N° 014 - TEAM KTM - TONI - TOGO
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| Vehicle |
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| MODEL | MAKE |
| 690 | KTM |
The Dakar came into Alain Duclos’ life in 1982, when the caravan passed though his village in the north of the Ivory Coast. The competitors stayed overnight with the locals. “My family hosted Raymond Loizeaux and he got me interested in rallying”, says this native of Bamako, Mali. After his stay, Loiz eaux sent his n°102 bib to the young Duclos. “This bib was, in some ways, my security blanket”, he remembers. In 2000, during his first participation, Alian Duclos gave the piece of fabric back to Raymond Loizeaux. A nice way to bring this story full-circle.
Since then, the results of the Franco-Malian have impressively improved. Winner of the stage in his home town, Duclos solidified his stature as a contender in 2006, finishing 7th overall. This stunning performance didn’t go unnoticed by the best in the category. Duclos came to Buenos Aries last year in the support role for then defending Dakar champion, Cyril Despres. While his team leader’s objective wasn’t attained, the first South American edition provided invaluable lessons for young Duclos. “I fed my complexes compared to the other riders for a long time”, explains this construction foreman, who spends just four weeks out of the year in rally raiding! “This experience allowed me to understand my capabilities and by consequence I was able to build my confidence. It is also constructive to experience the rally alongside Cyril. I learned what it means to be professional and disciplined».
For this second Dakar in South America, Alain Duclos will be the number one rider in the Toni Toga Team. The uncertainties concerning the performance equivalence between the bridled KTM 690cc and the 450s do not trouble this new team leader, who has set some lofty objectives. “The competition for the top spots has always been rude. And I have the impression that the mental side is still the most important aspect at the end of the day. I hope I can finish in the top five. After all, I now have a little bit of experience and savoir faire. I am all twisted up”, Alain concludes with a joking tone, but totally free of his complexes.
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