“I have my own system”

Simon Marcic is what you can call a Dakar fanatic. Whatever the cost, whatever the sacrifices, whatever the pain, the Slovenian has a passion for the Dakar. And that started as soon as his dad bought him a 125cc dirt bike to reward him for his good grades at school. His journey on the world’s toughest rally hasn’t been an easy one. A fine enduro specialist after starting as a BMX and MTB downhiller, he struggled on his first appearance back in 2014 when he was forced to quit early. At the time he had a team supporting him on the rally. That would actually be the first and only time. After a one-year break, he returned to the event on his KTM 450, and accomplished the mission he had set: to finish the Dakar. But what a struggle it was for the rider from Maribor who had registered in what was then called the malle-moto class with no assistance. His 79th spot in Rosario came as a huge achievement after suffering injuries to his fingers, wrist and collarbone. A year later, after enjoying ten fine days, bad luck struck again in the blinding dust of Argentina. Marcic was indeed caught in a collision with Stephane Peterhansel’s Peugeot, resulting in a leg fracture. Since his first experience in the toughest of classes, there’s no other way of doing the Dakar for the Slovenian. For the last three years, still in the Original by Motul category, he has been discovering a new continent with that same enthusiasm and passion. His highlight came when he clinched a fine 36th position (5th of his class) in 2021, his best ever so far. The 40-year-old returns on the Husqvarna 450 Rally that he obviously knows by heart and all Simon wants to do is: live his passion.

“Riding bikes goes way back. The Dakar is a real challenge for me. A lifelong project and dreamed wish. The Dakar was a dream for so many years, ever since I was 11 watching Miran Stanovnik on TV. It’s since then become a lifestyle. The Original by Motul class is for me the real race. It’s what it was like 40 years ago when there was no help and no mechanics. Now I’m used to it. I have my own system. The key is being smart and not crashing. My routine when I get to the bivouac is simple: eat pasta, work on the bike, have a shower and sleep. I’d love to win the class but there are more and more top riders in it. It will my 9th Dakar in a row, one more to become a legend. I started my first Dakar rally in 2014. The only time that I had a support team (team Kaiser). I crashed out with broken scaphoid on day 3. The next 7 Dakar rallies, I started in the Original category. 5 times I was on the finish line podium.”