Recalls Blais, "The plan was to use the Baja 1000 as a shakedown for Dakar and ride a rally bike-based machine for the first time. [KTM] made a couple of bikes for us to test, but the one we settled on was the 710. That thing had so much power and top speed it was just insane. On wide-open sections it was a blast to ride-just endless top speed that no other bike, and few cars, could even run with. But if you weren't careful and didn't approach things properly, the bike could be terrifying. Some who rode during testing were intimidated by it, almost to the point of not wanting to ride it. The 710 wasn't what I would consider to be an ideal choice, but it's hard not to like all of that power on tap to play with."
Say "Hello" to My Leetle Friend"First week of December 2004, Scot, Kellon and I flew to Tunisia to test rally bikes and shoot PR photos," Blais says. "I remember seeing the bikes for the first time and thinking, 'Geez, look how freakin' huge those things are!'" As Blais spent more time on the KTM 660 Rally bike, he became pleased with its immense power and surprisingly good handling.
"It didn't take long to get used to the 660. It's so trick, and it performs better than I ever thought it would. The factory rally department technicians are really good, and nobody knows more about how to build a rally bike than those guys."
Within a matter of days, Chris Blais flew to Barcelona, Spain, to ride his first-ever rally and begin a journey that continues to this day.
Be Prepared
A little-known fact about Blais is that he's equally adept at splitting the cases of his big KTM 660 Rally bike as he is at tearing across Mauritania at its controls. Blais learned the ins and outs of wrench spinning from his dad, Martin, and as the proprietor of his own off-road performance and prep company, Blais Racing Services, he's gained the respect and repeat business of racing customers on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. Ask anyone on the Blais Racing client list and they'll tell you that Chris is among the best in the business.
"I enjoy building and maintaining motorcycles, and given the opportunity, I have always preferred to build my own race bikes," Blais contends. "If something goes wrong during an event, I can usually figure out a way to fix it and get rolling again. There's also the confidence and satisfaction in riding and racing a motorcycle that you've built versus showing up and riding a machine that was built for you and that you know little about.
"My mechanical ability came into play in the last two Dakars, when I was able to overcome technical issues that might have either forced me out of the rally or dropped me out of contention," Blais says. "It's amazing that people will spend a fortune to enter the Dakar and buy expensive gear with no idea how the motorcycle (that they'll be depending on for the next couple of weeks to take them several thousand miles) even works. If there were only one thing I'd tell other off-road racers, it would be to learn your bike-learn how it works and learn how to fix it. Sometimes the simplest tweak on the trail will get it back in the race, but if you don't know how to deal with it, you're screwed. Rally racing isn't for everybody, and an event like the Dakar Rally is for very few."