Hillier says ‘It’s tough’
TT star turned rally racer James Hillier is finding out first hand why the Dakar is regarded as the single most difficult race in the world. With two 600km stages under his belt, the GasGas rider, who is in the Originals by Motul class where he gets no outside assistance, is currently 80th in the overall standings – 3h 13m 41s behind the race leader.
Speaking at the end of stage two, Hillier said: “That was another bloody long day and I’m not going to lie, I don’t know what I’ve let myself in for. It’s tough. I’ve got a lot to do on the bike tonight, wheels, tyres, oil change. I don’t want to curse it, but I haven’t crashed yet, which is nice.
“I’m pretty tired as I didn’t sleep well because I’m in a tent on an air bed and there are engines running all through the night. But I’m not moaning because it is what it is.”
Before starting the race, Hillier had
‘I’m in a tent on an airbed and there are engines all night’
only completed two other rallies, but is clearly showing his pedigree and ability to adapt to the discipline.
“I’m beginning to relax a bit more on the bike and the more I ride, the easier it is getting,” he told MCN. “I’m getting better at processing the information I need, rather than processing too much. There is a lot to take in, from what the road book says, the terrain, while dealing with the dust and looking out for cars.”
With two stages done and 12 to go, there is still a long way to go, a fact Hillier is already acutely aware of.
“I’ll keep plugging away. I’d like to think I was halfway there because I’m pretty tired already, but we’re only at the end of day two!
“It’s going to be tough, but I knew that before the start – I’d just convinced myself it wasn’t!”