VERHOEVEN Frans NLD 07/11/1966 185 cm 82 kg

Vehicle

MODEL	MAKE
690 RALLYE	KTM

RANKING

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15
Scratch	4	1	13	9	2	8	6	33	1	9	-	11	10	7
Stage	4	1	13	9	2	8	6	33	1	9	-	11	10	7	-	-
Overall	4	2	17	9	7	8	8	10	8	8	-	8	8	8	-	-

“I’m comfortable on very long distances”

Life has really changed for this former plasterer. Five years ago Frans Verhoeven showed up on the Dakar with the simple reputation of being a decent enduro rider. Two weeks later, the Dutchman finished the race 16th. Two years later he had become the “water-carrier” for Cyril Despres. And last year, he was on equal terms with the best riders on the South American territory. As well as his entry in the Top 10 (8th overall), he also conquered his first two special victories with the feeling he could still do better: “I especially feel comfortable on the very long stages and actually the two that I won were the longest. That’s why I was a bit disappointed by the kilometre cut of several stages that would have suited my capacities”. Since then, Verhoeven has turned to the superior stage of his implication in off-road rallies. Founder of his own team, he put aside the World Cup races to focus at 100% on the preparation of his new bike, a BMW, to go and battle it out with the best: “Since the 1st of March, I’ve spent all my time developing this 450cc, testing a lot both in my country and in Romania. I just lack of race experience but I feel comfortable on the bike and I feel it’s ready for the Dakar. I especially focused on the reliability of the engine rather than working on its power. And I know that I can ride full blast without breaking, it’s a security. Now we don’t yet know the level of performance of the 450cc bikes compared to the 690cc machines with restrictors. It’ll certainly be very open. Coma and Despres remain the favourites but anything can happen”.

Dakar start photos on line: www.maindruphoto.com

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