“I’ll need to have that mental capacity over 14 days”

When you grow up in Zimbabwe with a father who has a passion for riding motorbikes and spend your youth watching the Dakar on TV, it’s only natural that you dream of one day competing in the World’s toughest rally. Ashley Thixton however needed that extra push and it came from his friend Graeme Sharp, a Dakar competitor back in 2020 who became the first rider from Zimbabwe to finish the event. Seeing that his mate could do it, Thixton battled his way to find funding and will be on the start line of the rally come January. A fine motocross and enduro rider, the 30-year-old only recently turned to rally-raids and got his ticket for the Dakar by finishing the Sonora Rally back in April. For his first Dakar, he will be part of the HT Rally Raid Husqvarna squad. Hoping to simply finish for his first appearance, his goal might then be to come back alongside his younger brother.

“I started riding bikes from the age of four. It was my father’s passion. It then became my passion. My entire family would watch the Dakar. I can still remember the Despres years. I first started competing in Motocross and enduro. The ultimate dream was to do the Dakar. It became very serious when my close friend Graeme Sharp managed to finish it in 2020. If he can do it, I can do it. And he too told me that I had the capacities to go for it. I’ve raced a lot throughout my career so I’m not too worried about the riding skills. I’m mostly worried about not finishing. For me the biggest thing will be to have that mental capacity over 14 days. I honestly don’t know what to expect, it’s 100% new and I would just like to get through this one. It certainly excites me. The goal after would be to open the gate for my younger brother. The Dakar really is a lifetime dream and it’s taken three years and a massive financial hurdle to cross.”