dyton mupawaenda
Collin Matiza-Sports Editor
THE wait is finally over!
Zimbabwean motorbike rider Ashley Thixton will today plunge into the biggest and most challenging adventure of his glittering career when he takes part in the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia.
The 46th running of one of the jewels in motorsport’s crown will roar into life today and will run until January 19 in the Saudi Arabian dunes.
The Dakar Rally is regarded as the biggest and toughest motor rallying event in the world and it’s no place for the faint-hearted.
The stage is set, the engines are roaring, and the desert awaits — the Dakar Rally 2024 is about to unfold. As the clock ticks down, Zimbabwean rider Thixton is rubbing his hands with glee as he makes his debut appearance at this tough event at the ripe age of 30.
He is champing at the bit to get the most out of his Husqvarna 450R bike and is revelling in making his debut appearance at this tough event.
Thixton said yesterday that he can’t actually believe that he was competing in this year’s Dakar Rally where he is part of the world’s top motor rallying drivers and motorbike riders.
“Feels good to be back surfing the dunes . . . Still in disbelief that I am not only AT the Dakar but I am actually IN the Dakar Rally,” Thixton posted on his Facebook wall yesterday ahead of the opening stage of the 2024 Dakar Rally.
Thixton is part of a nine-member Rally Raid Husqvarna Racing team that will be competing in the Rally2 category of the bikes section of this year’s Dakar Rally.
In fact, 137 male and female motorbike riders, drawn from around the world, have entered the bikes section of this year’s Dakar Rally.
And our own Zimbabwean biker Thixton will be among these “daredevils” and he will be in the thick of things when the race gets underway today.
On Wednesday, Thixton, who arrived in Saudi Arabia late on Tuesday, went for a shakedown and testing on his Husqvarna 450R bike and was in good spirit ahead of the mammoth task ahead.
The Zimbabwean biker said he immediately fell in love with his Husqvarna 450R bike and was confident of completing the whole course and be part of the finishers in the Saudi city of Yanbu on January 19.
And Thixton is now ready for the battle which starts today in the Saudi city of Al-Ula.
“The Dakar Rally has always fascinated me. The adrenaline, the camaraderie, and the incredible resilience it represents. It’s not just a race, but a testament to the human spirit. And now, I have the opportunity to be a part of it and proudly represent our country,” Thixton said ahead of today’s prologue stage of the 2024 Dakar Rally.
He said he has been preparing for this event for the past three years and was more than deter-mined to last the distance and become the second Zimbabwean motorbike rider to achieve this feat after Graeme Sharp who was among the finishers in 2020 when the Dakar Rally moved to Saudi Arabia.
The 2024 Dakar Rally will be the fifth successive event to take place entirely in Saudi Arabia, but organiser ASO has laid out a route that will be vastly different to previous years.
One of the biggest highlights of this year’s challenge is a two-day “chrono stage,” where competitors will have until 4pm to cover as much ground as possible before halting at the next bivouac they come across.
They will head out again the following morning at 7am in order to be the first to reach the finish line, covering a competitive distance of nearly 600km in the process. To add to the difficulty, no assistance from teams will be allowed overnight as per ‘marathon stage’ rules, meaning drivers and riders will have to fend for themselves in case of any technical drama.
The 2024 Dakar Rally marks the 46th edition of the famous off-road race. For the fifth time in succession the event will take place entirely within the borders of Saudi Arabia.
The 2024 Dakar Rally starts today with a prologue. The latter determines the starting order for Stage 1, a day later.
Over 350 racers will compete over 5 000 km of timed sections, with the race ending on January 19.
The race will, once again, start in the historic AlUla, alongside the Red Sea. The checkered flag will fall in Yanbu. Sixty percent of the 2024 Dakar Rally is said to take place on unchartered tracks. There will be 14 days of racing punctuated by the now traditional rest day.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter