“I've been waiting for the 3-2-1 countdown for the last two years”

Zhang Min cannot wait to finally make his fifth Dakar appearance in 2022. The Chinese biker was due to take part last year alongside Wupu Dahaidao teammates Zhao Hongyi and Zaker Yakp, but he was unable to join them in Saudi Arabia due to Covid-19 restrictions back home. The 44-year-old has done plenty of training rides over the past two years, but they don't have the same flavour as proper rallying -so he's thrilled to be making a long-awaited return to competitive action. With the usual support from Armand Monleon, Sergi Duran and SDS Pro Race, he will simply be looking to make it through to the finish line in Jeddah. Zhang was forced to abandon on his first two participations -due to a malfunctioning Zongshen in 2017, and engine failure in 2018- but he successfully completed the Dakar in 2019 and 2020. The hotel owner from Yunnan Province is now determined to make it three finishes in a row, as he and the team continue to raise the profile of rally raid in China.

Z.M.: “A few weeks before Dakar 2021, the pandemic hit my area really hard, so I had to quarantine at home for several months. I haven't been able to race for the last two years because of Covid. I've been training a lot, but not racing. So I'm ready for Dakar 2022. I've been waiting for the 3-2-1 countdown every minute for the last two years! It's been a long time since I've raced properly, so I just want to have good fun with my team, finish all the stages and cross the finish line. The Dakar is becoming more and more popular back home. We've got a lot of fans and friends following the rally and enjoying it from home. I can say that many Chinese people are looking forward to taking part in the Dakar someday."