As the New Year begins, so does Yamaha’s first racing challenge of 2013. Having spent 21 days at sea crossing the Atlantic and passing through the Panama Canal, the Yamaha Netherlands Verhoeven Team’s Yamaha YZ450F four-stroke based machine and support equipment for Dutch rider Frans Verhoeven has arrived in South America and is undergoing technical inspection with 195 fellow two-wheeled competitors on the beaches of Lima, capital city of Peru. The team is set and prepared for the first event of the 2013 Dakar Rally, the special stage at Chorillos on January 5th.
Frans Verhoeven, who has recently signed a two-year contract with Yamaha Motor Europe and Yamaha Motor Netherlands for the 2013 and 2014 Dakar Rally, is no stranger to the competition. His first Dakar experience was 2005, the Dutchman gradually increasing his experience to finish a career best of eighth in 2009. Verhoeven can also claim three stage victories along with two top three finishes in the 2012 Rally.
Yamaha can claim a special place in the Dakar story, having won the first two ever Rallies in 1979 and 1980 with the Yamaha XT500 and rider Cyril Neveu. The manufacturer has gone on to claim a total of eight titles from 1979 to the present and is optimistic of at least a top five finish with Verhoeven on-board.
In preparation for the 2013 Dakar and to familiarize himself with the Yamaha YZ450F bike and support team, Verhoeven entered the Libya Rally du Maroc in October 2012. The ‘training exercise’ proved extremely successful with rider, machine and staff all performing above expectation, taking fourth in the final standings.
“The main goal with the Libya Rally in October was to get to know the Yamaha 450 and work on its set up,” said Frans Verhoeven. “I was really impressed with its speed and the smoothness of the engine. It was my first time riding with this kind of engine management control and traction control so it took some understanding but my confidence has really grown.
“It was a pleasure working with the mechanics, we understand each other very well and most importantly we had no crashes and no technical problems! I think we have the potential to do really well in the rally, the potential of the bike is great and the support from Yamaha is essential for success.”
Verhoeven will not be the only rider representing Yamaha in the rally. Yamaha Racing France Yamalube riders Olivier Pain and Michael Metge will be putting their YZ450Fs to the test in South America alongside David Casteu riding for the Casteu Adventure Team and former stage winner David Frétigné riding the WR450F for the Yamaha Racing France Power Bike Team. A total of 49 Yamaha machines will line up to contest the 2013 Dakar Rally.
