“Be part of a bigger thing than me!”

It was in her blood line. Daughter of Aviv Kadshai who competed and finished the Dakar on a bike, in a car and in a truck, it was only natural to see Yael on the start line of the rally. The young lady who was raised around motorbikes and motorsports first hopped on a bike at only three years of age. She later went on to compete in enduro races and became a figure of the new generation of GasGas riders. But to do the Dakar, she had to prove what she was worth. And she did so in style, first in Greece at the Hellas Rally and then more convincingly at the very demanding Rallye du Maroc where she finished best women and captured her ticket for the big one, the Dakar. She is not only determined, she’s also extremely competitive: finishing won’t be enough for the young lady!

“I’ve been riding off-road motorcycles since the day I learned to walk. I grew up in a home where motorsports were the center of life. I was born to it. My first bike was a Suzuki 50 when I was only three years old. I had standing wheels like on a bicycle that my father added. I was told that I crashed in a wall because I pushed the throttle and didn’t know how to stop. I’ve been riding since then. My father pushed me to ride bikes but I had the option to decide if I wanted to or not. My first memories of the Dakar come from the newspaper articles that my father showed us at home. It was a really big thing and I didn’t know how big it was until a few years ago when I started to get into it and learn about it, and want to be part of it as well. The first thing my father told me was: why? Why do you want to do it? Do you know how tough it is? That’s also the reason why I want to do it. I want to show him as well but first I want to show it to myself that I can and that I will. Three years ago, I did my first rally-raid competition. It was very clear from the beginning that this is my new mission. The Dakar represents all the limits that I can try to achieve for myself and be part of a bigger thing than me. I’m too competitive to just think about finishing. I hope to get a good result. Finishing however is a big accomplishment for everyone. Dunes are what I’m not used to but I’ll do my best. I’m not scared. I’m just going to push harder to be better.”