The Welshman is back

January 1 ^st 2026 - 14:03 [GMT + 3]

Neil Hawker, registered for the Original by Motul race, is hopping onto a Honda for his return to the Dakar after a five-year hiatus.

The big day is here. Dakar entrants are ringing in the new year by going through technical and administrative scrutineering at the bivouac in Yanbu. Riders and crews queue under the sprawling tent shielding FIM and FIA officials from the sun, moving their vehicles from one test stand to the next to submit their vehicles and equipment to a meticulous inspection. "I spent a long time preparing for this moment", says Neil Hawker, one of the 26 riders in the Original by Motul class. "You could say it's a relief… The race is about to begin." Neil Hawker has already surfed the Saudi dunes twice. His first attempt, back in 2020, came to a premature end. "A nasty crash on the fifth day knocked me out of the race with a broken arm and a concussion", laments the Brit. He bounced back in no time: "I signed up again the following year so the momentum I'd built up with my sponsors didn't go to waste, but I wasn't in great shape. I finished 37th overall, sixth in malles-moto".

Hawker then put the Dakar on standby to focus on work. The 42-year-old soldier-cum-fireman also teaches at BMW Off Road Skills, an off-road training facility run by Simon Pavey, a former Dakar entrant. "I don't race a lot, apart from the occasional enduro event, but I do ride a lot", explains Hawker. The mad lad decided to give it another try five years after his latest outing in Saudi Arabia and signed up for the Original by Motul class again, this time on one of the fifty Honda machines specially tuned in Italy by Red Moto with HRC backing. "I've always had a soft spot for Honda", he points out. "Sure, this sets me apart from most other riders in this class, but it's all about passion. It's a reliable and affordable machine. My goal hasn't changed. I want to have fun and enjoy this amazing race. The other two times, the world was still in the throes of COVID, so everybody kept a bit to themselves. It's a completely different story now. I love being able to talk, hang out and share impressions with the others. Everyone looks fired up."