Rookie Daniels nails Dakar debut
Jane Daniels achieved her primary goal of getting to the finish of Dakar 2024 –and she did it in style by claiming 48th overall. She also has the accolade of being the first Brit home as well as being awarded the ‘Dare’ medal which embodies the ‘Dakar Spirit’.
In what was her first Dakar and only second ever Rally, Daniels rode brilliantly, navigated accurately and seemed to get progressively quicker as the arduous two-week event went on. She survived crashes, mechanical issues and even sacrificed a result on stage eight when she towed her stricken Fantic teammate, Jeremy Miroir through the dunes to keep him in the race. She was duly awarded the Dakar ‘Dare’ medal for her efforts.
Speaking at the finish she said: “I’m really happy to finish the Dakar. It’s been two weeks of complete non-stop action. I don’t even remember having a rest day somewhere in the middle. The early mornings and long days were a true test of my physical and mental strength and I honestly wasn’t expecting it to be so tough. I know they say it’s the hardest off-road race in the world, well I can confirm, it is!
“I can’t thank my Fantic team enough for all the effort that’s gone into the preparation and throughout the duration of this race! They had everything covered and despite me reshaping some parts here and there, I think everything went quite well for us! Thank you to everyone for the comments and messages of support, it’s been quite overwhelming but I hope to get back to you all soon.
“If anyone needs me, I’ll be at home on the couch with a cuppa and my dogs for at least a week.”
‘I don’t even remember the rest day’