UK’s NEWEST MOTORCYCLE MANUFACTURER TO TAKE ON DAKAR RALLY! !

A small and dedicated team of British engineers are all set to take on the established motorcycle manufacturers with an innovative new off-road race bike at the Dakar Rally in January 2015.! !

The Dakar Rally (formally the Paris-Dakar, now held in South America) is traditionally the longest and most arduous off-road race in the world. Held over two weeks and in excess of 9000 kilometres - it features extremes of weather, altitude and terrain - and is considered the ultimate test of endurance and reliability for both competitors and their machines.! ! 

Northamptonshire based Rally Raid Products are the world’s leading manufacturer of aftermarket rally racing and adventure parts & accessories for the KTM 690 Enduro motorcycle.! !

Over the past two years they have re-engineered the existing KTM 690cc single cylinder engine to comply with the current Dakar Rally regulations’ maximum capacity limit of 450cc.! !

The motivation was primarily reliability, together with affordability for the privateer rally racer. While the factory teams now chase maximum horsepower from increasingly fragile race engines that need intensive servicing each night, Rally Raid Products could see an immediate benefit in retaining the inherent strength and lower maintenance requirements of the original KTM 690 engine architecture.! ! 

Dubbed the Rally Raid Products LC4-50 (in tribute to the original KTM ‘LC4’ engine, combined with the new 450cc capacity), the bike is also fitted with uprated suspension together with their long range fuel tanks, rally fairing, and all the navigation and safety equipment necessary to take part in such a gruelling endurance event.! !

A fundamental part of the process to ensure their race bike met the strict eligibility criteria as a production machine, required Rally Raid Products to gain UK Type Approval for the LC4-50, effectively making them the UK’s newest motorcycle manufacturer.! !

Finally, with just two weeks to go, ASO (Amaury Sports Organisation) the governing body of the Dakar Rally, have confirmed that the Rally Raid Products’ LC4-50 now meets all the necessary entry requirements to take part in the world’s premier off-road racing event this coming January.! !

The team are now undergoing their final preparation prior to scrutineering and shipping to South America. The LC4-50 will be piloted at the Dakar 2015 by Swedish rider Carl Hagenblad, race number: #159.! !

A comprehensive review of the project - including photographs and an interview with the team - will follow the successful departure of the bike on the 21st of November. In the meantime, for further information please contact:! !

Jenny Morgan! for and on behalf of: Rally-Raid Products UK! t(m). +44 7952 036688 ! Skype. jmoandpiglet ! (please note. I am currently on the west coast of the USA -8h GMT)! !

Or Rally Raid Products (John Mitchinson) direct on: ! tel. +44 (0)1933 663386 email. info@rally-raidproducts.co.uk ! Rally Raid Products UK: www.rally-raidproducts.co.uk