Dakar 2018, one of the hardest editions of the toughest rally-raid in the world, came to a close in Cordoba in Argentina after 14 days and 9,000 kilometres of gruelling stages, competition and epic adventures.
Motul’s Remarkable Experiences at the 2018 Dakar
Dakar 2018 was particularly punishing in the early stages, with many big names and class favourites falling by the wayside. Overall, 57 per cent of the starters finished the rally! Motul’s partner teams celebrated three podiums in three different categories, with Toyota Auto Body’s Akira Miura winning the T2 (cars) sub-category. It was a case of so near but yet so far for the cars, bikes and Side by Side (SSV) Motul-supported entrants: XtremePlus Polaris Factory team took 2nd, 3rd and 4th places in SSV, while Kevin Benavides of HRC finished 2nd in the bikes, 16m 53s behind the winner.
Original by Motul – warriors of the Dakar
As Major Partner of the Dakar, one of Motul’s popular innovations for 2018 was considerable support of the Original by Motul entries in bikes. This is the category in which the riders had no assistance and had to look after the mechanical upkeep of their bike or quad on their own. Of the 27 Original by Motul entries, 16 finished and Frenchman Olivier Pain was a convincing winner ahead of Britain’s Lyndon Poskitt and Dutchman Hans-Jos Liefhebber. These warriors of the deserts and roads embodied pure competition and true Dakar spirit that this month came together as a real Original by Motul community – one that is likely to stay together for a long time to come.
The Motul Racing Lab
This year, Motul introduced a Racing Lab for the benefit of every competitor at every bivouac, including use of its oil analyser machine. Motul’s technical experts analysed above 150 samples from more than 25 different teams, carried out on Motul and non-Motul oils in different engines and gearboxes. The lab and expertise available was invaluable to all competitors and Motul’s presence as official lubricant partner to the Dakar was quickly established!
Xavier Gavory, Head of Competitor Department at ASO, summed up Motul’s Mobile Racing Lab: “Motul, through its knowledge, expertise and innovative approach of the sport, brings a real added value to the competition. The Motul Racing lab not only contributes to the reliability of the race vehicles and the optimisation of their performances, but also brings a support to the competitors in their quest to reach the finish line of the toughest rally in the world.”
Living the rally through Epic Story by Motul
Some of Motul’s key values were echoed in the Dakar and were shown through Epic Story by Motul, in which the most beautiful stories, acts of ingenuity and fighting spirit were rewarded. In short, the extraordinary everyday life of the Dakar heroes being ingenious, brotherly and brave. Ten stories were selected as possible Epic Stories by Motul during the Dakar and three were shortlisted by a jury and shared on Dakar’s official Facebook page on 26th January.
The Dakar might be over for another year but Motul says its name, beliefs, high standards and humanity are now even more integrated into this epic event. Roll on 2019!
