“The Dakar made me truly understand what mentality is”

Thirteen years after his last Dakar appearance, Wenmin Su is preparing for an emotional return to the world’s toughest rally. The 45-year-old has been competing in motorsport for over 30 years and is undoubtedly one of the most talented bike riders ever to have graced the Chinese offroad scene. Since joining his local Yunnan province motorcycle team in 1992, he has done it all, going on to become a national master class rider and winning his country’s biggest events, such as the Taklimakan Rally and the China Grand Rally. He has also represented his country at the motocross world championships and is now a respected motorcycle instructor, official and executive. Above all, he made history by becoming one of the first two Chinese bikers to conquer the Dakar in 2010, alongside Guanghui Wei. He describes his debut as a combination of “pain and joy”, detailing the highs and lows that are an integral part of the Dakar experience. After completing the rally again in 2011, he now returns in 2024 with the Arctic Leopard Factory Racing team, who will be showcasing their Chinese-made electric bike, the Cheetah E-XE880 Rally, in Mission 1000. Wenmin didn’t expect to ride the Dakar again, but when he was contacted by Arctic Leopard CEO Gang Jun Cai, who will also be competing, he knew it was an offer he couldn’t refuse. Along with experienced Frenchman Willy Jobard, who has been doing the Dakar since the late 1990s and has ridden with Wenmin in the past, the Arctic Leopard trio will be looking to prove that rally-raid has an electric future ahead of it.

“I started racing when I was 13. I especially enjoyed watching motocross bikes leap into the air, because I love the feeling of flying. I got the opportunity to start taking part in training sessions, then eventually began competing in professional competitions. It was one step at a time. I took part in the Taklimakan Rally for the first time in 2008. I was really impressed. Rally-raid challenges you not only to ride well, but to find the right path. For me, 2010 was a year of pain and joy. As a bike rider, taking part in the Dakar fulfilled a dream, but my debut also allowed me to experience the full range of Dakar emotions. Four seasons of weather in one day, and so much unpredictability, tension, anxiety, exhaustion, happiness, victory. The Dakar made me truly understand what mentality is. If I were to talk about a best memory, then it was how the Dakar opened the door to the world and helped me meet a lot of good friends. The Dakar is like a sacred pilgrimage in my heart, and I knew I would fight for another chance to take part. The Mission 1000 project is playing a key role in promoting the development of electric motorsport. Whether it’s the improvement of product quality or the development of future technologies, I’m very happy to be contributing to the next step in Chinese motorsport. Now I’m coming back to take part in a new project. For me it’s a new beginning: different bike, different rules, different everything. So I’m lining up with the same sense of love and awe. Dakar, here I come again! As someone who has already done the Dakar, my goal is to finish the rally safely. I think that’s the common goal of most riders and drivers who are familiar with the rally. But if you can also go beyond that and transcend yourself on the track, then of course it’s perfect.”