“Since the 2023 Dakar I’ve had a good year!”

Mike got his first bike, a Yamaha PW50, on his fourth birthday, although a fractured femur just a few weeks later showed him that motorsport isn’t for the faint of heart! He nevertheless continued to ride and began competing in enduro as a teenager, eventually claiming his first national title at the age of 19. Having picked up experience at offroad events like the ISDE and the Enduropale du Touquet, he gradually developed his rally-raid skills at the Panafrica Rally, Hispania Rally and Rallye du Maroc, also travelling to Spain to train with Jordi Viladoms. Finally at 24 he entered the 2022 Dakar with the BAS World KTM team, which meant he was able to pick up tips from team boss Bart van der Velden and top riders like Mason Klein. Assistance that allowed him to finish in the top 50 and go down in history as the youngest ever German rider to complete the event. In 2023, he entered the gruelling Original by Motul class without assistance and made a promising start. He won his first malle moto category stage win and was third overall when he was forced to retire on stage 5 with water in his fuel. Undaunted he’s back in 2024 to have another crack at the unassisted class.

Mike Wiedemann: “Since the disappointment of the 2023 Dakar the year has gone pretty well. I did the Tuareg Rallye in a car as co-driver and we finished in 1st place. I also did the Olympia Rally on a bike and won that too, while in the German Cross Country Championship I came third. Currently I’m spending 2 weeks training in the Moroccan desert. Hopefully my positive results will carry over to the 2024 Dakar!”