“It should be slightly more enjoyable”
RIDER FACTS
- A long-time competitor in the iconic Isle of Man TT, James Hillier returns for his second Dakar in 2025.
- He did his 2023 debut in the punishing Original by Motul class, becoming the first ever TT competitor to finish the Dakar.
- Encouraged by his father, James started out in Trials before tackling the TT for the first time in 2008 and taking home the Newcomers Trophy.
- He has done the TT every year since, winning the Lightweight race in 2013 and claiming 14 podiums. In 2023 he improved his career best lap speed to 132.703mph, making him the fastest rider on a Yamaha around the Mountain Course.
- In the TT James runs number 5, while at this year's Dakar he is number 50 - "so there's a kind of connection". His signature race number is 37.
- James made his rally-raid debut at the Andalucia Rally 2021 (15th), then did the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2022 (20th). Dakar 2023 was only his third rally, and Dakar 2025 will be his fifth.
AMBITION 2025
J.H.: “I'm coming to Dakar 2025 with a team, the same guys who look after me on the TT. On paper the team name stands for ‘We're The Future’, because we’ve been offsetting a lot of our carbon. It will be a new experience for all of us. Dakar 2023 in Original by Motul was about survival, especially with all the rain that year. I joke with my wife that it was a bit like labour; the body naturally erases trauma from the memory bank! Completing malle-moto is quite an achievement. It was surprising at this year's TT how many people are into the Dakar and asked about it. I would do Original again, but I'd like to get some other guys involved, share the experience with friends. I'll be on a Kove this year after riding a GasGas in 2023. Earlier this year I did the International Six Days Enduro on a Kove. I made it to the finish and so did the bike, which was a good confidence booster. I also did the Qatar International Baja, my first rally since Dakar 2023, so I could practise navigation. I can't say this Dakar will be 'easier' because there's nothing easy about it! But hopefully it will be a bit less demanding, and I can enjoy it a bit more. It will be quite nice to share it with the team, and to have a bed in the truck with a decent pillow. It should be slightly more enjoyable and I can put more energy into just riding the motorbike. Finishing is the priority. Last time I was going quite conservatively to save energy and give myself a bit of a cushion. The biggest thing is just to keep the wheels turning and look after the bike. At the TT there's pressure on me to perform, but I'm never going to win the Dakar so there's no real pressure.”
