With just two days to go before the start of the 30th Dakar Rally, eurosport.yahoo.com takes a look at the names to watch out for in the bike category.

The two-wheeled category has, over the past few years, been a two-horse race between Cyril Despres and Marc Coma.

2008 should be no different, as the Frenchman and the Spaniard are the two quickest men out there on their works KTMs.

Coma, who rides for the Repsol team, crashed out of the lead last year with only two days to go, allowing David Casteu, of Despres' Gauloises squad, to make it an all-French affair at the finish line.

Don't expect Casteu to be a match for the other pair though. He was more than an hour behind at the time of Coma's crash, and is a solid, rather than spectacular competitor.

Fireworks should have been expected from American Chris Blais, but the young KTM star, who finished fourth on only his second Dakar last year, broke his back and collarbone in a practice crash in August and will probably not be fit to ride again until May.

Nor will Isidre Esteve Pujol, a consistent podium finisher over the past five years. The Spaniard crashed on a regional event last summer and suffered a similar injury to Blais. It remains to be seen whether he will return to riding in the future.

Their absences mean some of last-year's stage winners will have the chance to challenge for podium finishes themselves.

Portuguese duo Helder Rodrigues and Ruben Faria - who ran first and second through the rally's European leg last year - will again be expected to make the running early on.

Janis and Einars Vinters from Latvia will also be expected to challenge, although their consistency and that of Norway's Pal-Andres Ullevalseter - all on KTMs - will come into play more in the desert than anywhere else.

Of the KTM boys, David Fretigne and Jordi Viladoms are the only two away from Despres, Coma and Casteu to be given the latest machinery, as KTM seek to increase their record to eight straight wins on the event and close in on Yamaha's overall benchmark of nine.

Speaking of Yamaha, their rider Michel Marchini and Honda's Thierry Bethys are the only non-KTM mounted riders in the top ten of the entry list.

Britain has a bigger two-wheeled contingent than ever before, with the greatest expectations of the 11 riders lying on the shoulders of concrete layer Mick Extance, who will be looking to improve on his 26th place in 2006 on his 450cc Honda.

A host of KTMs will be entered by riders with a mixture of experience. Iain Shankie, Calum McKenzie, Simon Collis, Jonathan Stamper, John Whiteford, Duncan Tweedy, Jonathan Walter and Richard Kaye will all ride privately-run versions of the Austrian machines.

So will Scottish brothers Ewan and Neil Buchan, but TV personality Charley Boorman, who has competed for the last two years, is not returning for a third go.

Jamie O'Leary / Eurosport