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 | Pharaons 2010 Inside: Chilean Francisco Lopez to the conquer of Egypt.
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Pharaons Rally changed the life of Francisco López in 2006. The Chilean rider will be back in Egypt next October with new ambitions. "Everything was new, I was impressed with the race and the environment where it was carried out," remembers Francisco López from his very first participation in Pharaons Rally 2006, where he arrived searching for only one thing: the World Champion Title of the 450cc class.
His courage and efforts took him to his goal. "I was on the bike next to the finish and my head was going: I made it! I am World Champion! When I crossed the line, I looked for my friend Jaime Prohens and we hug each other. Then, Jordi Arilla and Claudio Torras (his managers in Europe) came to tell me that the contract to run my first Dakar Rally (2007) was signed," tells Chaleco excited.
With the World Champion Title of Cross Country Rally of the 450cc class in his hands, Chaleco opened a new page in his life becoming a professional rider with a bike from a manufacturer and a service team just for him. In October 2009, López attended to the Pharaons as an Aprilia official rider for the very first time. He took a stage victory in the passage followed by a third place overall in the Dakar three months later in Argentina.
As training is the key in cross country rally, and in Chile, López has the Atacama Desert next to him, the Egyptian dunes have a special taste, which makes of this race one of his favorites. "It´s a wide open desert, there are small dunes, but very technical, the white desert is of an amazing beauty, and there are also flat sections where we can run very fast, really full gas. It is very demanding race, but always in a friendly atmosphere."
This year, Francisco López will attend to Pharaons Rally behind the handlebars of his Aprilia 450cc. in order to make the last adjustments before the Dakar 2011. He won the Rally of Tunisia, but the tests in the Rally of Sardinia and the Baja Spain were less successful, so his participation in the Pharaons Rally is crucial. "We have to cure every detail in the race, the engine, suspensions, team logistics, etc." But his fighting spirit doesn´t go away for a minute. "This year the competition in Egypt will be at a high level and want to be in the standings," confess Chaleco López.
2010/08/31 | 15:12 CET | EDITOR: MR/HS/URTUBIA
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