The 42nd edition of the Dakar Rally has concluded, and T.ur-supported rider Simon Hewitt made his dream of finishing the Dakar a reality. Covering over 7,500 kilometres across sand, rocks, mountains and dunes, Hewitt has faced Saudi Arabia’s technical and varied terrain head-on, guided by his courage and determination to live out his Dakar dream.
“It’s been a long way, but the Dakar in Saudi Arabia has been an adventure like no other,” said Hewitt. “My first Dakar Rally has been nothing short of inspiring. It’s hard to convey just how much it means to me to have ridden in the Dakar Rally – this is one of those things that I’ve always regarded as the ultimate adventure, and now here I am, returning home from the experience of a lifetime.”
As Hewitt’s first-time riding in the Dakar Rally, he has demonstrated the same wise approach of seasoned riders by taking each stage steadily with careful navigation to avoid costly mistakes. Unfortunately, in the seventh stage from Riyadh to Wadi Al Dawasir – the longest stage of the Dakar and also one of the most varied – Hewitt experienced a major technical issue with the bike whilst climbing a dune, resulting in Simon not being able to finish the difficult stage.
Whilst being forced to retire from competing in the bike category, Simon’s aspirations of finishing the Dakar Rally was not yet over. Luckily for Simon, his Yamaha WR450F was able to be repaired in good time and he rejoined the Dakar Rally at stage nine in the Dakar Experience category. Whilst his timings no longer contributed to the overall results, he was still able to combat every stage of the arguably the world’s toughest race.
Simon Hewitt said, “The Dakar has pushed my endurance, fitness and focus to my limits, and it’s certainly been the hardest thing I have ever done in my life – but that’s all part of the experience for me. There’s something very special about being all alone, just me and the bike, taking on thousands of miles of forbidding terrain in an undeveloped part of the world. It’s an epic feeling.”
“Thankfully, I was well prepared with my kit from T.ur. The temperatures in Saudi Arabia fluctuated massively throughout the day and knowing how demanding some of the routes were, I was really impressed with how the kit performed through all 12 stages depsite the harsh and unforgiving desert environment.”
T.ur, the adventure begins.
For more information on the Dakar Rally, please visit www.dakar.com
