Dakar Mag
Stage 12 | Bike - R2
YANBU > YANBU
122| ABDULHALIM ALMOGHEERA
Time is on his side
There are a handful of Saudi competitors on this edition. Yazeed Al Rajhi is the most well-known among them, but Abdulhalim Almogheera is the nation’s only biker enrolled on the Dakar this year. He is not the first, for Michal Al Ghuneim achieved the feat before him in 2020 and 2021. In fact, last is a more fitting word for Abdulhalim. Since the Start Camp, he has been progressing at a steady and stolid pace typical of a dromedary. Whilst others race against the clock, Abdu is taking his time.
The members of the organisation team supervising...
Stage 11 | Bike - R2
ALULA > YANBU
131| ANTHONY FABRE
132| ANDY BEAUCOUD
The tandem category!
They wear the numbers 131 and 132, and have remained together throughout the Dakar, both on the track and in the Original by Motul enclosure. Anthony Fabre and Andy Beaucoud are getting ready to complete their great challenge, in a simple and friendly spirit.
It seems that some people had a good laugh when they saw Andy Beaucoud and Anthony Fabre present themselves on the Dakar under the acronym RAF, a reference to their shared passion for the great hours of British military aviation, but which could also be interpreted as a skewed sort...
Stage 11 | Car - Truck
ALULA > YANBU
618| ANJA VAN LOON
618| FLOOR MATEN
618| MARIJE VAN ETTEKOVEN
Ladies first…
In the Netherlands, they have round cheese, tulips and soon the first 100% female team to have finished the Dakar in a truck. What’s more, the Ladies Team De Rooy has chosen the toughest edition contested in Saudi Arabia to meet the challenge. Anja, Floor and Marije are still going strong with two days left to the finish. Better than that, they have not had a single puncture yet and occupy 13th place in the general rankings out of 40 trucks.
A Anja Van Loon is at the root of this adventure, or rather, it is a promise made to her father that...
Stage 10 | Bike - GP
ALULA > ALULA
110| JANE DANIELS
The Englishwoman and her Italian steed
Jane Daniels, in solid form and consistent since the start, is demonstrating stage after stage that she has exactly what it takes to make a name for herself on the Dakar.
Matilde Tomagnini, development manager for the Fantic brand, is rather proud of Jane Daniels. The British rider, a two-times Enduro world champion, has indeed made a remarkable debut on the Dakar this year. “Choosing Jane was a gamble for us, and we're not disappointed,” admits the Italian. “She is demonstrating that she is a very tough rider. For example,...
Stage 11 | Bike - Quad
ALULA > YANBU
175| ANTANAS KANOPKINAS
3.7 kilometres too many
Both the Lithuanian Antanas Kanopkinas and his quad from the Chinese maker CFMOTO —the sole non-Yamaha in the ten-strong field of the 46th edition— are making their Dakar debut. His big-framed 4×4 mount is a heavyweight in its class. Tipping the scales at 541 kg at the pre-race weighing, it is three times as massive as its competitors! However, a different figure will haunt Antanas for a long time: 3.7. The number of kilometres that will prevent him from becoming a finisher…
You do not need to be an expert to...
Stage 11 | Car - Challenger
ALULA > YANBU
346| MANUEL PLAZA PEREZ
346| MARTA PLAZA VAZQUEZ
A family that races together stays together
After tearing up the Dakar in Africa, Manolo Plaza entered the rally four times with his daughter Mónica. Now is the turn of her little sister, Marta.
A new character has joined the Plaza family's Dakar saga this year. The patriarch, Manolo, first tackled the January rally back in 1996, although he had already been the off-road guru of his home region of Cuenca for a long time. He took part in twelve editions in Africa, mastering the secrets of the Sahara, braving nights in the dunes and facing more DNFs than he would care to count, but...
Stage 9 | Bike - R2
HAIL > ALULA
133| BRUNO LEBLANC
Fear at the end of the road
Bruno Leblanc finished stage 9 of his maiden Dakar in a helicopter, one shoulder in a sling. A major disappointment for the fellow who dreamed of crossing the finish line to pay tribute to his mother, who passed away two years ago…
The rider on KTM no. 133 was taken to the finish of the special and left in the medical team's capable hands, awaiting the ride back to Alula's bivouac for a thorough check-up. It took Bruno a bit to shake off the cobwebs, but hooked up to morphine to ease the pain from his busted collarbone, he eventually...
Stage 10 | Car - Ultimate
ALULA > ALULA
238| LAIA SANZ
A lioness back on the prowl
Laia Sanz is THE Dakar legend among women —nay, a Dakar legend full stop, considering that she smashed the glass ceiling in the motorbike category. With 11 Dakar starts on two wheels between 2011 and 2021, including a top 10 finish in 2015, she stands as the sole woman in the history of the rally who has gone toe to toe with her male counterparts. Since 2022, Laia has been racing on four wheels with her sights set on a high-placed finish in the Ultimate class: "I did it on a bike, why not on four wheels?".
Laia had a life before...
Stage 10 | Bike - R2
ALULA > ALULA
37| JEROME MARTINY
The tortoise and the hares
The lone Belgian motorbike rider in the Dakar is racing in Original by Motul. Jérôme Martiny, the incarnation of quiet aplomb, is banking on consistency, a strategy that could hand Belgium an epic triumph.
Jérôme Martiny upped the ante for his third Dakar when he put his name down for the Original by Motul competition, even though he knew that mechanics could be his Achilles' heel. Little did he anticipate that his troubles would begin while still on Belgian soil. He was busy tying up the last details when his brand-new...
Stage 8 | Bike - R2
AL DUWADIMI > HAIL
62| JEREMY MIROIR
Miroir’s reflections on the Dakar
Jérémy Miroir is one of the three rookies riding for the Fantic team. The Italian brand has selected three young enduro champions: Englishwoman Jane Daniels, Italian Tommaso Montanari and Frenchman Jérémy. All three have been entrusted with getting the constructor’s machines to Yanbu. On the evening of stage 8, Miroir returned to the bivouac towed by Jane. “A real taste of how tough the Dakar can be”.
“You can say that on the Dakar one day is very much not like another. Yesterday, I navigated...
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