“An honour to become a Dakar Legend”

He has become a regular figure of the Dakar. Simon Marcic is on the verge of starting the rally for the tenth time making him officially a Dakar Legend. Whatever the cost, whatever the sacrifices, whatever the pain, the Slovenian has a passion for the event. And that started as soon as his dad bought him a 125cc dirt bike to reward him for his good grades at school. His journey on the world’s toughest rally hasn’t been an easy one. A fine enduro specialist after starting as a BMX and MTB downhiller, he struggled on his first appearance back in 2014 when he was forced to quit early. At the time he had a team supporting him on the rally. That would actually be the first and only time. After a one-year break, he returned to the event on his KTM 450, and accomplished the mission he had set: to finish the Dakar. But what a struggle it was for the rider from Maribor who had registered in what was then called the malle-moto class with no assistance. His 79th spot in Rosario came as a huge achievement after suffering injuries to his fingers, wrist and collarbone. A year later, after enjoying ten fine days, bad luck struck again in the blinding dust of Argentina. Marcic was indeed caught in a collision with Stephane Peterhansel’s Peugeot, resulting in a leg fracture. Since his first experience in the toughest of classes, there’s no other way of doing the Dakar for the Slovenian. Part of the Original by Motul family, he is often the guy the rookies turn to for advice or just a pleasant chat. Last year, Marcic continued his perfect run in Saudi Arabia by finishing 50th like his bib number. He was also sixth of his category and for the first time managed to capture a stage win in his class. Formerly a university professor, Simon has decided to focus entirely on his passion. His ultimate dream: to win the Original by Motul trophy.

“Riding bikes goes way back. The Dakar is a real challenge for me. A lifelong project and dreamed wish. The Dakar was a dream for so many years, ever since I was 11 watching Miran Stanovnik on TV. It’s since then become a lifestyle. The Original by Motul class is for me the real race. It’s what it was like 40 years ago when there was no help and no mechanics. Now I’m used to it. I have my own system.
Honestly my season was quite tough. I was expecting things to be much easier now that I’m fully professional and no longer working at the university as a professor. It was much tougher to find funding for the racing and also to live out of it. It’s a challenge. My last Dakar was quite a success. I won a stage in the Original by Motul class for the first time. I could have won a couple more if I hadn’t had technical problems. I was actually lucky to finish last year because on one day I lost the mousse in my tyre. I had to cover 100kms in the sand on my rim. This year I’m looking forward to being even more ready. I did the Dubai Baja as a preparation. I really hope everything will go well. I hope to one day win the Original by Motul class. This Dakar will be my 10th appearance so I’m becoming a Dakar Legend which really is an honour for me.”