HUSQVARNA RALLYE TEAM BY SPEEDBRAIN 2013 DAKAR RALLY MEDIA GUIDE Contents. Ready for the legendary desert rally �����������������������������������������05 Talent, speed and experience ����������������������������������������������������07 Succesful preparation ��������������������������������������������������������������09 Cumulative off-road experience �������������������������������������������������11 The big ‘Dakar’ adventure ���������������������������������������������������������13 Who’s who? ����������������������������������������������������������������������������17 Wolfgang Fischer – Interview ����������������������������������������������������19 The riders – Profiles and interviews ������������������������������������������27 The Husqvarna TE449RR by Speedbrain ������������������������������������53 2013 Dakar Rally – The route ���������������������������������������������������61 14 times the ultimate test �������������������������������������������������������65 Regulations for motorcycles �����������������������������������������������������73 Approaching 110 years of success ��������������������������������������������83 Strong partners ����������������������������������������������������������������������87 Media service ��������������������������������������������������������������������������93 03 Ready for the legendary desert rally. Raw gravel routes, high sand dunes and deep America for the fifth time and gets underway riverbeds: this is the habitat of the Husqvarna on 5 January in the Peruvian capital of Lima. rally bike. As such, it stands to reason that From there, the 8,000-kilometre plus route it should take on the ultimate challenge in off- takes the competitors on 14 stages through road marathon racing – the Dakar Rally. The northern Chile and the Andes to Argentina, be- Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain will fore returning to Chile and its capital Santiago. again have its sights set on the podium when it The teams and riders are scheduled to arrive lines up at the 35th edition of the desert clas- there on 19 January. sic in January 2013. The team from Stephans- kirchen (GER) will receive factory support from In the Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain, Husqvarna Motorcycles and the BMW Group. the bikes will be looked after on-site by an The bike charged with achieving success in eleven-man crew. All eleven team members South America in January is the Husqvarna can call on a wealth of ‘Dakar’ experience and TE449RR by Speedbrain, which made its debut know exactly what this ultimate endurance at the 2012 Dakar Rally and has since been test is all about. The man pulling the strings further developed in all areas. This time, a total is Speedbrain Managing Director and Team of five of the off-road bikes, which were devel- Manager Wolfgang Fischer, while Technical Di- oped and assembled in Stephanskirchen, will rector Stefan Krause is responsible for techni- line up at the start at the start. The four bikes cal issues. Berthold Hauser is project leader of the team will be ridden by Joan Barreda at Husqvarna/BMW Motorrad. In preparation (ESP), Paulo Gonçalves (POR), Alessandro Bot- for the Dakar Rally, the Husqvarna Team by turi (ITA) and Matt Fish (AUS). In addition, there Speedbrain successfully entered the FIM Cross is an agreement between Speedbrain and Jordi Country Rallies World Championship and took Viladoms (ESP), who will use a TE449RR as a part in other marathon rallies over the course privateer at the 2013 Dakar Rally. of the 2012 season. For a long time the Dakar Rally has enjoyed “The Dakar Rally not only thrills die-hard motor- legendary status. The first race took place sport fans, but is also followed by millions of back in December 1978. It took the teams people around the globe as the most infamous from Paris, through southern Europe and the endurance rally in the world,” explained Klaus deserts of North Africa, to Dakar in Senegal. Allisat, Head of Husqvarna Motorcycles. “The Since then, the ‘Dakar’ has developed into the name ‘Dakar’ is well known around the world. most famous marathon rally in the world. The This makes it the perfect stage for us to dem- name is synonymous with adventure and free- onstrate our expertise in the off-road area. In dom, but the desert classic is also the ultimate doing so, we can count on a proven partner in test of endurance for man and machine, and Speedbrain. The team has an immense wealth often requires them to push their boundaries. of experience and huge ability. The success it In 2013 the Dakar Rally will be held in South has enjoyed in recent years is emphatic proof 05 Talent, speed and experience. of this. We are looking forward to supporting measures. Now we travel to South America Wolfgang Fischer’s team again at the 2013 well prepared. The Husqvarna Rallye Team by ‘Dakar’ and wish them every success as they Speedbrain is a well-oiled and close-knit team. face the challenge in South America.” We have an outstanding rally bike and excellent riders. I am confident that we can convert this “We cannot wait for the Dakar Rally to get into corresponding results at the ‘Dakar’.” started and are well equipped for this endur- ance test,” said Team Manager Wolfgang When it comes to the riders, the Husqvarna Fischer. “The summer preparations ran su- Rallye Team by Speedbrain can count on a perbly. We have further developed and opti- combination of talent, speed and cumula- mised the Husqvarna TE449RR by Speedbrain, tive marathon rally experience. One of the and our riders have shown regularly during the strengths of the squad is the close-knit team. season that they are capable of competing with The motto here is one for all, all for one. The the best in the world. They have a say in who riders are not lone warriors, but partners and wins and who ends up on the podium. And that team members who complement and support is also what we have set our sights on for the each other in cooperation with engineers and ‘Dakar’. I would like to thank all the team mem- mechanics. bers, riders, mechanics and engineers who have been so committed and worked so hard Experts saw Joan Barreda as the discovery of on this project. A huge thank you goes to the the 2012 Dakar Rally. Now 29, the Spaniard BMW Group and Husqvarna Motorcycles in was contesting the desert classic for the sec- Varese. Their support has played a major role ond time in January, and was making his Dakar in allowing us to be so well equipped going into debut as a Husqvarna rider. The historic stage the ‘Dakar’ adventure. We are proud to enjoy victory for the Husqvarna TE449RR by Speed- their full confidence and trust. I would also like brain and several top-three finishes underlined to thank Monster Energy, a partner who has the fact that Barreda is a potential future ‘Da- reliably been on our side since we started out.” kar’ winner. He has an experienced partner at his side, in the form of Paulo Gonçalves. The “The ‘Dakar’ is one of the biggest challenges 33-year-old father from Portugal will line up at you can face in motorsport. We are look- the Dakar Rally for the seventh time in 2013 ing forward to taking this on together with and has enjoyed success with Speedbrain at Wolfgang Fischer’s team,” added Berthold marathon events for many years. Hauser, Project Leader at BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna. “We have worked intensively New to the team are 37-year-old Italian Ales- together to prepare for this challenge over the sandro Botturi, who replaces injured Quinn past few months. We have run through every- Cody, and 32-year-old Australian Matthew thing meticulously and tried to be prepared for ‘Matt’ Fish. Among Botturi’s achievements all eventualities and hurdles with solutions and are nine wins of the Italian enduro champion- 07 Successful preparation. ship and two wins at the International Six Days Cross Country Rallies World Championship, Enduro. Fish is a proven desert specialist and Husqvarna finished in an impressive second has enjoyed great success, particularly in his place overall. native Australia. He is making his first appear- ance at the ‘Dakar’ in 2013 and will take on As well as the World Championship rallies, the the so-called ‘Waterboy’ role, whose job is to team also competed successfully at the Baja help the other three riders should they come España Aragón in Spain – Joan Barreda was into difficulties. victorious – and the Oil Libya Rallye du Maroc in Morocco. Barreda finished second overall in “Paulo and Joan have contested the entire this rally, which is widely regarded as a dress World Championship season together. They rehearsal for the ‘Dakar’. Gonçalves and Fish both work wonderfully together – Joan as completed the strong team result by finishing something of a young hothead and Paulo as fifth and eighth. Barreda and Gonçalves both an experienced rider who has already lined up won one stage each. The most important at the Dakar Rally on seven occasions,” said conclusion after all the preparations is that Wolfgang Fischer. “Matt is a great team player, the Husqvarna TE449RR by Speedbrain and thinks very well on the go and adapts extremely the riders are ready for the endurance test in quickly to new situations. Alessandro is new to South America. The bike works like clockwork, the team for the ‘Dakar’. His CV shows that he while the technology has not once encountered is a very quick rider who has shown his poten- any major problems. The riders have also tial when he finished eighth on his ‘Dakar’ debut shown that they are among the very best in the in 2012.” world – the prerequisites for the 2013 Dakar Rally could hardly be better. Preparations for the season highlight in South America took place under competitive con- ditions. For example, the Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain has contested the en- tire season in the FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship for the first time. The team got off to a successful start: Barreda and Gonçalves came home second and third to claim podium finishes at the Abu Dhabi De- sert Challenge at the start of April.