Rally - Mission Dakar
Published by BD - October 26, 2021
Mike Wiedemann will be another german motorcycle pilot in january next to Sebastian Bühler and tackle the
adventure of the Rally Dakar. The 23-year-old boy from south baden will be fulfilling a lifelong dream.
Participation in the desert classic means full focus and no compromises. Just the KTM Factory Replica and the service package for the team take more than 55 thousand euros.
The enthusiasm for the hardest race in the world was awakened early at the future Dakar starter. Together with Father Frank, Mike followed the broadcasts of the rally in front of the TV, which those days was raced in Africa. Mike's enthusiasm was intense and sustainably awakened - and was getting stronger and stronger.
With no exception he followed every single stage of the Dakar, reports the ambitious desert racer about himself. Quickly he counts up the names of the participants of the last 20 years and knows the strengths and weaknesses of the teams.
Sixdays, GCC, Le Touquet, Erzberg The racing career of the southern German offroader starts at ten years and is quite successful. Mike enters the Sixdays in the Junior National Team, achieves the junior title in the GCC series, makes it into the starting grid of the Main Race and finishes at the legendary beach race of Le Touquet of 1,000 starters within the best 150 riders. But the very big breakthrough remains, possibly also because the goal and mainfocus set is another.
With 18 years Mike finally licking blood after a roadbook training in spain and two years later the first start followed with the Panafrica Rallye in Morocco. There he ended in 9th position.
Fully determined he convinced Dirk Van Zitzwitz and took advises from the same as well as from the Spanish Rallye Fighter Joan Pedrero even so the decision has fallen anyway.
The man from the Kaiserstuhl region already secures a place in the Dutch Bas Dakar KTM Racing Team in March this year. Since summer, the car mechatronics has prepared consistently and fully on his dakar paricipation in january 2022. His off-road past and his participation in the GCC is always present.
Mike Wiedemann: "The German Cross Country Championship was a great time for me, where I could celebrate beautiful successes and met many new friends who support me today on my way to Dakar. I've gained a lot of experience in Cross Country Sport and could learn from drivers like Paulo Goncalves, Kornel Nemeth, Chris Gunderman, Jörg Albrecht or Thomas Günther. But now the biggest challenge is waiting for me, the Rally Dakar. I see myself well prepared and will continue to do so for the next two months till the Dakar!"
What Mike expects in terms of sport in Saudi Arabia is essentially known. It's going to be as brutally and difficult as you can imagine. Even much more difficult than the Morocco rally, which he recently finished in 11th place in the Rally 2 category ( riding with the consequences of a hand injury). An event at World Cup level with all the stars of the scene at the start. What to expect financially was clarified early on. It is expensive to compete at the Dakar. Really expensive to clearly say! At the beginning of March, with the entry fee of 15,700 euros, the first chunk of more than 100.000 euros was due. After an original estimated 70,000 the lumbsum had to be recalculated significantly. Motorrad magazine meticulously listed the budget in its 15/2021 issue.
- KTM 450 Rally Factory Replica 30,821 €
- Service Package Team 26.500 €
(Mechanic, Meals, Biwak, Transport Motorcycle)
- Starting Fee 15,700 €
- Rider license 536 €
- Insurance 1,000 €
- Roundticket Frankfurt - Jeddah 1,000 €
- Tires (11 set with mousse) € 5,500 €
- KTM Service Card 1,200 €
(Access to spare parts in the KTM service truck)
- Spare parts (estimated) 1,200 €
- Spare wheels (leasing) 1.000 €
- Emergency call transmitter on the motorcycle (rental fee) 850 €
- Gasoline (liaison stages) 200 €
- Catering during the stages of 400 €
- Hotel expenses (before / after the rally, rest day) 1.900 €
- Cost Morocco Rally 16,000 €
You have to salute to so much passion and commitment. Mike has set the course for the biggest motorsport adventure of his life. The countdown has started and on 1 January 2022, the 44th Dakar Rally will take of in Ha'il with the prologue. The goal is clearly set. Mike wants to pass the finish in Jeddah on 14th Jan 2022!
We will keep our fingers crossed .
Detailed route and the 12 stages will be published next month.
This article was created with the kind assistance of the magazine Motorcycle and their editor Peter Mayer.
Whoever wants to follow Mike's way to visit his website http://www.mydakar.de.
If somebody feels to support him financially, you can do that via his Paypal.me Link or his godundme page.
