Dakar Rally: Race of life

Our tools take the heat at the extremely gruelling Dakar Rally 2022 with the Fantic Racing team – powered by Bosch Professional.

Dakar Rally 2022

One of the world's most challenging and epic rally raids, the Dakar Rally is not for the faint-hearted. Every year, riders set off on an extreme off-road endurance event that lasts more than 8,000 km over 15 days. Blazing across sand dunes, mud, rock, camel grass and more, riders must make split-second decisions in the heat of the moment. One poorly calibrated move between man and machine, and it could be over in seconds. Some riders don't make it to the finishing line. With so much at stake, teams must rely on excellent technicians and extremely robust, powerful tools.

This year, our tools take the heat at the Dakar Rally with the official Fantic Racing team – powered by Bosch Professional.

I love working with tools on mechanical parts of the bike. This year, I got the chance to work with first-class technicians and personally test Bosch Professional tools myself, which are great.

Franco Picco, Professional Rally Motorcyclist, Fantic Racing

Franco Picco on his Fantic XEF 450 Rally bike navigating through the harsh Saudi Arabian desert.

Trailblazer

JEDDAH – On his bike, Franco Picco squints through helmet and heat into the far distance. Behind him, dust hangs in the hot air where he has just blazed a trail. After racing hundreds of kilometres for nearly 8 hours through the Saudi Arabian desert, he's finally approaching the end of this stage of the race. He can can see the Fantic Racing crew in the distance, outside their tents, anticipating his arrival. "Good," Picco thinks. He already has a list of technical adjustments in mind for the bike. Franco Picco has raced 28 times at the Dakar Rally in the last 40 years, but this time is special: Picco is allowed to get his hands dirty and work directly with a team of technicians on his Fantic XEF 450 Rally bike – with Bosch Professional tools.

Bosch Professional tools ready for use at the bivouac shelter of the official Fantic team during the Dakar Rally 2022 (PRO Stories).

Big step forward

Experienced rally legends like Picco know the savage terrains and what the bikes have to endure in a way that even the best technicians do not. Picco was thrilled to sign a deal with Fantic Racing that lets him apply his experience to the technical refinements of the brand-new Fantic XEF 450 Rally motorcycle: "I am delighted to be an integral part of this first-class team that develops the bike. This is a big step forward in the quality of the motorcycle settings." Fantic Racing chose Bosch Professional as their official technical supplier – in part due to the high-performance BITURBO Brushless series, which delivers corded performance with just one 18V battery. "I didn't want to miss the opportunity to personally test the Bosch tools myself," says Picco. "They are really powerful and efficient, and withstand all kinds of conditions, which can be really extreme!"

The Bosch Professional cordless tools are very efficient and powerful. They withstand all kinds of conditions, which can be really extreme!

Franco Picco, Professional Rally Motorcyclist, Fantic Racing

Mechanic Fernando Prades uses the GWS 18V-15 SC Professional angle grinder to make quick, clean cuts on the Fantic bike. (PRO Stories)

Quicker, cleaner cuts

The extreme abuse of the Dakar Rally terrain can be seen in the bike's condition: loose chains, hot elements, wet sand and mud splattered all over. As each stage lasts 400 to 800 km, the bikes are in action for at least 8 hours at a time. The heat and speed cause the chains to expand, which means they have to be replaced each time. To cut the chain quickly and precisely, mechanic Fernando Prades uses the GWS 18V-15 SC Professional angle grinder. Thanks to the high-performance BITURBO Brushless motor, the grinder cuts 50% faster and removes more metal than its predecessor models. By pairing it with a ProCORE18V 5.5 Ah battery, the grinder delivers 1,500W of eqiuvalent corded power. “No wonder it’s called BITURBO,” says Prades, who was also impressed by the grinder's many safety features.

The powerful GDS 18V-1000 Professional impact wrench is used to loosen and tighten bolts on the Fantic Rally bike. (PRO Stories)

No more overtightening

As the route covers soft sand and rocks, the tyres sustain massive wear-and-tear and must be switched out to stay fresh on difficult terrains. To work quickly and precisely, technician Fabio Mauri uses the GDS 18V-1000 Professional impact wrench to loosen and tighten the bolts on the XEF 450 Rally. Also part of our high-performance BITURBO Brushless series, the impact wrench delivers up to 1,000 Nm of tightening torque and 1,600 Nm of breakaway torque when paired with a PROCore18V 5.5 Ah battery. High torque usually means high risk of overtightening. But thanks to its customisable modes, the impact wrench intelligently ensures tight bolts and flush screws without any screw/surface damage, so Mauri can work efficiently – with total control and peace of mind.

I was particularly impressed by the long battery runtime, which made it possible for me to work uninterrupted out in the bivouac tent without changing batteries all the time.

Fernando Prades, Mechanic, Fantic Racing

Bosch Professional tools and batteries are fully compatible within the 18V class, making tough work faster and easier. (PRO Stories)

One battery for all

By equipping the Fantic Racing bivouac shelter with Bosch Professional, the team simplified their setup by relying on just one battery platform. Our 18V batteries and chargers are fully compatible not only with power tools, but even with the GLI 18V-1200 C Professional light and our battery-powered heatwear. Due to huge temperature differences in the desert, the Fantic Racing team wore GHJ 12V+18V heatwear after sunset. Thanks to exceptionally long runtimes and excellent temperature management, the ProCORE18V batteries reliably powered the team throughout the Dakar Rally. “I really appreciate the Bosch Professional cordless system for their robustness and flexibility in any situation," says Fantic Racing technician Fabio Mauri. "The long battery runtime made it possible for me to get a lot of work done without constantly having to change batteries.”

Legendary rider Franco Picco makes it safely to the end of the rally for the 28th time. (PRO Stories)

The race of life

"For me, Dakar is the most important and demanding race of all. It's the race of life," says Picco, who has placed top three several times in the past. "It requires meticulous preparation in terms of technique and fitness, but most of all, mental fitness." Riders start in the bitter cold of desert mornings and stay in motion for up to 8 hours a day. Dehydration and accidents are rampant, and some riders don't even make it to the finish line. In the desert, riders must know how to fix problems on their own – or go home. They can't bring much, but carry spare parts such as brake pads, levers, clutch, fuel injector – and hand tools to change them. While navigating the 8,375 km of the Dakar Rally 2022, Picco carried our new Bosch Professional hand tools with him – helping him make it safely to the end of this epic adventure.

I really appreciate the Bosch Professional cordless tools for their robustness and flexibility in any situation.

Fernando Prades, Mechanic, Fantic Racing

WATCH THIS STORY IN ACTION:

Ducati: Engineers of speed

When you're in the pit lane of the world motorcycle championship, there isn't a split-second to lose. Ducati Lenovo mechanics show us how they rely on BITURBO tools for incredible speed.

Read now

Extreme E: Sand and storm

"Dust gets everywhere and the tools just keep working," says Kester Wilkinson, event manager of Extreme E. Discover how our cordless tools brave aggressive conditions at the world's first electric SUV race.

Read now

World's longest e-bike jump

Bikes can't fly, but Jed Mildon makes them anyway. The BMX rider and welder made history on a Bosch-powered eBike and even built the take-off ramp himself – with Bosch Professional.

Read now