PASSERI AND THE PEGASO TRAIL CONQUER TUNISIA
29 November 2005 - Aprilia

Aboard the new Pegaso 650 Trail, with the desert as a background to the trial of the best off-road bikes in the world.

From the international enduro tracks to the amazing courses in Africa, the best enduro rider for Aprilia is among the participants of the Adventure Raid in Tunisia, that is bringing 19 lovers of the motorcycles from Noale to discover the charm of a trip in the desert.
We went to hear from him, on the eve of a very exciting group adventure.

Stefano, from November 23 to December 2 we’ll see you among the sand dunes and tracks with old school charm. Is it your first time on an adventure like this?
It’s my first time on a bike for this kind of events, and I have to say that it’s been a while that I’ve been wanting to organize something like this. So, I can stop being curious about what it’s like to discover the African territory in the saddle of a two-wheel vehicle.

You’ll be in the saddle of the new Pegaso 650 Trail, an unstoppable travel companion that, even with the daily wear and tear of the desert, promises to not lose its complete dependability. What do you think about the bike?
I’ve already had the fortune of ride the new Pegaso, and so I already have some idea about how much fun it’ll be in the desert…I can’t wait. Its incredible manageability and surprising power (for a 650 cc) will be the traits that I’ll try to make good use of in the African terrain, and I know I’ll come back satisfied with this raid.

The Adventure Raid will be an experience with a lot of human involvement and contact, in which the participants will sleep, eat, and breath in a group setting, in every minute of the day. An interesting aspect, even in the middle of the desert…
It will be a great occasion to get to know each other and to share the experience. Among the “endurists” I think that we won’t miss a beat and therefore we’ll have a lot of fun. The passion we all share for traveling on two wheels will be a good excuse to spend our days enjoying the countryside together, with all the participants of the raid. I’m anxious to personally meet my adventure companions and to finally begin the moto-excursion on the Tunisian trails.

From the tracks of the enduro sport to the Tunisian terrain: how much will your riding technique change, and which parts of the bike will you utilize differently?
As I said, I’m basing things on my first experience in Tunisia, therefore I can only hypothesis that, when dealing with sandy tracks, you have to be careful not to “float” the back wheel when accelerating and, to slow down, use the back brake most of all. Another difference will be the speed, which in the European enduro races is surely (due to the reduced space with respect to Africa) slower, and therefore you need to try to calculate stopping distances in case of something coming up.
The motorcycle will be put to the test, all of its components, starting with the motor which will be utilized to the maximum, to the rest of the bike, with the suspension always under torque, the air filter, which will have its work cut out trying to keep the sand from entering the body and doing a lot of damage, and the brakes, too. I think that for all the mechanical parts we’re talking about a difficult challenge.

The discovery on two wheels of different landscapes, climates and cultures, from Africa to the Pyrenees, to the nearby Dolomiti. What do you think about this kind of initiative?
I see them as very interesting initiatives that are able to embrace a vast array of possible riders. From the restless rider who wants to fulfill his need for speed on deserted tracks to the tourist, who wants to enjoy the ride while admiring the view of the Dolomiti or the Tunisian sunset. The possibility to share all of this priceless sense of liberty with other people, even if for different reasons, is the reward of these initiatives and keeps them going.
And let’s not forget the people behind the scenes who provide us with amazing assistance allowing us to meet all unforeseen events calmly and to really enjoy this trip!

Thanks Stefano and have fun!

www.aprilia.com

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