Name: Felipe Zanol
Date of Birth: September 18, 1981
Nationality: Brazil
Machine: KTM 450 Rally Replica
Dakar Debut: 2012 Mar del Plata (Argentina) to Lima (Peru)
2012 Dakar Number: #28
During his schooldays, Felipe Zanol excelled at many sports including tennis and, of course, football – he is Brazilian! It was the influence of his father Jacy Zanol, however, that helped convince Felipe that motorbikes were the way forward.
Felipe has come a long way since riding his dad’s KDX 200cc in Rookie Cup races. His breakthrough came in 2003 when won he Brazil’s Enduro Championship and Cross-Country Championship in the same year.
During the 2011 Rally dos Sertões, Felipe pushed Cyril Despres over every kilometre of every stage. This performance demanded that the Brazilian was given a chance at the Dakar and a few weeks later he got his invitation to Argentina.
Fast Fact: Felipe’s favourite film is Leonardo DiCaprio’s portrayal of Howard Hughes in The Aviator. With an obsession for building machines and breaking speed records it’s easy to imagine Howard Hughes racing the Dakar if he was around today.
Best quote: “The Dakar has been my dream since I was a boy, it’s the dream of every off-road biker in Brazil. When the race was in Africa it was tough to enter, but now it has moved to South America it has become a lot more accessible. I’m expecting things to be tough with lots of long stages over the dunes. My one wish is that I can make it as far as Lima. It will take me the whole route to understand what this race is all about because right now I’m preparing to set off into the unknown. Everything will be new for me so I hope I can learn fast.” Felipe Zanol
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