Harking back to Africa

Dakar 2023 | Prologue | ALULA > ALULA
December 31 ^st 2022 - 18:08 [GMT + 3]

Nineteenth in the prologue, Charan Moore stood out from the crowd even before the start of the inaugural stage of the rally. Ross Branch's disciple is brimming with enthusiasm and determined to make the most of his second Dakar.

A moustache emphasises his beaming smile, which makes his optimism even more contagious. When asked what made him want to sign up for the Original by Motul category again, Charan Moore gets carried away. "Money is a factor, of course", he begins, "but there is much more to it than that. For me, it captures the essence of the Dakar! I like to sleep in my tent, tinker with my motorbike on the ground, lie down with the other competitors under the truck that hauls our trunks to cool down or catch a breather… I love this esprit de corps. It must be my African side". Adorned with a hat that adds to his air of an adventurer, Charan Moore sets out his ambitions. It does not take a genius to figure out that the South African did not come all the way to Saudi Arabia just to enjoy the bivouac. Last year, he finished 34th overall and fourth in the Original by Motul category in his Dakar debut. "This is my second Dakar", he points out. "I did the first one for no other reason than to discover the race and make it to the finish. This time round, I still want to have fun and twist the throttle to the stop, of course, but I also want to take the race head-on and give it my all. I'm targeting the top 20, but cracking the top 10 would be awesome. That doesn't mean I'll be disappointed if I finish in the top 30 or 40, as long as I have no regrets. As you can imagine, I'd love to win the Original by Motul category. It would be an honour to win a trophy of this calibre. But what really matters is leaving nothing in the tank. I don't want to finish a stage with the nagging feeling that I could've pushed harder." Ambitious and hard as nails, it is not hard to tell what Ross Branch saw in him when he decided to take him under his wing. "He's my hero", he blurts out. "Of course I dream of following in his footsteps. It would be brilliant if next year I can ride for a strong team and aim high in the general standings." In the meantime, the 31-year-old is stoked at the prospect of a longer, tougher Dakar. "It's simply awesome", he concludes.