“I’m a factory rider at last!”
RIDER FACTS
- Arunas Gelazninkas is a well-known figure on the Dakar, earning total respect from his fellow competitors by winning the Original by Motul category for motorcycles without assistance no less than twice, the last time in 2022.
- Then, when in 2023 they changed the rules, taking some of the top malle-motos regulars out of the rankings, Arunas decided to give the race a miss.
- But the Lithuanian couldn’t stay way and in 2024 he was back as a co-driver. The big difference compared with other co-drivers is that Arunas was navigating for his wife.
- The event started extremely badly for the couple when they were hit by another car in the prologue. That put them right at the bottom of the start list and driving in the dust of the assistance trucks. But they fought back to finish an amazing 9th in T4!
- While they were thinking about what to do for 2025, Arunas was contacted by the Chinese Hoto Factory Racing Team who had previously invited him to race in China. And just like that Arunas is a full factory rider!
2025 AMBITIONS
A.G.
“It has been three years since I rode a bike on the Dakar so I’ll be a bit rusty but I’m really excited at the prospect - being a fully supported factory rider is going to be luxury. The guys at Duust Racing will be doing our assistance and Frenchman Xavier Flick will be my teammate so that’s even better. My wife and I run a rally school out here in Dubai, AG Dakar School (they have two ‘students’ entered in this year’s Dakar) and Duust do a similar thing, so we’re already good friends. Xavier’s been out to China testing the bike but I haven’t had the chance to ride the bike yet. It will be delivered to me here in Dubai in a couple of weeks and I’m looking forward to trying it out. In the photos it looks really good. I don’t know what the programme will be with Hoto Factory Racing but I know they have big plans. Let’s do the Dakar first and see where that takes us!”
