“You don't get any harder and tougher than the Dakar”

David Pearson is gearing up for his Dakar debut in 2023, and the 53-year-old will be doing it the hard way, in the assistance-free Original by Motul class. David is coming to Saudi Arabia as a member and the manager of the American Rally Originals team, a group of five riders hoping to become the first Americans to finish the Dakar in malle-moto. Despite those star-spangled ambitions, David was actually born and grew up in Canada; he emigrated to the US around 15 years ago and acquired citizenship five years later. He and his older brother Jim -who is also part of the ARO quintet- have been riding motorcycles since they were kids, starting out with street bikes before going offroad. David has showcased his abilities with some impressive performances, such as victory in the Ironman class at Vegas to Reno and first place at this year's COTAH Rally. At the Sonora Rally in October, he also won the Road to Dakar challenge to secure free entry to his maiden Dakar. As well as being an accomplished rider, David considers himself “a bit of a wordsmith”, and even wrote a volume of poetry when he went travelling around the world in his 30s. He may not have time to document all of his adventures at the 45th Dakar, but he’ll still be hoping to enjoy a memorable edition with the rest of the American Rally Originals.

“My brother and I have been racing together for many years, since we were kids. Growing up we used to watch a sitcom called CHiPs, about two motorcycle cops. I was big into motorbikes, and at 14 I tricked my father into buying me a moped. We've been motorcycle guys ever since. First street bikes, then in my early 20s I bought a dirtbike at a garage sale and never really looked back. We continued to find events that are harder and tougher, and you don't get any harder and tougher than the Dakar. A lot of us had heard of the rally, but in different ways. For me it was probably back in the late 1990s with Jimmy Lewis. I’ve been following it for a while. Our whole crew was at a local event in Southern California, sitting round talking to Kyle McCoy, and we got a bit fired up about malle-moto, that no American has completed that course. Things kind of went for a turn and all five of us said: ‘We're in! Let's do this.’ We’ve been on that target ever since. It's daunting. I don’t know if you can ever be fully prepared. As much as we’ve got together as a group, we recognise that this is a race of individuals. I’ve been riding for a long time and mechanics is one of my weaknesses, so that will be one of my biggest challenges. But we just want to finish. I’m so ready it’s wearing me out! I just want to go and be there now.”