“Returning to the Dakar is the next natural step”

Ashish Raorane’ is no factory rider. He spends most of his time on boats as a marine engineer. As a kid he started riding on the old rusty bike of his father. Several decades later he was participating in a cross-country rally in the Himalayas that gave him that taste and desire for the Dakar. Inspired by CS Santosh, the first Indian biker to start and finish the Dakar (back in 2015), he wanted to prove to his fellow compatriots that the Dakar wasn’t only for top factory riders. A very competitive table-tennis player back in his youth, he wanted to show that a normal biker could give it a go. Sadly that first Dakar in 2021 ended as soon as stage 5 when the Indian from Mumbai crashed out. He was able however to continue in the Dakar Experience all the way to Jeddah but that certainly wasn’t what he was hoping for. Three years later Raorane has decided to return for unfinished business. This time the 42-year-old will be part of the Xraids Experience team. An option he hopes will this time help him achieve his dream.

“A friend of mine was at home and he showed me a documentary about the Baja 1000. We were both fascinated. That’s what pushed me to compete in Baja races in India. In 2015, I did my first cross-country rally in the Himalayas. I then built on that experience with the aim to one day do the Dakar. I followed the Dakar thanks to CS Santosh. He was an inspiration. I raced with him in India and he’s been very helpful. But it seemed that only Indian factory riders were able to do the Dakar and my idea was to change that perspective and show that a privateer like me can do it. My experience at the first Dakar was bitter sweet. Being my first Dakar, and in the Original by Motul category, I knew it was going to be tough but I was happy with how I was managing my race. The unfortunate accident on stage 5 took me out of the running. My return to the Dakar Rally is the next natural step for me, which ideally should’ve have happened in Dakar 2023 but several factors led to that not happening, ‘’c'est la vie’’. This time I’m racing with Team Xraids Experience from Spain and they’ve provided me excellent support from the beginning of 2023, racing at the Abu Dhabi Desert and through the year after that for preparations. We are working closely now to have the best possible solution for my Dakar’24 campaign”.