“Not having a go is inconceivable”
RIDER FACTS
- South African Willem Avenant has had a lifelong ‘long distance’ relationship with the Dakar. As a kid it was the only thing he was allowed to stay up late to watch on the TV with his father. ‘Local’ rider and KTM factory team stalwart Alfie Cox was his childhood hero.
- When he met his wife in 2006, he warned her that motorcycles were part of his life, and that one day he would do the Dakar. Now on the eve of his 40th birthday that ‘promise’ is about to become a reality.
- His 20 plus years of Dakar preparation has included racing in South African rallies, making road books for South African rallies and setting up an international rally navigation school. He is currently Race Director for the Six Day Baja Rally in Mexico.
- Despite being totally immersed in rally-raid culture he only took part in his first W2RC level rally raid this year, successfully completing the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge to secure his 2025 Dakar entry.
- His YouTube series ‘Decoding Dakar’ has become the bible for those dreaming of following in his footsteps.
2025 AMBITIONS
“So, I admit it is an unusual situation. I’ve ‘devoted’ my whole life to the Dakar and now finally I’m going to enter it. People often say it is a dream come true but, in my case, it is a bit more than that. More like a consecration! To complicate matters further, as an ‘ordinary’ self-financing participant I don’t really see how I could have a second chance at this. I’ve still got my tree surgeon business back in Cape Town but I’ve taken a sabbatical from that since 1 January 2024 and I don’t think I could put myself or my family through this again. And yet I also know full well, from all the other rallies I’ve done, that statistically there’s a chance I might not finish. I reckon I’ve totally optimised my chances, picked the right team to suit my profile, I’m happy with all the preparation but obviously there’s a bit of pressure. On the other hand nobody is forcing me to do this – it is just that in the great scheme of things there’s only one rally that really counts and that’s the Dakar, so not having a go is inconceivable. So how to approach it? Well in the past I’ve found that the most successful approach to rallies is to have fun on the bike and off it. If I’m enjoying myself then whatever happens it will all be worthwhile.”
