“Going back to get that finishers medal”
En bref
- After five years of competing in rally-raid events in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, Robbie Wallace tackled his first Dakar in 2025.
- Unfortunately, he knocked himself out stone cold on the fourth stage. He did however manage to rejoin the race after the rest day and had a much better 2nd week with a best stage result of 34th on stage 9.
- The 28-year-old from the north of England has followed in the footsteps of his father Duncan, who used to race bikes as a youngster. Robbie started out on a pit bike at age seven or eight, then convinced his dad to buy him a KTM 85 at age 10 and began racing enduro.
- Between the ages of 18 and 23 he competed in the British Enduro Championship, before switching his focus to offroad rallies.
- He made his rally-raid debut at the Tour of Portugal, riding an old Husqvarna 500 with basic modifications.
- He has gone on to post some impressive results, finishing second overall at bajas in Hungary (2022) and Qatar (2023) and coming fifth in class at the Africa Eco Race (2022).
- Away from motorsport, Robbie occasionally gets out for a bit of clay pigeon or pheasant shooting in the nearby Yorkshire dales, and he's a big fan of Middlesbrough FC.
Ambition
R.W.: “I definitely got a taste for the Dakar last year. It didn’t go how I’d planned it but I did alright the second week and proved to myself and people back home that I have what it takes. That’s made raising the necessary funds a bit easier for my 2026 attempt, though at the moment I still haven’t reached my target. I think second time around I’ll be a bit more efficient because I know what to expect. It is a bit like going on holiday to the same place for a second time – you don’t have to waste time finding your way around. I think I’ll also be more at ease in the dunes. They are hard to train for here in the UK because we don’t have a lot of sand but I improved as the 2025 race went on. I haven’t been back to the desert since last January but I’ve entered the upcoming Qatar Baja in November to get some practice in. I’ve also been working on my fitness because I realized how physically demanding the dunes are to ride. And to improve my technique, in addition to racing enduro, I’ve taken up trials and recently entered the famous Scott Trial (considered one of the hardest trials in the world). To be honest I bit off a bit a more than I could chew, given my lack of experience, but trials has definitely made me a better rider. Hopefully, along with the other changes I’ve made to my preparation and a bit more experience I should be able to achieve my finish goal.”
