dyton mupawaenda
Collin Matiza-Sports Editor
BRING it on and let’s get the party started!
That’s the bold and clear message that Zimbabwean motorbike rider Ashley Thixton sent out to his fans and followers as he left the country on Monday to compete in the 2024 Dakar Rally which revs off in Saudi Arabia on Friday.
The 2024 Dakar Rally is shaping up to outdo its predecessors with a new course that commences in Alula and finishes in Yanbu.
The fifth edition of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia promises to push man and machine harder than any of the previous ones. After the first week, in which the competitors will feel the heat from the start in AlUla, the field will tackle an Empty Quarter triptych introducing a brand-new concept: a 48-hour Chrono Stage held over two days in which the competitors, scattered among eight bivouacs, will be basically left to their own devices.
The rest day in Riyadh will only provide a brief respite, as the varied terrain between that point and the finish in Yanbu is riddled with navigational challenges that could shift the balance of power at any time.
This year’s event is set to host 590 participants from 187 teams in the main Dakar Rally and an additional 174 in the Dakar Classic category.
And Zimbabwean rider Thixton is set to make his debut in the toughest and biggest motor rallying event in the world and he was brimming with confidence as he left the country on Monday accompanied by his father and long-time mentor, Trevor, who will be part of his supporting team during this year’s Dakar Rally which will run from this Friday to January 19 in the dunes of Saudi Arabia.
He will be joined at the starting point on Friday by the legendary biker from Botswana, Ross Branch, who helped him in his final preparations for the 2024 Dakar Rally.
Ashley will be Zimbabwe’s sole representative at this tough event and he will be among 137 male and female motorbike riders from around the world who have entered to race in the bikes section of the 2024 Dakar Rally.
Zimpapers Sports caught up with Ashley just before he left the country for Saudi Arabia on Monday and the 30-year-old biker promised his Zimbabwean fans and followers that he will do his level best to last the distance in this tough event which will be broadcast live around the world during its 14 days of action.
In Saudi Arabia, Ashley will be competing under HT Rally Raid Husqvarna Racing squad who have a strong team of nine motorbike riders who are all eyeing to leave a mark at this year’s Dakar Rally.
The other members of the HT Rally Husqvarna Racing squad are the 2023 W2RC Rally3 champion Ardit Kurtaj of Albania/Austria, Belgian Joris van Dyck, American Weston Carr, Belgians Gwen Backx and Pierre Saeys, Uruguayan Fabian von Thuengen, Ganzorig Chuluun of Mongolia and South African Charan Moore.
But all eyes from this part of the world will be on our own Zimbabwean rider, Ashley Thixton, as embarks on what will be the toughest and most challenging task of his long and glittering motorcycling career which began when he was a tiny four-year-old motocross biker at Donnybrook Park Raceway in Harare.
Ashley was full of confidence before he left for Saudi Arabia on Monday and he said he would give his best inorder to last the distance and be part of the history makers at the business end of the 2024 Dakar Rally on January 19.
“My message to my Zimbabwean fans and followers is most definitely: never give up on your dream. If you want something so bad you will go out and get it. And that’s what I have done.
“I think expectations are high from all at home but I think people should watch my journey and see that I am here to finish and I am going to go about having the time of my life on a motorbike at this year’s Dakar Rally.
“I have rested over the last week and have made sure my body is ready for the gruelling 15-day task ahead. My ice baths and long stretch sessions have given my body the rest it so badly needed.
“Having People show extra support but following me on Facebook and Instagram would help me a lot.
“On either my personal page Ash Thixton or my Dakar dedicated page of Dakar263ey.
“I’m off to take up my dream and fly my Zimbabwean flag high . . . 2024 hit me with your best shot. I have never been more ready!’’ Ashley said.
And Ashley is now in Saudi Arabia where he is bracing himself to compete in the Rally2 of the bikes section of this year’s Dakar Rally.
According to reports from Saudi Arabia, the 2024 edition of the Dakar Rally is set to be just as grueling as the previous editions but it will include a new format, the 48H Chrono Stage.
Consisting of 1 prologue, 12 stages and 14 days of racing, 2024’s Dakar Rally is expected to be just as daunting as the previous edition. In total, the drivers will cross the equivalent of 5 000km across barren deserts and challenging dunes.
Saudi Arabia will host the Dakar Rally for the fifth time between this coming Friday to January 19.
As such the competitors will cover some provinces as they loop from Alula to Yanbu. In order, the teams and drivers will cross Saudi Arabia’s five providences; Madinah, Ha’il, Al-Qassim, Riyadh and the Eastern Province before looping back on itself.
The prologue will be set to start at Alula, this coming Friday (January 5), before the first stage — a day later — where those competing in the event will head to their first destination, Al Henakiyah. From there they will slowly make their way towards the far-eastern side of the country, deep inside the Eastern Province.
Inside the Eastern Province, the Dakar Rally will feature a new stage format in the 48-hour Chrono Stage. Contested over two days the competitors will have to battle a marathon stage, spread out over eight different bivouacs.
The immense desert of the Empty Quarter will be the backdrop for the challenging 48H Chrono Stage, standing in as the event’s sixth stage.
The teams and drivers will have to contend with the challenging dunes of the Empty Quarter whilst navigating their way through 600km of the Saudi Arabian desert.
At one of the eight bivouacs, where the competitors stay during their stop at 4pm, the teams will only have the very basic necessities; tents, sleeping bags and military-style rations to keep them going through the night.
When the 48-hour stage continues, at 7am the following morning, the teams will depart in order of arrival every minute.
Once the 48-hour stage has been completed the competitors will be transferred to the capital city of Riyadh where they will complete the leg back to Alula.
When they arrive at Alula, the drivers will be able to relax slightly with a small loop around the surrounding area for stage 10.
However, this break will be short and sweet before the remaining competitors endure a hefty 584km course towards Yanbu. One final stage will be held around Yanbu before the winner is declared, on January 19.
Online Reporter