“I want to see how far I can push myself”
RIDER FACTS…
- His passion for bikes started at the young age of 15 in the Australian outback. But it wasn’t until he got married and bought dirt bikes with his wife that he really decided to live his passion competing in motocross and rallies.
- Bruised and battered by the discipline, a serious crash during a rally in Greece surprisingly pushed him to go for the Dakar.
- His first appearance in 2021 was certainly not an easy one: a crash on day 3 saw him suffer until the final day with a broken scaphoid. He still managed to reach the finish line in 50th position. A year later a crash on day 7 forced him to retire after fracturing ribs and breaking a collarbone.
- Now in his fifties and after competing in the 2023 FIM Baja World Cup, the rider from Albury in New South Wales who owns several businesses decided to return to the Dakar but this time in the Original by Motul class.
AMBITION 2025
A.H.: “My crash in Greece at the Hellas Rally that forced me to spend a month in a Greek hospital just made me more determined to do the Dakar that was always in the back of my mind. It was very satisfying to get to the finish of my first Dakar in 2021 but it was really hard. For me the highlights were the people I met and raced with. I love hard things, I love that challenge.
I went back in 2022 but unfortunately had a bad accident and that was really devastating for me.
For 2025 I’m coming back to compete in the Original by Motul Class. At previous Dakar rallies I was on a team with all the support. It’s now a massive challenge organising everything. It’s been a logistical nightmare with the bike preparation and being so far away in Australia. It’s pretty much consumed my life since I made the decision for 2025.
For me, Dakar is almost like an addiction. I want to see how far I can push myself. Going into the Original by Motul class just adds that whole new level of difficulty. I’m back just to prove to myself that I have what it takes to get across the finish line and do it in that category.”