the essential
At 43 years old, Jean-Philippe Révolte from Toulouse sets out this Friday, aboard his KTM 450 Rally Replica, to tackle his first Dakar. The quintessence of rally-raid, his great passion.
It seemed inaccessible to him. Driving the Dakar one day, driving at full throttle on the dunes, in the most beautiful deserts, Jean-Philippe Révolte has secretly dreamed of it for years. Passionate about motorcycles and the great outdoors, he has been practicing enduro and motocross for leisure since the age of 18, before taking part in a few competitions such as the famous Le Touquet enduro. But from there to taking the start of the Dakar… “There was a world,” laughs the Toulouse driver, director of the JBS Moto (KTM, Husqvarna, Gas-Gas) dealership in Toulouse. But in 2021, two comrades of his are planning to compete in a Dakar. “The idea caught on and we imagined the project,” continues Jean-Philippe Révolte who will now prepare his motorcycles (KTMs of course) and begin rally raids in 2021. Morocco Rally, Baja Aragon, Andalucia Rally, Hellas Rally and others will be his first playgrounds. “My first rally-raid was that of Morocco in 2021, the final event of the world championship. I learned a lot, I had difficulty finishing because I was injured,” remembers the KTM rider who is not giving up even if he admits: “Physically, the effort required is unimaginable, especially on the Dakar where only between 50 and 65% of competitors finish. »
Tracing your route in the sea of sand of Rub al Khali
Friday morning, when setting off on the starting line on the handlebars of his KTM 450 RR, a reference in motorcycle rally raids, bib 105 intends to be one of the finishers, expected on January 17 for the stage final around Shubaytah after having swallowed a dozen stages “mainly with rocks and stones before tackling in the final four days in the desert, with non-stop dunes and no more stones,” rejoices the Toulouse driver who won his place in the Dakar in 2023 on the Morocco rally. “Since 2021, I have competed in 13 rallies in 3 years, all contested in a motorcycle trunk (without assistance, Editor’s note) and all finished! There, we are pushing ourselves and that creates incredible bonds with other competitors. »
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Jean-Philippe Révolte tames the sand of Le Touquet
He is going to live out his dream of riding in the dunes on this Dakar, with assistance at his side for the first time. “It will be a first for me, a new experience which will undoubtedly allow me to rest a little more after each stage”, he estimates, very excited to discover and ride at the end of Dakar in the Rub al Khali (also known as the Empty Quarter, Editor’s note), the largest uninterrupted expanse of sand on the planet located in the Arabian Peninsula. “They say the landscapes there are sumptuous. And since these are not tourist places, I hope to see that! »
Morocco
