5 things you need to know ahead of Sherco TVS Factory Rally team’s Dakar adventure

#4 Meet the Riders

Joan Pedrero leads the charge for the Sherco TVS Factory Rally team. Having finished fifth twice at previous Dakar editions, the Spaniard is intent on bettering his performance last year, when he finished 13th. Having won the Pan-Africa Rally and finished in the top five at both the Rally of Morocco and the Merzouga Rally, he is in perfect shape to capitalise on the momentum he has generated.

Having won a stage at the Dakar in 2014 with the Sherco TVS Factory Rally outfit, he will represent the team's ambitions at the 2018 Dakar. The team's performances in Africa were impressive and Pedrero is aiming for a top-10 finish in what would be his 10th appearance at the rally.

The other international rider is Adrien Metge, who finished 22nd at the 2017 Dakar Rally. Hailing from a family of Rally riders, Metge is really comfortable in rallies and is a versatile member of the Sherco TVS Factory Rally team. The Frenchman has been solid in the Rallies leading up to Dakar 2018 and has trained keeping in mind the weather and terrain in Peru, Bolivia and Argentina specifically to enable him to give his all.

Discussing the rally, he's worked on negotiating the sand dunes in Peru carefully while the altitude in Bolivia is his biggest concern. The terrain in Argentina is uneven and he expects negotiating the rocky areas to be gruelling.

India's Aravind KP, a 17-time National Championship winner, has been participating in rallies for TVS Racing since 2006. Originally from Mangalore, he has been preparing and training for the 2017 Dakar with experienced European riders in USA. Having dropped out of the 2017 rally in the third stage, Aravind's prime target for the 2018 edition, his second, is to finish.