Spring Breeze is really going to participate in the 2024 Dakar Rally!However, this time, instead of the familiar two-wheeled model, the C-Force 1000, a four-wheeled ATV model that sells well in overseas markets, will participate in the quad class of quad motorcycles. Quad bikes will follow exactly the same course and route as two-wheelers, cars, trucks, etc.
The Chunfeng C-Force 1000 is powered by a V-twin four-stroke 963cc liquid-cooled engine that produces 79 hp at 7,000 rpm, and is equipped with a CVT gearbox that can manually switch between two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive modes. If you don't think the version of the above is wild enough, it also has an overland version that looks more reloaded and wilder priced at 79,800 in China and $10,399 in the United States.
On this year's Spring Breeze Day, I had the privilege of riding a C-Force 1000 driven by a professional racer to "fly" around the off-road track, jumping and landing on the ground and drifting through corners.
Quad biking is a niche class in any rally, including the Dakar Rally, with only 10 quad riders registered for the 2024 Dakar. And except for one of the Spring Breeze, the remaining nine cars were all Raptor 700s from Yamaha. The Dakar Rally had its first quad moto class since moving from North Africa to South America in 2009, and the Yamaha Raptor 700 dominated all 15 quad moto titles since its inception, with the Spring Breeze truly single-handedly heading out Yamaha for dominance this time.
Of course, the spring breeze is definitely prepared this time. Founded in 2019, the Chunfeng Raiden Racing Team has been training in some European regional events in the early years, and will start participating in the World Cross Country Rally Championship W2RC in 2023. They finished third in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge on their debut on the world stage in March last year, while they finished fifth and ninth at the Moroccan Rally in October.
Kanopkinas Antanas, a Lithuanian rider who represented the spring breeze in the Dakar
Including the Dakar Rally, which runs from January 5 to 19, the team is expected to compete in four of the five W2RC sub-stations throughout the year, namely the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in February, the Rally Across the Iberian Peninsula in April and the Rally Morocco in October.