PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK KARIYA
VOL. 50 ISSUE 22 JUNE 4, 2013
day when he won the Supersport final. Riding
the MD Racing Honda, Dunlop took the lead at
Ballaugh on the opening lap from brother William
and with a 127.525 mph lap on his second lap, he
caught Bruce Anstey on the road and eventually
took the win from the Kiwi by 10.3 seconds.
William Dunlop rounded out the podium, marking the first time that siblings have shared a TT rostrum.
Dunlop's successful weekend started on Saturday with his victory in the Superbike TT, the
Honda rider taking the lead at Ballaugh Bridge on
the opening lap and riding on to a commanding
40-second win over fellow Honda riders Cameron
Donald and McGuinness, the latter overcoming a
60-second penalty to set the outright lap record
on the final lap.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY IOMTT.COM
Michael Dunlop heads for his
third victory of this year's Isle of
Man TT on Monday, June 3.
P23
Five-time Dakar
Rally winner
Cyril Despres
has signed with
Yamaha.
DESPRES TO
YAMAHA
W
hen KTM announced its Dakar team in
March and five-time Dakar Rally Champion
Cyril Despres wasn't on it, most figured that the
Frenchman was headed to Honda to spearhead its
effort in the world's biggest off-road rally. Wrong.
Despes is headed to the factory Yamaha team.
Despres will spearhead Yamaha's assault on
Dakar with Frenchman Michael Metge serving
as his support rider. Despres' long-time "domestique," or water boy, Ruben Faria, has re-signed
with KTM. Faria finished second behind Despres
in the 2013 Dakar Rally.
"I am very motivated by the idea of joining Yamaha's 'men in blue,' "Despres said today. "I remember watching them on TV as a boy and dreaming...
Within the brand I have discovered a strong feeling
of family, with an excellent flow of communication
and a technical staff that is motivated and open
to feedback. I am certain we will form a strong,
united team, focused on one objective: achieving
victory. I am also delighted to have Michael Metge
as support rider. He is an ambitious newcomer
who entered his first Dakar successfully this year
and is extremely motivated."
Despres will ride the team's YZ450F, a bike that
scored two stage victories in this year's race with
David Casteau and Frans Verhoeven at the controls; and the Yamaha team held the overall standcontinued on next page
