Dakar Rally: A Dubai Resident Will Take On The World’s Toughest 5,000KM Motorcycle Challenge
The Dakar Rally is considered to be one of the toughest and most prestigious events in the world
Would you brave a 5,000km ride, in extreme conditions, unpredictable weather, and diverse landscapes?
The Dakar Rally is considered to be one of the toughest and most prestigious events in the world of motorsport and today on The Lovin Dubai Show we were joined by Oran O’Kelly, the first Irishman who aims to compete in the Dakar Rally since its move to Saudi Arabia in 2020.
The Dakar Rally AKA “The Dakar”, originally saw entrants race from Paris, France to Dakar, Senegal. The race was held in South America for ten years, before it found a home in Saudi in 2020, a country which is more than capable of hosting this world-class event, according to Oran.
The off-road endurance race is open to both amateur and professional participants, who compete in various categories, including motorcycles, cars, trucks, and other off-road vehicles. The race spans an average distance of 800–900 kilometers per day, and simply reaching the finish line is considered a significant achievement. With a completion rate often falling below 40%, it’s clear that competitors, even at the amateur level, must demonstrate an extraordinary level of commitment and dedication to event make it to the starting line.
Accidents and injuries are part and parcel of this event: Oran describes his motivation for taking on one of the world’s toughest challenges
In this excerpt from a post, Oran highlights just some of the challenges riders can face during this grueling race
Unfortunately, this all came to a big halt running out of fuel 20km before refuel… Our fuel calculations were off, we did not consider how soft the sand would be and ultimately how much we would push it. So we sat back and watched for almost 2 hours to wait till another competitor kindly gave us fuel. This happened to many riders today. At least we got a front row seat to see @nasser_dakar fly past us.
Watch the full interview here
Best of luck to Oran who’ll represent Ireland and the UAE at The Dakar Rally in Saudi in January 2024
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