PEOPLE,EVENTSANDRIDES
Surviving the Dakar, riding the Cairngorms, places to go and more.
Amonth before the start of the Dakar Rally and, with my collar bone healing, I thought I was on top of preparations. Wrong. The outfit in Dubai, who were meant to be building my bike, announced they couldn’t get the parts in time. Fortunately Drag’on Yamaha in France, who manufacture the conversion kits that turn the WR450F into a competitive rally bike, were able to sort out a bike fast. But not fast enough to get it onto the Dakar organisers’ boat from Marseille to Saudi, so it’d have to be air freighted to Riyadh. It finally left France on 26 December. The race was due to start 5 January. There was more aggravation to come.
On 28 December, the day I’m flying to the Middle East, I get a message saying the support team from Dubai wouldn’t be at the race. So I’m about to board a plane to Saudi Arabia with no guarantee of a bike, no guarantee of a team, a halfhealed collarbone and no bike fitness whatsoever. Saying goodbye to my girlfriend at the airport it all became too much and I broke down in tears. What the fuck was I doing?
Drag’on Rally rescued me again offering work space under their awning throughout the race, although I’d have to work on my own bike. I was massively relieved that I wouldn’t be on my own. One more problem solved.
At Riyadh it took five frustrating days to get my bike out of customs and onto a truck to Jeddah. The truck broke down (obviously, how didn’t I see that one coming?) and arrived with hours to spare for scrutineering.
After the trauma of getting to the start, the first day’s riding was the most relaxed I’d been in months. It was fantastic to be out on the bike but it was only the third riding day I’d done since my collarbone operations in October, so I took it easy. After daydreaming about the Dakar for years, and all the grief getting here, I’d actually completed a stage. The next few days were tough, but manageable. I had a problem with the bike’s fuelling, missed a waypoint and suffered huge blisters on my hands. When there was an issue I’d get caught by the trucks and cars, and once you’re in their dust it’s a nightmare. The going varied from rocky tracks to
‘This has been the most extraordinary experience of my life’
dunes, and the distances are big. By the finish of stage 6 there were 120 bikes still running, I was 104th and still in it. Day seven featured the longest timed stage of the rally at 340 miles. The first section to the refuel was fast and flowing and I arrived in good shape. Thirty miles later, riding up a dune, my engine stopped with a horrifying crunch. It was locked solid. I had to admit defeat and the helicopter came to get me. Back at the bivouac the mood was sombre – one of my heroes, Paulo Gonçalves, had crashed and passed away. The next stage was cancelled out of respect.
So I’m out of the race, but for 2020 the organisers created a ‘Dakar Experience’ category to allow competitors who are forced to retire for mechanical reasons, but have got their bikes going again, to continue. My girlfriend and dad are flying out to watch me ride stages 11 and 12.
As I write this, stage nine is taking place, but my bike is back together with a fresh engine so I’ll be riding tomorrow. This has been the most extraordinary experience of my life, and I want it to continue.
Setup
º The bike should be off the stand, in first gear, with the engine off and the bars turned away from you on full lock. Like this the bike is stable - in gear and on full lock it can’t move, and with the bars turned away from you there’s lots of room to wave your leg about.
Make the tripod
º Get your chest parallel to the bars, and with hands on the grips, swing your right foot over the seat and put it onto the right side footrest. Don’t try to reach the floor. If you can’t reach the peg just let your foot hover above it. Rely on the tripod of wheels and left leg for stability.
Start the engine
º With your left foot on the floor, and your right foot on the footrest, pull the clutch in and start the engine. You’re now ready for action, so it’s tempting to shuffle across the seat and get both feet down. Resist. That’s when the wobbles start, so don’t compromise the tripod.
Go
Only now, point the front wheel in the direction you want to move, release the clutch, pull away, pick your left foot up from the floor and shuffle your backside on the seat as required. Stopping? Go for the tripod effect, and stick with the one foot you put down.