As of May 15th the subscription for Dakar 2011 is open, and with that the preparations for the 3rd edition in South America are underway. For the riders its  time to find sponsorbudgets and to make important decisions about the choice of material, how to organise the service, etc. etc. For the Team Honda Europe the preparations for Dakar 2011 are in full swing. Already since February the development of the Honda CRF 450 X Dakar continues.

An important modification for 2011 concerns the shape of the front fueltanks. The two front tanks will be made more narrow and the airflow improved to get more cooling from the riding wind. The more narrow shape will improve the handling of the bike and the better airflow should prevent problems with boiling fuel like so many competitors had to deal with last Dakar. The fuel capacity will go down a bit, which is no problem as there was always some overcapacity.

Teammanager Henk Hellegers about the new developments: ,,During the last tests in Tunisia we have made some new adjustments. We also tested a different tire from Dunlop, and found the ideal mix of grip, wear and durability which is good for all conditions. We will not ride with fuel injection jet, because the advantages don't compensate the risks. Bad fuel wth dirt or water can cause a lot of damage. We do keep on testing the injection in enduro races to gather as much information as possible.''

,,We have riders from all over the world who have interest in our team. Off course it's also nice to have two or three riders from The Netherlands. The plan remains the same as last year, preferably with one or two top riders and we work hard to achieve this. I expect this Dakar will be more competitive, now that all topriders will be using a 450 cc bike. A young rider can score a good result, more means are available to battle for a top position. iders. ''

The expectation is that the Team Honda Europe will compete in the Baja Spain (held end of July) just like the last couple of years.  ,,We won't be using the rallybike, but focus more on the actual race. We will test some parts however. Later this year we will decide if and which rally we will compete in further on the way to Dakar 2011'' says Henk Hellegers.