For Rally Dakar 2012 at motorcycle groups, Francisco “Chaleco” Lopez on the Aprilia RXV team compete, since joining Team Aprilia, had the best Dakar Lopez was third in 2010 and fourth in 2011. The following is a biography of Lopez courtesy of Aprilia.

Francisco Lopez was born 15 September 1975 in Curicó, the south-central region of Chile. At the age of four he began driving a motorcycle, his father, Renato Lopez, a very brave motivated motocross riders.

Lopez not only the talent inherited from his father, but also the nickname of “Chaleco”, the “sweater”, from the fact that his father with a sweater knitted by his mother, Ana Maria means taking a break.

Francisco Lopez started in Por las Pampas Rally Raid in 2005, where he scored a stage win, his strength is shown in this discipline. In 2007 he was crowned world champion in 450cc class Honda.

“Chaleco” was the official driver of the Aprilia Racing Team Giofil Pharaohs Rally in 2009 and took the Aprilia Noale, Italy, made the third in the Dakar 2010. That same year, Lopez won the Rally of Tunisia and took second place in the overall standings and first in the 450cc class in the Rally of Egypt, the second in the world.

 

The unfortunate end of the Dakar 2011 is still remembered. Lopez was the third in the standings, but a few miles before the finish of the last stage of the rear suspension broke and he could only reach the fourth place after two stage victories.

Chaleco is now ready to return to race, motivated to the highest point of his return to the last race in October 2011 Pharaoh’s final test for the 2012 Dakar Argentina-Chile-Peru.