“I like the feeling of being fast and furious!”

There will be a new player in the bikes at Dakar 2023: the Kove Rally Team, who are hoping to showcase the quality and high performance of their Chinese-made machines. Parent company Kove Moto was founded in 2017 by former motocross rider Zhang Xue, who is passionate about rally and dreams of one day taking part in the Dakar himself. Having made waves in the national market, Kove is now keen to expand its business worldwide. The Kove Rally Team held trials to choose its riders for Dakar 2023, and Ming Ji Fang managed to secure one of the three golden tickets, along with Liansong Deng and Sunier Sunier. The retired policeman has always enjoyed racing and has been competing in offroad events for over a decade, claiming multiple national titles at the prestigious Taklimakan Rally. He knows that getting to the finish line in Dammam will be a serious challenge, but he believes he has what it takes to conquer the Dakar.

“I've been interested in racing since I was a child. I like the feeling of being fast and furious. The Dakar is my lifelong dream and I've been working hard for it. I saw that other Chinese competitors were able to take part in the rally. That proved to me that if I worked hard enough and was good enough, I would also be able to participate in the Dakar one day. I know it will be the hardest rally; very challenging, very tough, and I will do my best to prepare for it. My objective is to try to finish every stage well and reach the end of the Dakar. That's the biggest goal for the team and also for me.”