DAKAR 2006: CARLO DE GAVARDO
12th December 2005




Interview, biography and sports career

What does the Dakar mean to you?
"It is the hardest competition on two-wheels of the world. A unique experience."

Which is the best memory you keep of the 10 times you've taken part in the mythic race?
"Having finished my first Paris-Dakar. It seemed to be something almost impossible, but I did it, it was a great achievement."

After your first participation, did you think that you would get that far?
"No, the truth is that I never thought about it. I enjoyed it from the first moment and from then on, everything came bit by bit."

Would you say that the desert is a friend or an enemy?
"A friend, a very close friend."

You were the first Chilean rider who took part in the rally, what made you do it?
"I was the first one on a motorbike. I did it mainly due to the challenge of racing rallies and there is no better way to do it than in the most prestigious one."

This year you will be racing again with the KTM 660. What kind of feelings does the new bike give you? What's the difference compared to the 450cc?
"I raced already on the KTM 660 for eight years and I achieved a third place in the Dakar and a FIM world title. Then I spent two years developing the 450 Rally and now I'll go back to the 660. It's a very powerful bike that needs much more physical shape, because all obstacles get closer much quicker due to the higher speed. Braking demands also much more effort, but there's no big difference as regards the weight."

This year you'll race within the structure of the Repsol KTM Team. What is your aim?
"My aim is to take the Repsol team to the top position and I'll do everything I can to make it."

How is the relation between you and your new team-mates?
"We have an extraordinary relationship. I've known them for a long time and there is a sincere relation, far beyond the sporting aspect, both with Marc and with Jordi and Giovanni."

What makes the Dakar such a special race?
"10,000 kms and fifteen days of race that take the rider and the team behind him to the most unexpected, extreme situations, both as regards the physical, technical and psychological aspects, the fact of living together and the weather conditions."

What would you highlight as a personal quality of yours?
"I always give my best, always, until I have reached my limit."


Biography and sports career

Nationality: Chilean
Date of birth: July 14, 1969
Place of residence: Huelquen, Chile

Sports career:

1987-95: Enduro Champion in Chile
1993: Bronze Medal at the Enduro World Championship. Tulsa, Oklahoma
1996: 17th in the Rally Granada Dakar
1997: Rally Dakar-Agadez-Dakar, retirement after a crash
4th in the Master Rally Paris-Moscow-Peking
1998: 12th in the Rally Paris Dakar. 1st in Marathon. 3rd in Production.
8th in the Atlas Rally. 1st in Marathon.
3rd in the International Rally Dos Sertoes.
1999: 8th in the Rally Granada Dakar. 1st in Marathon. 2nd in Production.
7th in the International Rally Dos Sertoes
4th in the Master Rally
5th in the Egypt Rally.
12th in the Dubai Rally.
2000: Rally Paris Dakar, retirement with broken engine.
Rally Tunisia, retirement in the last stage after a crash.
2nd in the International Rally Dos Sertoes.
2nd in the Master Rally Paris- Istanbul
1st in the Rally Las Pampas de Argentina
3rd in the Egypt Rally
2nd in the Dubai Rally
Runner-up FIM Cross Country Rally World Cup
2001: 3rd in the Rally Paris Dakar
3rd in the Rally Tunisia
3rd in the Rally Montes de Cuenca. Spain.
1st in the Rally Por Las Pampas. Argentina.
3rd in the Egypt Rally.
FIM Cross Country Rally World Champion
2002: 4th in the Rally Arras - Madrid - Dakar
2nd in the Rally Tunisia
4th in the Rally Morocco
Rally Por Las Pampas, Chile. Retirement after a crash.
5th in the FIM Cross Country Rally World Cup
2003: 8th in the Rally Paris Dakar
Rally Tunisia, retirement after a crash
10th in the Rally Morocco
7th in the Rally Des Pharaons Egypt
2004: 8th in the Rally Paris Dakar
6th in the Rally Tunisia. 1st in the 450cc class.
6th in the Rally Morocco. 1st in the 450cc class.
3rd in the Rally D´Orient Turkey. 1st in the 450cc class..
Rally Des Pharaons, Egypt, retirement after Richard Sainct's death.
1st in the Rally Por Las Pampas, Argentina
FIM 450cc Cross Country Rally World Champion
2005: Rally Dakar, retirement after a crash.
3rd in the Rally Patagonia Atacama. 1st in the 450cc class.
2nd in the Rally Tunisia. 1st in the 450cc class.
4th in the Rally Morocco. 1st in the 450cc class.
4th in the Rally D´Orient Turkey. 1st in the 450cc class.
2nd in the Rally Dos Sertoes Brazil.1st in the 450cc class.
FIM 450cc Cross Country Rally World Champion
2nd in the Rally Des Pharaons, Egypt.


Carlo de Gavardo Prohens was born in Chile, on July 14, 1969. His full dedication to sports on two-wheels, together with his effort and his passion resulted in the great victories he has offered to his country. He made his first steps in the world of motorcycling on the enduro tracks in Chile, guided by his father Giorgio de Gavardo and his uncle Santiago Lazo. His technical level began to increase and he took his first National Enduro Championship in 1987, keeping the crown for almost a decade. But that was only the beginning. In 1993 he also took the bronze medal in the Enduro World Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Carlo's passion for motorcycling grew day after day, so that in 1996 he decided to take part in the mythic Paris-Dakar Rally. Without having much means, he gathered all he could in order to let Chile be represented for the first time in the motorbike class of the African rally.

It was a difficult task and not many believed in him, but his perseverance lead him to the seventeenth place in his first participation. On his arrival at Lake Rose, Carlo said that it would be his first and last rally, although as soon as he went back to France he already started to plan the challenge for the next year. 1997 brought the first setback in his career, when he was forced to retire following a fracture of tibia and fibula. But you learn from all of your experiences and the accident made him realise that, in order to be prepared, he would have to train himself throughout the year at lower level international races to face his big dream with higher guarantees. In August of that same year, he took part in the Paris-Moscow-Peking Rally, finishing fourth and starting to show his big skills on the bike.

After a year of thorough preparation, he went for the 1998 Dakar Rally. He finished twelfth overall, winner of the marathon class and third in the production class, in addition to being awarded the FIM "Fair Play" for sacrificing his position in order to save the life of another rider. He took part in two further races that year achieving very good results: eighth in the Atlas Rally, winner in the marathon class and third in the International Rally Dos Sertoes.

He kept on improving and was eighth in the 1999 Dakar Rally, winning again in the marathon class and finishing second in the production class. That was also the year when the project "De Gavardo Rally Team 2000", was born, a way to sponsor his participation in several international races, thus being able to enter the fight for the FIM World Cup: International Rally Dos Sertoes (retired), Master Rally (fourth), Rally des Pharaons in Egypt (fifth) and Desert Challenge in Dubai (twelfth).

2000 was the year of Carlo de Gavardo's international confirmation, and also the year he was holding out more hopes of his participation in the Dakar Rally. But a broken engine after only 150 kms of the first special collapsed his dreams and aspirations. Despite the deception, Carlo gathered all his strength and took part in the Tunisia Rally in March, making one of the best races of his life. He was second overall, but in the penultimate stage of the rally he crashed at high speed against another rider and was out of the race. But this did not hinder him from getting on the podium in all the remaining races. He won the Rally Las Pampas, was second in the International Rally Dos Sertoes, in the Master Rally Paris-Istanbul, and in the Dubai Rally and third in the Egypt Rally, thus becoming runner-up of the FIM Cross Country Rally World Cup.

With renewed confidence and more than prepared, he finally was able to get on the longed for podium of the Paris Dakar Rally with an excellent third place and got an offer from KTM to be part of the official team. He faced the 2001 World Cup with conviction and after one victory in Argentina and three third places in Tunisia, Spain and Egypt, his effort bore fruit and Carlo became 2001 World Champion.

The 2002 season started very well for the Chilean rider. He was fourth in the Dakar Rally, second in Tunisia and fourth in Morocco. He arrived at the Rally Chile equal in points with the leader Richard Sainct, but the pressure and the craziness of a country wanting to see their idol, took him to make a mistake that had serious consequences. Carlo suffered one of the worst accidents of his career, fracturing radius and ulna in both arms, thus having to say goodbye to what was left of the season. Difficult months followed, but the support of the people around him and a big effort, both physically and mentally, made him reappear in the world of rallying at the 25th Dakar Rally, and he crowned his comeback with a commendable eighth place.

Once the Dakar was over, bad luck came back. After a change in the road book which was badly marked by the organisation, Carlo suffered a heavy crash at the Tunisia rally, dislocating his left shoulder and was forced to retire. But KTM did not loose confidence in their rider and Carlo signed for further two years with the Austrian brand. Two months later he was back into action at the Rally Morocco, finishing tenth. That year, the Repsol rider faced another challenge: testing the new 450cc engine developed by KTM. He accepted the challenge with responsibility and enthusiasm and finished his first race, the Rally Australia, in fifth place. Only one month later, and despite several mishaps, he managed to finish the Egypt rally in eighth position.

His recovery was being slower than Carlo had expected, but an intensive physical training combined with the adequate psychological work made him reach the 2004 Dakar in good conditions. Although he was hoping for more, the eighth place made him recover the lost faith and confidence. In the 2004 FIM World Cup, Carlo took a new challenge in his professional life. He became the official KTM test rider and the only rider to participate in all rounds of the championship. Two sixth places in Tunisia and Morocco, a third place in Turkey and the victory in Argentina, were enough to be crowned FIM 450cc Cross Country Rally World Champion. But there was another fact that would mark that edition of the Championship. In the fourth special of the Rally des Pharaons in Egypt, the French rider Richard Sainct died leaving a big empty spot in the KTM team. Terribly sad about the loss of a good friend, the whole team decided to retire from the rally as a sign of respect.

With Sainct still in his memory, Carlo De Gavardo stood again in front of his big dream: the 2005 Dakar. Dressing the Repsol colours, he started his African adventure on the 450cc KTM with the aim of clinching the top spot of his class. Faithful to his sporting and team spirit, he stayed with Jordi Duran, who had suffered a terrifying accident in the second leg of the rally, until the assistance arrived, without even thinking about the minutes he had lost. But his own way was short as well, because he suffered an accident in the following leg, hindering from continuing the race. Once at home, he received one of the worst news of his life, the death of his master and friend Fabrizio Meoni. After an exhaustive work-out plan, he arrived at the first round of the World Cup, the Rally Patagonia Atacama, where he finished third. Two second places in Tunisia and Brazil, and to fourth places in Morocco and Turkey took him to regain the world title in the 450cc class. The end of a phase had come, because for the next round, the Egypt Rally, he left the 450cc machine to face new challenges on a KTM with a larger cylinder capacity. And the result could not be more hopeful. In his first race on a 700cc, Carlo finished the Rally des Pharaons second, right behind Marc Coma, who only a couple of weeks later was proclaimed 2006 Raid World Champion.

In the 2006 Dakar, Carlo De Gavardo will be facing a very significant year, because it will be his tenth year in the world of raids. The Chilean rider will put all his eagerness and effort in his clear aim: becoming the first American rider to win the Dakar. His preparation has been exhaustive and he hopes to take his team, the Repsol KTM team, to the highest step of the podium at the big African challenge, the 2006 Lisbon-Dakar Rally.