Dakhla Classic Rally 2022

From September 15 to 23, 2022, the KEDO Rally Team with Lutz and XTom took part in the Rallye des Pionniers - RDP- DAKHLA CLASSIC. On old XT500 from Paris to Dakhla in the Western Sahara. 3500 kilometers in eight days - that was the task.

Dakhla - a magical place

The history: In 2012, Pascal from near Paris founded the "Rallye Raid les Pionnier's de l'Histoire" in memory of the good old "PARIS-DAKAR" times. Back then, the route ran through France.

In 2013, the KEDO Rallye Team took part with Lutz, Chris (USA) and XTom and had Jörg and Uwe with them as a service team. They spent a week driving from Paris to the Château de Lastours near the Pyrenees.

But in 2016, organizer Pascal had so many problems with the routes in France that he moved the event to Morocco.

Dakhla is the big goal!

Our heroes

XTom Zündel and Lutz Semtner - friends and colleagues in the KEDO team for decades - are both experienced rally drivers and obsessed with Africa. Their XTs are packed with experience and special parts. For the two adventurers, it goes without saying that preparing the machines is a big part of the recipe for success.

For both of them, rally driving began in 2006 with the Heroes Legend. Lutz took part in the Heroes Legend again in 2008, conquered the Baja Saxonia several times and also the Breslau Poland twice. Tom joined in again in 2012 and together they drove the Baja300 Germany, Croatia Rally and, for fun, the "La Transat Verte" in France several times.

The yellow powerhouse

Lutz XT500 was built in 1978, has an XT550 fork and an SR500 swingarm. The front wheel is from a TT500 and the rear wheel from a DT250.

Lutz used the front and rear mudguards and the front number plate from UFO. The side covers are from the TT500 1978.

In the cockpit, Lutz has an IMO and a roadbook bracket from Touratech. The GPS is a Garmin GPS60csx and there is also a bicycle speedometer and a double USB socket.

Due to the high temperatures expected in Morocco and the performance-optimized engine, Lutz spontaneously decided to fit an oil cooler.

 

The blue perennial favorite

Tom's rally bike is a 1982 XT500 with a 45mm Marzocchi fork and a modified XT600 swingarm.

The tank is from Acerbis and has a capacity of about 20 liters. The exhaust is a 3-inch Supertrapp, the shock absorbers are 410mm long BILSTEIN shock absorbers.

In the cockpit, Tom has an ICO as a rally speedometer and an electric road book v from Schilcher underneath. He also uses a Garmin GPS60csx as his GPS. There is also an additional holder for the STELLA rally system in both of the boys' cockpits, which the participants receive at scrutineering. It can locate the drivers and has an emergency button.

Little sleep and endless hours in the saddle - but the reward is unforgettable

In September 2022, Lutz and Tom sent daily pictures and reports from Africa, which we published chronologically in an exciting Facebook album.

All pictures are accompanied by text commentary on current events.

Detailed and gripping! 

Teamwork

All the pictures were taken by Tom and Lutz themselves on the road. Almost all of them.

We were at the Scrambler Fever in Poland last weekend and it was really good again! 2 days of rattling through the woods with about 70 other enduro enthusiasts. Due to the extreme drought, many forest roads were a sandy hell. Everyone cursed about it, many crashed but everyone had a big grin on their face afterwards. More about this event soon....

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