"I still have a lot of endurance"

A genuine Dakar legend in the Czech Republic, David Pabiska is lining up for his 14th appearance in 2023. It was a case of unlucky number 13 a year ago, as the 47-year-old suffered a nasty crash and failed to finish the rally for the very first time. David has been racing for over 30 years and was just 14 when he set himself the target of doing the Dakar. He made that dream a reality in 2007, having already starred in motocross and enduro on the domestic and international scene. After making his Dakar debut in Africa, David rode all but one of the South American editions, coming as high as 12th in the trucks in 2012 and 18th in the bikes in 2014. A skilled mechanic with three silver medals at the FIM International Six-Days Enduro, he then did Dakar 2020 as part of Martin Macik's service crew, which prompted him to return to the bikes in the gruelling Original by Motul class in 2021. David managed to finish fourth in the category that year and he's targeting a similar sort of result at Dakar 2023. He'll be joined in Original by Motul by fellow Czech rider Libor Podmol, who finished one spot behind him in 31st two years ago. After riding the last couple of editions for the Jantar Team, David is lining up for his own outfit this year (SP Moto Bohemia Racing), just as he did on his 2007 debut. The Hustopece native -who recently became an ambassador for Harley-Davidson- has been preparing hard for this 45th edition, even sleeping at simulated altitude in a hypoxic tent. He has previously talked about having "unfinished business" with Original by Motul, and would love to claim his first Dakar podium on the same KTM 450 he rode to fourth place in 2021.

"After last year's unlucky number 13, I'm just believing in the best. I believe in finishing and enjoying the final podium. I believe in fighting for a place in the top five of my class. And I believe this time everything will go smoothly, without any big crashes or injuries. The first half of the competition will be a bit rocky, which we're used to, but the second half will be new and very hard. We're going to an area with a lot of sand. The fact that some of the stages are under 200 kilometres is a sign of the difficulty. When you have short stages on the Dakar, it gets extremely tough. I can remember days in South America which we described as 'hell on earth'; it took us six or seven hours to ride 200 kilometres. I think we'll see something similar at Dakar 2023. I've never been one to declare my goals in advance, but I'd like to fight for the best possible result. Libor Podmol and I are the only Czechs in Original by Motul, so hopefully we can help each other out. I finished fourth in this class in 2021, and if I could do it again, I'd be happy. I welcome the extra stages this year. I'm not such a fast rider anymore, but I still have a lot of endurance. I've always felt better when it's been long. The rally puts you under a lot of stress from the very beginning, so it'll be very important to ride tactically and with respect."