Cyril Despres wins his fourth Dakar Rally title in Lima and tells us about securing the toughest victory of his career…
The key to my victory this year was paying attention to all the little details that allow you to have a successful race. The days were so long as they always are on the Dakar and every evening I had to do my homework and prepare the roadbook. Sometimes it’s hard to find the energy to do this properly after a full day of riding but it’s such an important thing to get right.
'I have that winning feeling and it’s simply fantastic.'
To win the Dakar, you need to dedicate yourself to being fully prepared as well as making sure you look after your body and your bike. When all these things are taken care of, you give yourself a chance of winning. Today I have that winning feeling and it’s simply fantastic. This feeling makes all the hard work at the race and throughout the whole year worth the effort.
The 2012 Dakar is without a shadow of a doubt the toughest Dakar I have ever raced in. It was very demanding physically but also such an intense psychological battle. Every day, I had to rise to the challenge and that takes its toll on the mind. It’s definitely a marathon and not a sprint because even when you do a good job one day, you have to go out there and repeat it tomorrow and the next day for two tough weeks.
This is my fourth Dakar title and I’ve enjoyed every single one of them but this one seems even more special than the rest. This race really came down to the wire and the result was not decided until the very last minute.
'I’ve done nearly 100 rallies and this is the one where I had to fight the hardest to get the win.'
It was an unbelievable scenario this year with the Marc [Coma] and myself separated by mere seconds. I’ve now done nearly 100 rallies throughout my life and this is the one where I had to fight the hardest to get the win.
I feel so drained, it’s impossible to think about what I will be doing next year. I’m looking forward to spending some time on the sofa with my family in front of the television. After that, I guess I will still have the passion to race because that is what I do.
I would like to congratulate Stephane Peterhansel for his great victory in the car race and also thank my support rider Rubin Faria for another great job this year.
Keep tabs on Cyril’s race on Red Bull’s dedicated desert classic website.
Want more?
- Check out more Cyril Despres blogs
- Head to his official website at cyrildespres.com
- Go to the official website of the Dakar Rally 2012
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