No favours for Thixton at Dakar Rally

Collin Matiza-Sports Editor

THERE will once again be no place for the faint-hearted in the motorbike section of next year’s Dakar Rally with the news that 137 bikes, including one from our own Ashley Thixton, had by the start of this week entered to race in this gruelling competition. 

There are only six weeks to go until the start of the 2024 Dakar Rally, which is scheduled to run from January 5 to 19 in the dunes of Saudi Arabia. In addition to the professionals from the favoured works teams, 49 participants, including Zimbabwe’s Thixton, will be tackling the toughest rally for the first time in the motorbike section. According to reports from Saudi Arabia, the list of participants for the 2024 Dakar Rally is still provisional, if only because a lot can still happen between now and the start of the world’s toughest motor rally on January 5. 

Riders have often had to cancel due to illness or injury or because their bikes were beyond repair after training crashes. If nothing like this happens, 137 brave men and women, including Zimbabwe’s Ashley Thixton, will set off on their journey to conquer the toughest rally with its almost 7 900 kilometres. 

A total of 354 vehicles are currently signed up to participate in the 2024 Dakar Rally, across all categories. A total of 137 motorcycles are running this year, as well as 10 quads. In four-wheeled categories, there will be 72 Ultimate cars, 42 Challenger cars, 36 side-by-side vehicles (SSVs), and 46 trucks. The Mission 1000 challenge will be run concurrently, for nine pre-selected vehicles including the HySE Dakar vehicle co-developed by Honda, Kawasaki.Suzuki, Yamaha, and Toyota. 

The 2024 Dakar will consist of one Prologue, 12 stages, and 14 days of racing. Approximately 5 000 kilometres (just under 3 107 miles) of the rally will be Special Stages, will consist of approximately 60 percent new sections. 

On the motorbike side, the Dakar is colourful and ranges from Fantic to Yamaha. 

Yamaha has the smallest contingent with two bikes, followed by Fantic and Sherco with three bikes each and Hero with four. The Chinese manufacturer Kove, which will be equipping six riders, will also be taking part for only the second time. In addition to the six Honda factory riders, only two other participants will be using the products of the world’s largest motorbike manufacturer. The majority of the participants rely on motorbikes from the Pierer Mobility Group: GASGAS (11), Husqvarna (30) and KTM (70).

Zimbabwe’s Thixton will be mounting a KTM.

In terms of countries, the distribution is just as clear: Most of the participants have a French (29) or Spanish (18) passport. No other country has more than eight participants. In total, riders from 36 different nationalities are taking part in the 2024 Dakar Rally. Whether you’re just starting to get interested in the Dakar Rally, or you’ve been a fan for ages, organisers of the 2024 Dakar Rally have announced the route and details. 2024 marks the 46th year of the Dakar Rally, and the fifth year in which Saudi Arabia will host what is arguably the biggest event on the rally calendar. The event kicks off on January 5, 2024 in Al Ula, and will run approximately 7 891 kilometers (or 4 903-ish miles) before the finale in Yanbu on January 19, 2024. 

New Empty Quarter 48-Hour Stage in 2024

Additionally, there will be a new 48-hour stage, set up like a marathon stage. Taking place in the Empty Quarter, competitors will be allowed to assist each other in the evenings. Matters will be complicated, however, because at 4pm, competitors will be required to stop for the night at the first bivouac they reach. 

Once there, only other competitors who have stopped at the same bivvy for the night will be available for assistance, and there won’t be any way to communicate or know who’s going to which of the nine bivouacs until they’ve arrived.

Two separate tracks will be set up for this stage, with one for the motorcycles and quads and a separate one for the cars and trucks. 

That way, say organizers, the cars and trucks won’t be able to see tracks left by the bikes and quads, and will thus have more of a challenge. Motorcycle stage openers will still be awarded bonus points.