Posted on January 02 2015
Happy New Year! Quick update for all the ADV Addicts and Rally Fans out there: our entry in the 2015 Dakar Rally has officially passed scrutineering at the Dakar "Techopolis" in Argentina, so we are ready to go! In a way, this marks a new era for privateer entries to the Dakar. After a couple years of development, hard work, and multiple audits by ASO, John Mitchinson, Martin Wittering, and the Rally Raid Products UK Team have essentially manufactured a unique motorcycle for Dakar, based off a stock KTM 690 Enduro, which is a bike many ADV enthusiasts know and love (and have ridden around the world). The concept was to take a proven platform, the KTM 690, and make it legal under the 450cc Dakar rules. We call the concept "LC4-50," which takes its roots from the KTM LC4 engine, but modified to 450cc. And what better way to test this concept by racing it 5,500 miles over some of the world's toughest terrain?
Swedish rider Carl Hagenblad, #159 riding the LC4-50, is up for this huge challenge, and ADV ADDICTS is proud to be part of the team. Go Carl!!
