 By Connie Ellig
STAFF WRITER
Ever since the 1960s the words “off-road racing” and “Baja California” have been synonymous. “If you are born in Baja, racing is in your soul,” states bilingual 41-year-old Octavio Valle López. Born and raised in Ensenada, Valle will become the first racer from the state of Baja California to compete on a motorcycle in the world famous Dakar Rally to be held January 1-17, 2010 in South America.
Valle began racing motorcycles at age 14. A year later, he entered his first official race – the Hilltoppers Grand Prix in Rosarito – and took first place in his Novice Class. During the next six years, he successfully competed in the On Dirt races held in northern Baja. At age 21, Valle moved to Guadalajara to get his Master’s Degree in taxation. He stopped racing for the next nine years in order to pursue his career and spend some time traveling.
In 1998 Valle returned to the world of motorsports, this time competing in central Mexico in enduro, a style of off-road racing in which a number of stages are raced in a time trial against the clock. During the next ten years, Valle won two state and three Mexican national enduro championships, all in the 30+ Experts Class. He is extremely proud of his medals earned in Czechoslovakia, Brazil and Greece while representing the country of Mexico in 2002, 2003 and 2008 at the famed International Six Days Enduro (ISDE), known as the “Olympics of Motorcycling” or the “World Cup of Enduro.” Last year Valle decided that he was ready to fulfill his personal dream of competing in the most important and illustrious off-road rally in the world, the 2010 Dakar.
First organized in 1978, The Dakar was formerly known as the “Paris to Dakar” Rally since most of its annual long distance races started in Paris, France and finished in Dakar, Senegal. But because of security concerns in Africa, the event was moved to South America in 2009. In 2010 The Dakar once again will take place in Argentina and Chile, starting and finishing in Buenos Aires. The 32nd Dakar will officially mark the beginning of the bicentennial celebrations of the two countries, both of which will be commemorating their independence from Spain in 1810.
Valle is extremely passionate about The Dakar. “It is important to me because it is the most challenging race in my sport,” he asserts. Categorized as a “rally-raid” type of long distance off-road endurance race, The Dakar attracts adventurers from every corner of the world. It is open to amateurs and professionals driving cars, trucks and motorcycles. The 2010 course is a grueling 9000-kilometer (5592-mile) loop that includes an extensive exploration of Chile’s Atacama Desert, the driest place on earth. The average distance of each stage is 600 kilometers (373 miles) per day. Although the goal of every driver is to win The Dakar – or to have at least one Stage podium finish – this is one race where crossing the finish line is considered a major achievement in itself. Off-road navigation skills and unwavering consistency are essential. The mental and physical condition of the driver as well as the technical performance of his or her vehicle are key factors that determine success or failure.
During 2009 Valle undertook an intensive program of personal training for The Dakar. Almost every weekend he preraced his motorcycle solo on a 300-mile round trip from the city of Guadalajara to the mountains of the Huichol. He also embarked on a 500-mile round trip from Los Mochis to the Copper Canyon, and a 1000-mile ride from Ensenada to Punta Abreojos to San Francisquito to San Felipe to Ensenada. His longest practice run was a six day, 2200-mile round trip journey from Ensenada to Cabo San Lucas following dirt trails first down the Pacific coast, then up the coast of the Sea of Cortés. For competitive racing experience, he soloed in the Dos Mares 500 from La Paz to Cabo San Lucas and the Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250, Baja 500 and Baja 1000 desert races.
In the 2010 Dakar Rally, Valle will be a member of the Rally Pan Am Team which is handled by Rally Management Services, a San Francisco-based motorcycle rally service company that has competed in The Dakar for the last four years. The Rally Pan Am Team is comprised of American three-time Dakar Rally phenom and SCORE racing champion Jonah Street plus two Canadians, one Australian, and Octavio Valle. Of the more than 350 motorcycle, quad, car and truck Dakar Rally entrants, Valle is the only registered competitor from the republic of Mexico (at press time). He will be racing on a Honda CRF450X that has been prepared in Rally Pan Am Team’s northern California facilities.
During most of December, Valle plans to suspend racing in order to spend quality time with his family. On the day after Christmas he will head for Buenos Aires and soon begin the pursuit of his dream. To contact Octavio Valle for more information and sponsorship opportunities, call (33)3648-4303 (Guadalajara office) or cell tel. (33)3157-1957; e-mail: o.valle@bdo.com.mx
With 2.2 billion TV viewers in 2009, the legendary Dakar Rally is the most watched motorsports event in the world. In Central and South America, look for 2010 coverage of the event on Fox Sports channels. For additional race information visit www.dakar.com.
Buena suerte, Octavio!
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