Thixton smells Dakar Rally podium
ASHLEY Thixton is on the verge of making history when the curtain finally comes down on the tortuous 2024 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia today.
It’s almost done and dusted!
“We have 1 stage left everybody!!!” Thixton posted on his Facebook wall after he successfully navigated his way past Stage 11 yesterday.
He came home in 35th place out of the 64 bikes that took part in his section of Stage 11 yesterday.
Thixton covered the 420km stage in 6hours 02’ 57”.
The 30-year-old Zimbabwean motorbike rider, a first time participant at the world’s biggest and toughest motor rallying event, has now set his sights on the finish line after playing it cool during yesterday’s Stage 11 and the penultimate round of the race.
Making it to the finish line today and climb through the podium on his Husqvarna 450R bike will not only see Thixton joining the finishers of the whole Dakar Rally course but he will write his own piece of history as he will become the second Zimbabwean motorbike rider to complete the full distance of the tough two-week event.
Graeme Sharp was the first Zimbabwean biker to last the distance at the Dakar Rally when the event moved to Saudi Arabia in 2020.
And he is now going to be emulated and joined in the local motorsport history books by his best friend Thixton who will today emerge as one of the 2024 Dakar Rally heroes if he crosses the finish line.
Yesterday Thixton was involved in Stage 11 of the Rally from Al Ula to Yanbu — which was a 420km of special on the programme for the stage.
The day’s route was also the longest sporting challenge of the second week, capable of shaking up the podium in all categories.
Over 400 kilometres in length, the special stage was played out mainly on inhospitable, brittle terrain.
Meanwhile, Thixton will not return home empty-handed on Sunday after he was awarded the Dare Award for his bravery on Stage 10 on Wednesday.
Thixton fell on the stage and suffered an abdominal contusion but “he managed to say no to the pain” and just fought from within until the end of the stage.
And this did not escape the organisers of this year’s Dakar Rally who, on Wednesday night, rewarded the Zimbabwean rider for his bravery with the Dare Award.
“He is the first time participant of the Dakar Rally. His father’s passion let him indeed watch the Dakar on TV, dreaming of one day participating in the event.
“Now he is here, the dream came true and today (Wednesday) he fell on the stage and suffered an abdominal contusion but he managed to say no to the pain and just fight from within until the end of the stage because he doesn’t give up on the Dakar.
“And now today he is the recipient of the Dare Award for stage No.10,” the organisers of the Dakar Rally said when giving Thixton the special award on Wednesday night.
In response, the Zimbabwean biker said: “First of all I wouldn’t like to get a prize for crashing but when you fall like that, you’ve got to dig deep.
“A lot of things comes through your mind, so you’ve got to put that aside and carry on. This isn’t the toughest race in the world for no reason.
“To get to the end of the stage was tough but we made it and we’re super happy to be here.
“Taking home the Dare Award tonight for stage 10 will be something I will never forget,” Thixton said.