On Track Off Road No. 194

FEATURE
are leading you start thinking ‘how do I not
lose this?’ All these ideas come into your
head of ‘this or that could happen’. It’s difficult
then to stay on-point with the mental
side and not have any doubts or worries.
You are on your own all day. In the Bivouac
you have your team and team manager
and others around you that can reassure
you. We human, not robots. There is this
race that you have worked so much for and
the team and manufacturer have put in so
many hours and budget and effort. You feel
pressure and responsibility and if you do
something stupid then it’s ‘on you’.”
“I remember feeling really tired when I was
leading Dakar and that was from day five
to fourteen; I was so emotionally drained.
It was like I had this ‘baby’ I was trying
to protect from danger. And everyone is
watching you and people are looking out
for the smallest mistake. If you enter the
time boards too early then bang! A penalty.
If your mechanic hands you a water outside
of the zone then it’s ‘outside assistance’. You
try not to worry but you are in protection
mode and any little mistake feels so much
bigger than perhaps it really is.”
Returning to base for lunch and Sunderland
is chipper. He’s in good shape and Red Bull
KTM are clearly the leading team at Dakar.
His ’17 success is one of eighteen in a row
now for the Austrians. Saudi Arabia is a
new landscape for a race that becomes the
centre of attention in the motorcycle racing
community for a fortnight in January.
“It’s a clean slate for everyone,” he enthuses.
“I feel that South America has been discovered.
This one will be tough on the bikes,
tough physically, tough mentally and I hear
we’ll have really long stages – 500-odd kilometres
some days - it’s a good thing!”