The adventure in the world's most difficult rally got underway on the first day of the year and has a lot in store for fans until the 17th. The Brazilian Petrobras Lubrax team, which is participating in the event for the 23rd time in a row, has its eyes set on increasing its wins in the Dakar Rally: it has been on the podium 20 times, eight of which first places.
When the competition started, all of the 362 vehicles drove off the ramp built in front of the Obelisk, in Buenos Aires (Argentina), and left towards the city of Colon, 317 kilometers away.
The competitors will cover exactly 9,030 kilometers, after passing through the fearsome dunes in the Atacama Desert, in Chile, among other obstacles to be overcome in the second edition of the Dakar Rally in South America.
Check out the competition's itinerary:
There will be 151 bikes, one of which driven by Rodolpho Mattheis, 25 quadricycles, 134 cars, counting with the Mitsubishi duo Jean Azevedo/Emerson "Bina" Cavassim, and 52 trucks, with the presence of the Tatra trio, André Azevedo/Maykel Justo/Mira Martinec.
Rodolpho Mattheis has set his goal: to win the Marathon category for the second time. Riding a KTM 450 bike, Mattheis speaks of his main challenges: "Adverse temperatures, extreme heat and cold. Altitudes of up to 4,000 meters while crossing the Andes. The rally is very complete. We will have fast and curve-riddled roads, stretches in the desert full of rocks and dunes."
Learn more about the Petrobras Lubrax Team drivers:
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André Azevedo - An engineer by schooling, André Azevedo let his passion for speed speak louder when, in 1988, he was one of the first Brazilians to compete in the Dakar Rally. From then on, his name entered the global off-road history for good. In January 2007, he completed his 20th participation in the rally. He is the Petrobras Lubrax Team truck driver, and has won the Sertões Rally three times.
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Jean Azevedo - Is the youngest brother of his team mate, André Azevedo. In 2008, Jean substituted bikes for Petrobras Lubrax Team Mitsubishi's steering wheel, after a remarkable career in Brazilian motorbike racing. When he debuted in this new category, he won the Brazilian Championship among the Cars, and is the only driver to have won Brazilian Championships in two different categories.
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Rodolpho Mattheis - Is a member of the Team in the Bikes category. Since 2005, he has been participating in off-road competitions, and has achieved victories in his category. His main results were: victory in the up to 450-cc Marathon category in the 2009 Dakar Rally, leadership in the Production category in the 2009 Sertões, and first place in the 2008 Open Brazil Sertões.
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Emerson "Bina" Cavassin - This architect decided to be a navigator in rallies in 2001, when he competed next to Rafael Tulio in the Speed races and, from then on, never stopped competing. This year, he will have a double debut, loaded with responsibility: on the Petrobras Lubrax team, and in the 2010 Dakar Rally, the world's biggest and toughest off-road competition.
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Maykel Justo - In his first participation in the Dakar, he ended fourth among all of the trucks registered for the event. Now, the André Azevedo / Maykel Justo duo is fine-tuned and promises great performances in the upcoming competitions. They are acknowledged for their strength and competency while managing the problems they run up against throughout the competition.
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Mira Martinec - Czech national Jaromir (Mira) Martinec is the third member of André Azevedo's Tatra, and competes in international events, such as the Dakar Rally. When he started his career with the Brazilian team, Mira used to be part of the support team, and was one of the truck's mechanics. He is also a journalist, writing for a magazine that specializes in cars and trucks in the Czech Republic.
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