Patrick Becquart and his son Romain participate in the Dakar 2021. – Becquart
Two Northerners, a father and his son, will be on the starting line of the Dakar which takes place in Saudi Arabia this year.
Patrick and Romain Becquart leave without any preparation due to the coronavirus epidemic.
But both are experienced with many motorcycle competitions under their belt which should help them tame their new mount.
Come what may. This Sunday, two Northerners will be on the starting line of the first stage of Dakar 2021 which takes place this year in Saudi Arabia . For the father, pilot, and the son, navigator, this rallye- raid will be that of all discoveries. They set off on an adventure without any preparation, the coronavirus epidemic having prevented them from testing until the car was working.
But in motorsports, these are not six-week-old rabbits in the Becquart family. The father, Patrick, 60 years, has behind him a solid experience of enduro on motorcycles with no less than 20 participations in the Enduropale du Touquet. In rally-raid, he rode his bump in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. And the Dakar too, he knows. “I participated three times on a motorcycle, in 1303, 2002 and 2005. It was still the old configuration with all the same resources, but less modern than now ”, recalls Patrick. So inevitably, he transmitted his passion to his four sons who have all already eaten sand in Le Touquet.
Only 40 minutes driving your SSV
For Patrick, he There was no question of returning to the Dakar on a motorcycle, “too dangerous” for him as for his children. But it was the discovery of the SSV category that pushed the sixty-year-old to put the cover back. “It’s a bit like the feeling of a motorbike, without a windshield with the helmet, but much less risky,” he admits. So he bought a used Can-Am X3 just to go have fun in the Saudi sand. As co-pilot, the father chose Romain, his son of 25 years. “Everyone wanted to leave but he was the only one available professionally”, continues Patrick. If the car has proven itself by participating in the Dakar 2005, it is much less obvious to the crew. Romain may be on the handlebars of a motorbike, but he’s never boated. Patrick may have 40. km of rally-raid in the boots, but he only drove his car for a few minutes. “We had to prepare by participating in an internship in Morocco, except that this was not possible because of the coronavirus epidemic. As a result, I was only able to test the Can-Am 37 minutes on a small piece of land south of Lille before shipping it to Saudi Arabia ”, deplores the pilot.
Not enough to cool him down because Patrick, the sand, he masters. And anyway, father and son have no intention of going for a podium. “We’re going to go quiet for the first stages, just to get our bearings, to have the car in hand before pushing a little. The goal is to get to the end ”, assures the northerner.
20210103