“We’re not going there to win. We don’t have the budget. Our aim is to finish the race,” says motorcyclist, endurance rally enthusiast and Lombard employee David Rincón, on his ambition to take part in the 2010 edition of the Dakar Rally, which runs across Latin America. Rally De LUXe aims to raise the funds to participate, and already has the bike, in partnership with Arnold Kontz BMW, and New Spirit, the company headed up by Carlo Arendt, who was the last Luxembourgish contestant to take part in the race ten years ago, on board. So what costs are involved? “This is the toughest race in motorsport,” says Rincón, a 33-year-old of Spanish nationality, currently living in Luxembourg. “To win requires millions of euros. I’m an amateur, and just to finish requires a lot of effort, on the physical side as well as the psychological one.”

Before such things can be taken into consideration, however, there are other requirements. The bike is sorted, but Rally de LUXe still needs to raise funds for critical elements such as the inscription fee for the race which is 13,500 euros, due in May, and race assistance during the rally, which costs upwards of 10,000 euros. Other needs, such as technical equipment, appropriate clothing, and travel expenses also have to be met. So how is the fund-raising going? “To compete comfortably and at the optimum level we have set out, we require around 70,000 euros,” says Rincón, “but we could still participate with 45 or 50,000. At the moment, we have about 10,000 euros, which covers most of the cost of the bike itself, while we have worked out a deal with Michelin regarding the tyres. Three or four large companies that we have contacted seem very interested in supporting us. Some others do not get involved in sponsorship, however.”For the sponsors, the media coverage of the event, with over 1,100 hours of worldwide TV broadcasting and some 53 million web pages viewed, is notable, while the media in the Grand Duchy will most probably take an active interest in the progress of a local team, while sponsors have the opportunity to establish a presence on the rider’s clothing as well as the team’s. There is also the possibility for the main sponsor to include their brand in the team name.

The race itself? Carlo Arendt describes it as “the Tour de France of motorcycle rallies, the equivalent of travelling from Luxembourg to Brussels and back again, and then some, and doing that through the fields, not on the motorway. And then doing that for 16, 18 successive days.” And Rincón himself? “It’s like my Everest. As a motorbike competitor I’m motivated by a tenacious desire and a nearly insane dream!” But the journey to take him to the starting line in Buenos Aires is only just beginning...