Ruben Faria had tongues wagging after his first participation in the Dakar last year by winning the special stage on the tracks of the region between Portimao and Malaga (2nd stage) and coming 35th in the general rankings on arrival in Dakar. A few minutes before undergoing scrutineering today, he was still busy fine-tuning his bike: "I overhauled the suspensions and shock absorbers yesterday evening and I haven’t even had time to try them out". But this has not stopped him sticking to his basic goal. This year, the professional Portuguese rider hopes to finish amongst the first 15 places.