“I want to close that unfinished story”
En resumen
- Gediminas Satkus lived ten years in Tanzania, exploring the bush on Honda XR400s, long, demanding days on the bike, but not racing.
- After moving to Dubai, he discovered rally-raid. The transition was rough, with dozens of falls per day at the beginning and airbag cartridges emptied before the end of a special.
- Training with fellow Lithuanian Arunas Gelazninkas, double winner in Original by Motul, has helped to change his approach and rhythm.
- His first Dakar in 2025 lasted only two days due to two crashes, including one that broke his collarbone, ending the rally before he could reach the dunes he had prepared for.
- Still based in Dubai, he now trains daily in the desert with Arūnas Gelazninkas, gaining stability, navigation discipline and confidence.
Ambición
G.S:“Last year, my Dakar was extremely short. I crashed twice within the first two stages, the first time after hitting a rock hidden in the sand, which destroyed my tower and all the navigation and safety equipment. The sentinel was gone, the instruments were gone, and I had to fix things in the middle of the stage just to move forward. But nothing really worked, so I was basically just following tracks. Then I jumped over a broken dune, crashed again, and broke my collarbone. That was it… my Dakar was over. It was very disappointing, because I had been preparing for years and I never even reached the parts of the race I was dreaming about. I was heading toward 48h Chrono, which for me was the highlight of the whole rally, and I never got there. This year feels completely different. I train every single day in Dubai with Arunas Gelazninkas, two-time Dakar winner in the Original by Motul category. He has become a real friend, and training with him helped me understand the pace, how to read the dunes, how to take less risks, and how to manage navigation in difficult terrain. Just being next to someone with his experience makes a big difference. Even though the 48h Chrono and the Empty Quarter are not on the route this year, and these are my favourite places, especially because I know them from training and from Abu Dhabi, my mindset is that I want to finish. Last year I lasted two days. This time, I want to complete the entire rally, reach the final podium, and close that unfinished story.”
