“I live in the moment”

After a memorable outing at Dakar 2022, Dusan Randysek returns to a fast assistance truck in 2023. The 51-year-old has been involved in rally-raid for many years, starting out on a bike and riding his first Dakar in Africa in 2007. He also took part in the early South American editions, before helping to develop one of the first lightweight vehicles, an Arctic Cat Wildcat, from 2013. He competed in the SSVs at Dakar 2016, before returning in 2021 to replace his brother Robert as the driver of the PH-Sport assistance truck. It was perhaps last year, though, that the Czech veteran enjoyed his most unforgettable experience on the world's toughest rally. To celebrate his 50th birthday, Dusan entered Dakar Classic at the head of the Vintage Racing team, driving a 1960s-era Land Rover Series II alongside his teenage son Frantisek. The father-and-son duo made it through to the finish line, with Dusan comparing their adventure to that of the original Dakar pioneers in the late 1970s. At this 2023 edition, Dusan will be working for Team SSP and keeping an eye on four vehicles in the T3 and T4 classes. He is joined by navigator Anthony Robineau, for whom trucks are a family affair. The Frenchman's grandfather André set up Team Robineau in 1983, and built a Volvo F10 with which his son Pascal won the 24 Hours of Le Mans truck race in 1985. More recently, Pascal's son Thomas (Anthony's cousin) has done several editions of the Dakar, and also drove the PH-Sport assistance truck last year. Having competed on the track at the French Truck Championship, 31-year-old Anthony can't wait to make his Dakar debut. He and Dusan are joined by another French first-timer, former biker Joel Darboure, who will act as the crew's mechanic.

D.R.: “Dakar 2022 wasn't about speed, but the passion to experience something different. Going with the oldest car and the youngest participant, tackling rough terrain with basic suspension and low power. It took a lot of courage to hit the dunes without front-wheel drive and generally keep the old man alive! Even after so many years in the Dakar, when you look at the roadbook at 4pm and you still have 300 kilometres to cover offroad, with one rear wheel pulling you, and you're running out of gas, it produces a certain amount of anxiety! But it was just a great Dakar. We did it like the adventurers of the first Dakar in 1978: on our own, sleeping in a tent by the Land Rover, without assistance or mechanics. It made it very entertaining and intense. Frantisek's performance was probably the biggest surprise for me: he navigated with great coolness and precision. It was nice to be able to rely on him. The connection with the young generation also showed me the power of the media, and we were pleasantly surprised to get feedback from all over the world. We had fans in the UK, the USA and South America watching every metre. In general, I live in the moment, so that's probably why the Dakar I'm currently doing is the best!”