The 2017 Dakar will be the first official rally-raid outing for constructor Zongshen. Five Cyclone motorcycles will line-up for the start in Asunción, with two experienced French riders, who will serve as role models for three Chinese rookies.

The most in the know when it comes to Asian pop culture have already spotted the information. The singer and actor Jen Richie will be at the start of the Dakar… this should be stirring up gossip on the Chinese social networks. As a motorcycle enthusiast, he splits his time between film sets and muddy tracks, but he has yet to compete outside his native China. Like his two countrymen Zhang Min and Zhao Hongyi, Richie has raced in his country's two biggest rallies: the Taklimakan and the Grand China Rally. And at the time to take on the rally of reference, he will have the privilege of being guided by two well-known riders whose roles have been central in the construction of this project. It was long-time Dakar loyalist Willy Jobard, since his first participation in 2001, who had the idea of getting a Chinese constructor involved in rally-raid. The deal was made with Zongshen, one of the leaders in the motorcycle industry, with two million bikes and five million engines sold each year! In record time, the option was taken to build a motorcycle, named Cyclone, designed in partnership with Willy. The Parisian based in Spain then called upon three-time winner of the Touquet Enduro and 8th on the 2007 Dakar, Thierry Béthys to test the new creation and then entrust him with the task of taking it to the finish line in January. “When he test rode the bike, he put in two easy days, and then rode flat out. He declared himself enchanted by the Cyclone. Its strength is its light size and manoeuvrability of an enduro bike while carrying 30 litres of petrol”. Aware of the responsibility that comes with the future of this Franco-Chinese adventure, Béthys, for his return after a four-year absence, is focusing on one objective: ”Finish my sixth Dakar without worrying about the general classification.”

　　宗申·賽科龍吹響出發號角

2017年是宗申首次參加達喀爾拉力賽，5名賽車手齊聚亞松森開始緊張的賽前準備，宗申為此次拉力賽配備了2名經驗豐富的法國車手，另外3名車手（張敏同學為自費參賽）則都是首次參賽。來自亞洲的流行歌手和演員Jen Richie任賢齊也將作為車手參加本次賽事，作為摩托車愛好者，他的夢想就是代表中國參加達喀爾拉力賽。他曾經和張敏、趙宏毅一起在環塔拉力賽并肩“作戰”。在參加比賽的時候，他將有幸受到兩位來自法國的知名車手的指導，他們也因比賽而成為至交。其中一位便是達喀爾的忠誠擁護者Willy Jobard， 2001年，他便有用中國造摩托車參加拉力賽的想法。他與中國摩托車行業的知名品牌-宗申簽訂了合作協議，在非常短的時間里與威利合作設計了一款輕量化拉力賽車。接著邀請曾在2007年達喀爾拉力賽排名第8的ThierryBéthys加盟測試新賽車并參賽。

“它是一輛輕量化的越野摩托車，減掉的一部分重量使它具有較強的操控性和反應能力，同時還能裝30升汽油，這就是這款賽科龍拉力賽車的優勢”Thierry Béthy這樣描述他在第一次測試時的感受。

Thierry Béthy表示，這是他缺席四年達喀爾賽事后再次重返賽場，而這次是代表中國原創品牌參賽，他深感責任重大，“我的目標就是排除一切雜念、傾盡全力完成我的第六個達喀爾比賽。