“The Dakar is so unique”

In just a few short years, Martin Michek has become one of the top privateers in the bikes. The 34-year-old Czech rider has been mad about motorsport since childhood, after waking up one Christmas morning to find a new bike under the tree. His father and brother encouraged him to take up motocross and he became one of the Czech Republic's top riders in the discipline, winning no fewer than 18 national titles! He has also picked up four European crowns and two world championship silver medals in the MX3 class. Martin still competes in motocross to this day and explains that it's ideal preparation for rally-raid, which he took up in 2019. The Ceske Budejovice native was vying for the top rookie prize throughout his Dakar debut in 2020, but a mechanical on the penultimate stage dropped him down to 23rd overall. Despite contracting a rare and potentially fatal liver disease later that year, he made a full recovery and stormed to a historic 10th place at Dakar 2021, the best finish for a Czech biker since Stanislav Zloch in 1998. Despite following up that superb performance with victory at the FIM Bajas World Cup, Martin had a rather more arduous experience at Dakar 2022. Like many of the top factory bikers, he lost significant time on Stage 1B due to some tough navigation, especially having started the day in second behind Maciej Giemza. He embarked on a comeback with a couple of top-10 finishes, but then suffered a high-speed crash on the liaison before Stage 6, when he was almost hit by a local driver. Sore ribs, fuel pump issues and another crash meant he had to settle for 36th overall, and he wouldn't have made it to the finish at all if not for an admirable display of Dakar spirit from Ecuador's Juan Puga, who gave Martin his front wheel on the penultimate stage. Having experienced "very different emotions" in 2021 and 2022, Martin is now keen to dive back into the battle for the top 10 overall as a fully-fledged RallyGP rider. Along with fellow compatriot and teammate Milan Engel, he'll also be looking to make it a memorable outing for the Orion - Moto Racing Group, who are making their 10th Dakar appearance this year.

“I went through hell last year. I lost almost an hour due to the navigation on the first day, then I had a traffic accident, fuel pump issues, and a crash in the dunes which destroyed my bike. I experienced a lot! But when I reached the finish line, I saw the last two riders celebrating. They were jumping around, hugging each other, laughing. That moment brought me back down to earth. I'd made it to the finish line in one piece, and that's what the Dakar is all about. Last year's adventures certainly made me appreciate the final podium! I fought until the bitter end and really put my heart into it. Dakar 2023 will be very interesting. We rode around the Empty Quarter at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in February. The terrain is up and down, endless dunes, endless sand. It's hard to get used to! I've already done a lot of long-distance rallies, but the Dakar is so unique that I've prepared for it as hard as in previous years. The motocross season is over and I'm putting all my focus into January.”