P28
IN
THE
WIND
W
here better to test the new
Honda CRF450 Rally for
the upcoming Dakar Rally than in
the high desert of Southern California? Well, that's where Honda
has been with the bike as Helder
Rodrigues, Joan Barreda and
Paulo Goncalves have been putting the bike through its paces
with the assistance of off-road
legend Johnny Campbell.
The CRF450 Rally has been
rebuilt from the ground up based
on the demands arising from the
last edition of the Dakar '13, according to HRC. The brand new
bike and the official HRC riders
will make their debut in the next
Oilibya Maroc Rally to be held in
Morocco, October 13-19.
"We are really happy with the
way the tests have gone until
now," said Team HRC Rally director Katsumi Yamazaki. "We
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF HRC
DAKAR TESTING IN SO. CAL.
Joan Barreda
tests the
new Honda
CRF450 Rally
in the Southern
California
desert.
have reached all the goals which
we set ourselves at the start
of this new project. The new
CRF450 RALLY is lighter, more
powerful, reliable and handles
well and easier. We now have
another month of intensive tests
and racing in Morocco to fine
tune a few final details, but the
immediate feedback from all the
riders for the new machine was
extremely positive."
FOR LAGUNA THE
BELL TOLLS
M
azda Raceway Laguna Seca and Bell Helmets have
come up with a specially designed, limited edition
Bell Star Carbon helmet to commemorate the Superbike
World Championship returning to the racetrack on the
Monterey Peninsula.
"With World Superbike returning to the Monterey Peninsula after an eight-year absence we knew we wanted to
do something really special to celebrate," said Gill Campbell, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca CEO/general manager. "The Bell Star Carbon helmet allows race fans a
chance to take home a piece of the event and something
that will bring memories for years to come."
continued on page 30
