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He will also be riding with teammate Riaan van Niekerk, who will be
making his debut at the 2013 edition. Riaan has made a big name
for himself in the extreme enduro fraternity and claimed a number of
impressive titles, including that of 10-time SA Off-road Champion.
Darryl and Riaan go way back and have competed in a number of
world-class international events together. Knowing each other so
well and having trained together has its advantages in an event like
the Dakar, where your teammate plays a vital role should anything
go wrong. Darryl went on to say that with the extra support from
KTM and Broadlink, as well as all his other 2012 sponsors, they will
be able to participate at the Dakar on a very competitive platform.
But the sponsors only provide the financial platform, and Darryl and
Riaan still had a lot of hard work to do before the start on 5 January
2013. Fortunately for Riaan, Darryl's experience (and great result)
gained from last year's event helped him to get into the groove of
things must faster. For example, one of the most difficult aspects
that Darryl had to contend with in the 2012 event was riding at pace
whilst navigating and trying to understand the French road book
instructions. Riaan will go into the race knowing and having trained
for this, and have a few little tricks to see him through. It's all about
team work and as these two riders have each other's best interests
at heart, I have no doubt that they will be a force to be reckoned with
come race day!
42 • DO IT NOW Magazine | January 2013
During his talk, i Was very happy to
learn that he WoulD be entering the
2013 Dakar, WhiCh means that south
afriCa Will onCe again have a strong
representation at this prestigious raCe.
this neWs Was toppeD When Darryl tolD
us he WoulD not be entering as a rookie
or amateur ... but as a faCtory riDer (he
reCeives faCtory support), thanks to
inCreaseD sponsorship support from
broaDlink anD ktm.
To get their training underway and Riaan into the
action immediately, the two riders entered the
Marrakesh XRally, which was held in Morocco in
March 2012. The rally gave Darryl the opportunity
to get more navigation experience with the ‘funny’
road book and give Riaan his first taste of rally
racing. Our South African lads did us proud with
Darryl doing exceptionally well and clinching the
top podium position, demonstrating once again
what an exceptional rider he is. In second and
third place was Thomas Bourgin (France) and
Glauco Ciarpaglini (Italy) respectively, and all three
riders are amongst the best in the world. Riaan
also achieved his objectives at this race; to get the
KTM 450 rally bike to the finish and also gain some
experience navigating with the road book.
After returning from their successful 'Mission
Morocco', Darryl and Riaan embarked on an offroad
trip through Botswana for a few days. Their
aim was to clock as much time in the saddle and
really familiarise themselves with their bigger bikes
by 'playing' in a non-rally setting.�