Woman to pilot first KTM ATV at the Dakar

KTM is no stranger to setting records at the Dakar, the most gruelling offroad test on the international racing circuit. But this year when Italian photographer and journalist Camelia Liparoti opens the throttle of her KTM 525 XC ATV on the starting line on Jan. 3 in Buenos Aires, it signals two more firsts for the ‘Made in Austria’ machines.

Liparoti is the first rider of a KTM ATV in the race that this year traverses nearly 6,000 miles of the toughest terrain that Argentina and Chile can deliver, and she will be the first woman to do so on the new orange machine.

The Italian rider, who has previously participated in the Dakar as a journalist, will now see the race from an entirely new perspective and she describes the new adventure as a childhood dream come true.

“This is the first participation for me and my quad as a competitor at Dakar,” says Liparoti. “It will be a very difficult race, I will try and stay focused and in harmony with my KTM ATV that I adore. It will be a double discovery: a new quad with extraordinary performances and a route through two fascinating countries.” A resident of the Chamonix Valley in France, Liparoti is no stranger to mountain environments and this will no doubt help her as she crosses back and forth across the Andes Mountains that will elevate her and other competitors into oxygen robbing altitudes. A rock climber and mountaineering enthusiast, she also has the courage and stamina to attack the 15-day epic. She has also been a competitor in other rallies such as the Shamrock, the Dakar Series and the Pharaons’ Rally, all that were very good preparation for this year’s edition of the Dakar.