Can we count it as a win!!?!?
 

Sam Sunderland won the Dakar Rally on a Gas Gas, does this give us bragging rights or does it add to the complicated conversation explaining that he was not on a proper gas gas (although it is almost identical to the gas gas that was entered a few years ago by the OG gas gas factory lol!!)

naa, hard to tell. I would't brag about it myself, but if someone else brings it up (without knowing the background) I would't start the explanation either.

Otoh, the bike entered a few years ago was not a "proper" Gasgas bike either :p
Wasn't that a rebadged KTM, just as this one?

I was thinking that it was a Yamaha YZ450 after GG started putting YZ250F motors in their frames to that they had a place in the 250F enduro market, but i could be wrong.

Rieju bikes were KTM too

Say what?

The Dakar bikes were KTM.

I had this on my mind from 2013. I am wrong.

Kickstart lever looks like "KTM" - NOT Yamaha.

this was from 2013 - long before the buyout.

2013 DAKAR RALLY: GAS GAS EC 450 RAID
2013 Gas Gas EC 450 Raid
Source: Gas Gas, EC 450 Raid
GAS GAS AT THE DAKAR
Gas Gas have a small factory team of three riders at the 2013 Dakar Rally. Marking her second year riding for Gas Gas at the Dakar, eleven times Women?s Trial World Champion Laia Sanz will be piloting a race modified Gas Gas EC 450F, along with fellow riders Marc Guasch and Miguel Puertas. The 2013 Gas Gas race machine sports two addition lateral and one rare mounted fuel tanks, modified fairing and exhaust, a dakar ready navigation system and enhanced race protection included a new sump guard with a built-in water tank.

Ah, ok. So, Rieju also used KTM bikes? If so, that is just plain sad for the brand. I know GG did it in the past but enough is enough. Develop your own Dakar bike or just don't do it!

I think to develop a rally bike is a really huge task with big budgets. I believe the only ones at the moment are KTM (who now have about 20 years headstart on everyone else), Honda (a few teething issues, but now seem to be there) and i think Hero has a rally bike.

Yamaha is still messing around with modified WR450's and it shows in their results. Riders are good ,but they really seem to be riding with a handicap

To be honest i am not sure how much exposure/benefit you get by entering the Dakar on a ktm with Rieju stiker kit. I suspect it is done more out of passion than marketing

For $30k US, you can buy a turn key rally bike form KTM.
Best bang for the buck.

https://www.advpulse.com/adv-news/kt...rally-replica/