Kurt Caselli Wins the Dakar Desafio Ruta 40

KTM's Kurt Caselli, who was competing in his first Desafio Ruta 40 event, managed to become the first American to win the highly prestigious race.  After competing in his first Dakar back in January, where he managed to win two stages, Caselli joined fellow KTM teammates Chaleco Lopez and Marc Coma as the KTM trio swept the podium.

photo by Rally Zone/KTM

After six days of racing, the win came down to the last day, where the SCOTT goggle athlete found himself back in third at the beginning of the final stage.  As the stage unfolded, Kurt was able to take over the lead and distance himself by 43 seconds in the overall standings.

photo by Rally Zone/KTM

Caselli's win marks his first rally win and establishes him as a frontrunner for the fast approaching Dakar Rally.

photo by Rally Zone/KTM

Kurt had this to say about the experience: "I decided to attend the event to learn and gain experience because I didn't have much opportunity to train on the roads and with my navigation books beforehand.  The end result is very positive because I won and I enjoyed myself.  I loved this rally!"