Brothers in arms tackle the dunes

Dakar 2019 | Stage 4 | Arequipa > Moquegua
January 10 th 2019 - 23:47 [GMT -5]

It was an early start for Julio Luis and Julián José García Merino, who rolled out of San Juan de Marcona at 7 am. It would take them almost 16 hours to reach the bivouac in Arequipa. Julián José Luis is still on the move, knowing that he needs to get his wheels to the BF Goodrich stand as soon as possible for a tyre change. The elder García brother is becoming a regular fixture in the Original by Motul category, reserved to competitors racing in the Dakar without assistance and taking care of their own vehicles: "I once competed as part of a team, but I definitely prefer racing like this, in hard mode, alone in my efforts. For me, it's the only Dakar that counts". The adventure is taking on a whole new dimension this year because he is sharing it with his brother Julio, who is discovering the race and the way of life that comes with doing the Dakar the old-fashioned way. "We haven't had any major problems so far, but the days are very long and the nights very short. Last night I only got three hours' sleep, but so far, so good explains the rookie, grateful for Julián's guidance. "Out there on the track, we can help each other out at all times and, when one of us is feeling confident, he rides slightly ahead to show the other the right trajectories, for example. At any rate, we always ride together." It shows, with the inseparable brothers ranking 80th and 81st in the general classification, even though it does not seem to matter that much to them: "All we want is to make it to Lima together".

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