“Let’s try and make it ten participations!”

Aliyyah Koloc started writing her own adventure in the Dakar last year, following the tracks laid by her father Martin since the 1990s, first aboard a truck and then with the technological innovations of his team Buggyra. From a very young age, Aliyyah and her twin sister Yasmeen (who was also due to participate last year before she had to withdraw with a wrist injury) have witnessed their father’s success in the world of motorsport but their first inspiration was tennis. Aliyyah started at 4 years old, with the ambition to become a professional player, until a knee injury set her on a different track. After she attended winter tests in the beginning of 2019, she's picked up racing, in all types of vehicles (trucks, karts, Formula 4, Nascar…). She’s learned the ropes, set a couple of truck speed records and at 18 years old, she survived the traps of the world’s greatest rallye at the beginning of 2023, all the way to the finish in the T3 light prototype category. A polyglot (English, French, Creole, some Czech and Spanish as well as “very basic Mandarin”) used to traveling around the world, she’s picked the South African Rally Raid Championship as her playground this year. And now she returns to the Dakar with a Red-Lined Revo (T1) she’ll drive alongside Sébastien Delaunay. A staple of the Dakar since his first run in the desert in 2009, the French co-pilot almost didn’t participate in 2024 due to “health issues”. He’s recovered and after five years alongside Erik van Loon, he will share his wisdom and experience with the young Koloc.

A.K.: "My first Dakar was really difficult. I knew it was the toughest race in the world but once you actually do it, you realise how difficult it is, mentally, physically… It was for sure not like any other rally I did. There were a lot more rocks, so I got some punctures. The weather was also a new experience, it was really cold. But I loved the two days in the Empty Quarter and all the dune stages.
My main goal is to finish, like it was last year. With the new car and the dunes, I think it’s gonna be trickier. It’s a heavier car. But in the end, it’s a car, four wheels, I’m gonna take it easy and see how it works out.
I think I can do better now because I know what to expect. There’s a new format with the marathon stage, which will be really interesting and I’m really looking forward to seeing it. I think, overall, every year I’m improving as a driver, as a person, so coming into the Dakar I have a bit more peace of mind this year because I was able to do it before. I still got the nerves but I’m feeling more confident.
First of all, it’s crazy to think I’m already doing my second Dakar. It feels like the previous one was just last week! If I get the opportunity, I’d love to continue doing the Dakar. It’s the biggest race in the world, the biggest rally. I want to improve every year I go and to get better and better results. Let’s try and make it ten participations!”


S. D.: “This girl has something. She knows how to race. She comes from circuits, so she is smooth. But off road is something different. And I know all the crap that can happen to you, how you can lose your nerve when you’re stuck in the dust during a Dakar… I can see where we can go hard or where we need to take it easier. And she can focus on her driving, on the car, the trajectories… The rest, even the sleep, the nutrition, I know how to help her.
It will be my 13th Dakar. I’ve done it in almost every category. I’ve raced with many pilots, more than 200 rallies… And I know Saudi Arabia really well. I can bring something to this team, make a real difference with my experience. With the experience, I don’t stress anymore. I know how to make my bag, how to organize myself. I’ll get my candy and the Chinese noodles that make me feel better at night with my hot water.
I’m very serene, surprised and really happy. I don’t know if surprised is the world, but when you’ve prepared yourself not to go to the event you wait all year long, being able to go with good conditions makes you feel good and it makes you want to fight even harder.
In the end, the ambitions are more long term. The idea is to be performant two or three years from now. She’s fortunate to be part of a beautiful structure to learn and keep improving. She’s a young pilot, she still has a lot to learn even though she’s full of talent and she drives a lot. To try to get close to the top-10 would be a nice challenge for a first T1 participation.”