Cyril Despres.

KTM factory rider Cyril Despres of France put in superb last day performance in the five day Sardinian Rally to secure a solid victory and underline the champion that he is.

Riders had to tackle demanding mountain and coastal terrain on the beautiful Mediterranean island and each day presented them with new offroad challenges.

The race was never a clear cut issue until the final day. While second placed Matteo Graziani and KTM factory rider David Casteu went into the final stage still as top contenders, they were unable to overcome the power of the leading French KTM rider. In the final reckoning it was Despres on the top of the podium, Italian Matteo Graziani in second place and fellow KTM factory rider Francisco Lopez of Chile who took the minor placing in the first of the world championship series.

Fighting to stay ahead of the game
Despres showed his skill, stamina and endurance. He overcame some small mistakes in the early part of the rally and some problems with his navigation in the middle of the week. But on the last day he was definitely a tour de force. He went out and took the special tests, the stage and rode to victory in the final 300 km with the same tactical skill that has won him races like the legendary Dakar.

Despres satisfied
"After the cancellation of the 2008 Dakar quite a few riders have made the World Championship their principle objective and it is a great source of satisfaction to win the opening round," Despres told his fans. He also praised the beauty and variety of terrain on the island, saying he felt like "a kid in a toy shop". The next race on the hit list of the French rider is the Erzberg Rodeo in June.

Casteu finishes solidly after mid race incident
David Casteu also succeeded in making up valuable ground after an incident in the middle of the rally when he was involved in a collision with Jordi Farres. The incident came about when Casteu and Lopez made a navigation mistake and were riding back on the course to correct it. While the Frenchman Casteu was able to continue to the finish, Farres was not so lucky. He fractured his foot and had to retire.

The other KTM factory riders, Jordi Viladoms (Repsol KTM), Casteu (Offroad KTM) and Frans Verhoeven (Kastle KTM Vectra) all finished in the top 10. Indeed six of the top 10 riders were riding machines from the Austrian manufacturer, making the 2008 Sardinia Rally a real success for KTM as well as the company's factory team riders.

© CAPSIS International