THE DAKAR is without a doubt the most difficult automotive race on earth.
Covering more than 10,000km through inhospitable South American terrain, each year dozens of racers are forced to retire due to injury, fatigue and broken machines.
And hidden within this extreme rally raid is a class yet harder, one that even seasoned factory riders swear to avoid: the Malle Moto.
Translated literally from French, it means ‘motorcycle trunk’, which alludes to the class’ rules. Each Malle Moto racer – of which there are fewer than 20 each year – will not only race during the day, but come each evening they must service their bike, using only the tools that will fit in one small trunk.
The Dakar rule book describes the Malle Moto as ‘a challenge created for Bike and Quad Riders without any kind of service’. Other competitors call it crazy.
British rider Lyndon Poskitt is one of the few brave riders taking on this year’s Malle Moto, albeit with a twist.
In what is his third Dakar, and second Malle Moto, the 39-year-old is aiming to make a daily video for his Youtube channel.
Oh yeah, and he rode to the start line, covering more than 112,000 miles through 57 countries and competing in seven rallies along the way.
After coming second in last year’s Malle Moto class, Poskitt has returned with one aim – to take the title. You’ve got to hand it to him, the guy has guts...
Here are five reasons why you should be rooting for Poskitt:
After a suspected heart attack in 2013 he quit his job as an Aerospace Engineer to take up motorcycling full time, creating the Races to Places project.
His videos are great. They give a previously unseen view into the gruelling two weeks of Dakar.
He cares about other racers. In the latest of his ‘Races to Places’ Dakar series, he stops to pull injured rider Rafal Sonik’s quad from deep sand.
He’s permanently upbeat, singing and riding side saddle while dune bashing, or taking selfies with spectators.
And finally, he’s a bloody good rider...
