1602 DT final

When the medics told him that he had to retire, he asked if
he could at least ride to the finish and was only allowed to
do that if he could manage a push-up – which he did!
Will it be ‘Bring On 2017 Dakar’ for this die-hard
motorcycle rider?
Kobus Potgieter (49) also tackled his first Dakar Rally – as a
50th birthday present to himself. In his own words, it took 16
years, and after many, many sacrifices like 365 days of rehab
in hospitals after he fell during the Australasian Safari, 22
motorbikes, 50 000 kilometres of riding, two marriages and
over a hundred days of travelling each year to get to the start
of his first Dakar.
He was very ill in Bolivia due to the high altitude (headaches,
nausea, lack of concentration) and even raced with an
oxygen canister on him. He listened to all the advice for a
‘cure’ and even used Viagra and other medication, but in the
end, it was cocoa leaves given to him by an old lady, that
pulled him through.
He broke his finger early in the race, but an “I’ve got nine
more fingers left” attitude and support from his Dutch team,
BAS Dakar, saw Kobus in his specially designed Superman
kit, reaching the finish in 80th place overall with his KTM
450 Rallye.
He becomes only the seventh South African motorcycle
rider to have finished the Dakar Rally – and is the oldest to
have completed this race. Alfie Cox, Tom Classen, Riaan van
Niekerk, Darryl Curtis, Brett Cummings and Albert Hintenaus
have also finished the Dakar on two-wheels.
Kobus Potgieter
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