Paul Carruthers | July 21, 2003
The following release is from Larry Roeseler’s publicist…
The 26th Telefonica Dakar Rallye in 2004 will, for the first time since its inception in 1977, see a three-rider team of American racers participating in the granddaddy of rallies. Backed by KTM Sportmotorcycle USA and Red Bull, the team will consist of two veteran riders Larry Roeseler and Paul Krause who, between them, have more than 60 years of off-road racing experience around the globe.
Team member number three has yet to be chosen. In fact, KTM has decided to conduct an unprecedented, nationwide search for the third rider, though it’s not a contest you’re going to see on TV. Instead, the search for the third rider will be determined based on his or her off-road racing background, capability to make good decisions despite enormous fatigue, adaptability to foreign circumstances and ability to project a positive image for America and the team.
You see, the 2004 Telefonica Dakar Rallye will also witness for the first time a race within the race, wherein two-rider teams compete for their respective countries. It’ll be modeled along the lines of the Motocross des Nations, the Trial des Nations and the ISDE. In other words, expect it to be a “Rallye des Nations,” a sort of world team championship of desert racing decided by how well a country’s two top-placing racers do in the dash to Dakar.
Paul Carruthers | Editor
Paul Carruthers took over as the editor of Cycle News in 1993 after serving as associate editor since starting his career at the publication in 1985. Carruthers has covered every facet of the sport in his near-28-year tenure at America's Daily Motorcycle News Source.
