The 2017 Dakar will be the first official rally-raid outing for constructor Zongshen. Five Cyclone motorcycles will line-up for the start in Asunción, with two experienced French riders, who will serve as role models for three Chinese rookies.
The most in the know when it comes to Asian pop culture have already spotted the information. The singer and actor Jen Richie will be at the start of the Dakar… this should be stirring up gossip on the Chinese social networks. As a motorcycle enthusiast, he splits his time between film sets and muddy tracks, but he has yet to compete outside his native China. Like his two countrymen Zhang Min and Zhao Hongyi, Richie has raced in his country's two biggest rallies: the Taklimakan and the Grand China Rally. And at the time to take on the rally of reference, he will have the privilege of being guided by two well-known riders whose roles have been central in the construction of this project. It was long-time Dakar loyalist Willy Jobard, since his first participation in 2001, who had the idea of getting a Chinese constructor involved in rally-raid. The deal was made with Zongshen, one of the leaders in the motorcycle industry, with two million bikes and five million engines sold each year! In record time, the option was taken to build a motorcycle, named Cyclone, designed in partnership with Willy. The Parisian based in Spain then called upon three-time winner of the Touquet Enduro and 8th on the 2007 Dakar, Thierry Béthys to test the new creation and then entrust him with the task of taking it to the finish line in January. “When he test rode the bike, he put in two easy days, and then rode flat out. He declared himself enchanted by the Cyclone. Its strength is its light size and manoeuvrability of an enduro bike while carrying 30 litres of petrol”. Aware of the responsibility that comes with the future of this Franco-Chinese adventure, Béthys, for his return after a four-year absence, is focusing on one objective: ”Finish my sixth Dakar without worrying about the general classification.”
宗申·赛科龙吹响出发号角
2017年是宗申首次参加达喀尔拉力赛，5名赛车手齐聚亚松森开始紧张的赛前准备，宗申为此次拉力赛配备了2名经验丰富的法国车手，另外3名车手（张敏同学为自费参赛）则都是首次参赛。来自亚洲的流行歌手和演员Jen Richie任贤齐也将作为车手参加本次赛事，作为摩托车爱好者，他的梦想就是代表中国参加达喀尔拉力赛。他曾经和张敏、赵宏毅一起在环塔拉力赛并肩“作战”。在参加比赛的时候，他将有幸受到两位来自法国的知名车手的指导，他们也因比赛而成为至交。其中一位便是达喀尔的忠诚拥护者Willy Jobard， 2001年，他便有用中国造摩托车参加拉力赛的想法。他与中国摩托车行业的知名品牌-宗申签订了合作协议，在非常短的时间里与威利合作设计了一款轻量化拉力赛车。接着邀请曾在2007年达喀尔拉力赛排名第8的ThierryBéthys加盟测试新赛车并参赛。
“它是一辆轻量化的越野摩托车，减掉的一部分重量使它具有较强的操控性和反应能力，同时还能装30升汽油，这就是这款赛科龙拉力赛车的优势”Thierry Béthy这样描述他在第一次测试时的感受。
Thierry Béthy表示，这是他缺席四年达喀尔赛事后再次重返赛场，而这次是代表中国原创品牌参赛，他深感责任重大，“我的目标就是排除一切杂念、倾尽全力完成我的第六个达喀尔比赛。
