motorcycles released by Yamaha Motors as a replacement for the XT600.
The Central Europe Rally was a rally raid endurance race held in Romania and Hungary. It was held in 2008 as a replacement for the canceled 2008 Dakar Rally. All Dakar Rally entries were automatically deferred to the makeup rally. It was organized by the Amaury Sport Organisation.
The 2010 Dakar Rally was the 32nd running of the event. It was held in South America for the second successive time, and ran from 1 to 16 January. The Amaury Sport Organisation and the governments of Argentina and Chile agreed to a return to South America for the event in February 2009.
The 2011 Dakar Rally was the 33rd running of the event. It was held in Argentina and Chile for the third successive time, and ran from 1 to 16 January. The Amaury Sport Organisation and the governments of Argentina and Chile agreed to a return to South America for the event on 23 March 2010.
Cyril Despres is a French rally racer and resident of Andorra. He won the Dakar Rally five times, in 2005, 2007, 2010, 2012 and 2013, riding a KTM motorcycle. He also won the Red Bull Romaniacs, one of the toughest hard enduro events on the planet, three times, in 2004, 2005 and 2007 and the Erzberg Rodeo in 2002 and 2003. In the 2018 season he is one of the official drivers of the Team Peugeot Total.
The KTM 950 Adventure is a Dual-sport motorcycle that was produced in Austria by KTM. The bike is powered by a liquid cooled, four-stroke, DOHC 942 cc 75° V-twin engine, producing around 102 bhp (76 kW).
Toby Price is an Australian off-road and enduro motorcycle racing world champion. He lives in Gold Coast, Queensland, and rode for the KTM Off-Road Racing Team until October 2015. He now represents the Red Bull Factory KTM Rally Team.
The 2012 Desafio Litoral Rally was a first edition of rally raid endurance race held in Argentina from 23–28 July 2012. It was the first Dakar Series rally held in South America. The itinerary contained 3,454 kilometres of roads and tracks in total, including 1,840 of timed sections. It was organized by the Amaury Sport Organisation.
The 2013 Dakar Rally was the 35th running of the event and the fifth successive year that the event was held in South America. The event started in Lima, Peru on 5 January and finished in Santiago, Chile on 19 January after fourteen stages of competition. 448 vehicles in four classes of competition started the event, which comprised a total distance of over 8,500 kilometres. The motorcycle category was won by French rider Cyril Despres for a fifth time, riding a KTM; Marcos Patronelli took his second win in the quad competition riding a Yamaha; Stéphane Peterhansel captured his eleventh Dakar victory in the car category alongside co-driver Jean-Paul Cottret at the wheel of a Mini; and Eduard Nikolaev's maiden victory re-captured the truck category title for Kamaz.
Ruben Faria is a Portuguese rally-raid and enduro motorcycle rider, best known for his participation in the Dakar Rally in which he finished as runner-up in 2013.
The 2015 Dakar Rally was the 37th running of the event and the seventh successive year that the event was held in South America. The event started in Buenos Aires, Argentina on January 4, then ran through Argentina, Chile and Bolivia, before returning to Buenos Aires on January 17 after 13 stages of competition, for a total distance of 9,000 km (5,600 mi). For the first time, organizers reserved separate rest days for different categories so that at least two classes raced on each day.
Sam Sunderland is a Dubai-based British rally raid motorcycle rider, best known for his participation in the Dakar Rally, which he won in 2017.
Merzouga Rally is a rally raid that takes place in Morocco every year since 2010 at the beginning of October in the big dunes of Merzouga. It’s a five-day race plus prologue and a marathon stage in the desert. The stages are varied and round 2–300 km long. Navigation is the key and the competitors use the GPS Unik2, the same used on the Dakar Rally. Safety is important as well with the competitors using the Iritrack, the tracking system studied for the African rallies. Plus a professional medical staff with 4x4 ambulances and doctors on bike and quad along the track and heli-ambulance service. To meet the needs of the professional riders but also the necessities of amateurs, the Merzouga Rally features the division of the route in 2 categories: PRO: open to pro riders and those competitors ready for an ultimate challenge EXPERT: a technical and navigated route but less extreme stages as the Expert riders will cover the 75% of the complete route of the Pro riders. The Merzouga Raid: Ideal for those who face the desert for the first time. At their own pace, riding on the same route of the rally in small groups with an expert guide. The vehicles will be equipped with world track, the satellite system that allow to follow the vehicles on track in real time..
The 2016 Dakar Rally was the 38th edition of the event and the eighth successive year that the event was held in South America. The event started in Buenos Aires, Argentina on January 2, then ran through Argentina and Bolivia.
The KTM 950 Super Enduro R is a dual-sport motorcycle produced from 2006 to 2008. It is equipped with a 98-horsepower, four-stroke, V-twin engine, fully adjustable heavy-duty offroad suspension and enduro styling. Due to its light weight and offroad-capable profile the 950SE was perceived at its launch as a radical departure from any existing dual-sport, enduro or street bike models, while having characteristics of all three.
KTM 450 Rally is a rally raid bike, produced from 2011 with the specific task of winning the Dakar Rally, that has won nine times in nine participations.
