"Blue makes my eyes pop"
Crew facts
- Multi-time South African enduro and motocross champion, Bradley Cox (whose father Alfie finished on the podium three times in the bike category), debuted in rally raiding at the 2021 Morocco Rally. He was 23 years old at the time. Finishing third in the Rally 2 category, he immediately became a rider to keep an eye on.
- The Dakar Rally has not been kind to him, however. Technical problems marred his 2022 debut. In 2023, he crashed on the opening stage. And in the most recent edition, a crash just 100 metres after the start of stage 6 forced him to retire yet again.
- In four participations, the South African has completed 50% of his Dakars. He finished third in the Rally 2 category in 2024 (13th overall).
- Apart from the first two rounds of the W2RC (the Dakar and the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge), Cox reached a milestone in the 2025 season. Leaving Rally 2 behind, he moved up to the elite category (Rally GP) with his new team: the Sherco Rally Factory team.
- Eighth in the W2RC after top 10 finishes in the Safari Rally and Morocco, the 27-year-old rider hopes to close the gap on the leaders in the upcoming Dakar Rally.
Ambition
"This will be my fifth Dakar, but it feels like I'm preparing for my very first one. It's unbelievable how time flies. The most significant difference this time is my colour, of course. In 2022, it was so exciting because everything was unknown, and I didn't know what to expect. Now I know what to expect, and it's a little scarier. But the preparation remains the same.
I feel older. The rally makes you feel older. You rack up so many kilometres; you spend so much time thinking and facing the unknown. But it's just experience, and the biggest change is that I put more pressure on myself. I've now realised my dream of becoming a factory rider. Before, I was always waiting for that phone call, the one that would change everything. I have to remember to do what I know how to do and ride the bike as best I can.
At the last Dakar, I moved up to the Rally GP category, and it really felt like I was up there with the big boys. I'm no longer in Rally 2, where you fight to win stages. Now you're with the best, and every detail counts. Being one of the yellow numbers is special.
I rode a KTM for 22 years. My father was part of the KTM factory team, and he owns a KTM dealership back home. So yes, it's a huge change. For me, this moment had to come. And, besides, blue makes my eyes pop."
