About the cost of his first Dakar:
It cost me personally AUD$120,000 (67 lakh rupees) fully self funded. Besides my lovely mother paying for my airline ticket and my amazing partner giving me $2000.
Why couldn’t he find sponsors?
I tried my hardest, along with a great result in the UAE a few years earlier and my release of a book I have written, about my journey on a bike around the world, no one was interested, no one knows Allan Roberts. It’s hard in Australia, I feel there is just not the population nor the interest to support a privateer like myself leading into an event such as the Dakar, the hardest race on earth. But I came out on top, I fought with the mountains, deserts and conditions of South America and it was me and only me who got myself across the finish line in 39th position. I did it for myself.
The first image that comes to him from the moment he arrived to Argentina?
The people, they are amazing, they treated each individual as a champion. I felt guilty as they thought I was a hero just at the opening ceremony and I had yet to do anything, I had to prove myself first. Just for those 14 days I felt like a real champion and that’s thanks to the people, their energy for the event is second to none.
The Dakar environment he expected and the one he discovered:
You never get time to take it in, you’re in your own world, so much going on but I just focused on what I needed to do: ride, report to mechanic, fuel myself, take care of the body, do my road book, fuel myself some more, constantly rehydrate and rest.So with all the fan fair at night in the Bivouac I had nothing to do with, it’s constant, it’s a 24 hour show that never sleeps.
The moment of start: How was it? Feelings, people, thoughts?
We, all the drivers, pilots, everyone sat in a massive room in a hotel for the briefing at the start of the event, just after we had paraded infront of one million spectators and listened to Etienne Lavigne speak (the boss of the Dakar). It was about then it felt real, thinking in the room where there must have been over 1.000 people, were the likes of Coma, Despres, Peterhansel, Robby Gordon. This was it I was starting my Dakar, a dream, I had goose bumps go over my body at this realisation. I was not so much nervous but anxious, I’d waited my entire life to be here, I just wanted the race to start. The crowds were amazing, they really make the Dakar the greatest show on earth, its not just a motor race its real life drama, action, suspense for two weeks it has something for everyone.
About his first big moment during the rally:
I think this came at around the rest day it gave me time to realise what I was doing as up until then you have no time to think and I had cracked it into the top 50.Of course my only goal was to finish but in the back of my mind there was something I told no one and that was I would love to get into the top 50.And I was there at the half way point and knew if I could get to the end I should be able to improve on that. And it gave me a chance to read people’s comments and support on my web page.It was overwhelming to have all the words of support from family, friends and strangers, all this combined with the hectic pace the Dakar is it was an emotional feeling.
The moment of biggest fear during the rally:
it was during stage 9. I had covered about 200 kilometres into the special with more than 260 to go. I was riding through very heavy fesh-fesh (powder like gravel), the going was tough, the day very hot but I was moving at a nice pace and had good rhythm. And then I felt my bike shudder and lack of drive to the back wheel. I looked down and discovered my chain was very loose and slipping on the sprocket, looking further back my rear axle was half way out, I realised quickly I had lost my rear wheel nut, something I had never had happen in all my years of riding.
My first thought was my race was over. I panicked and saw no immediate way out, a few bikes passed and I stopped one and asked if he had a nut: no was the reply, plus he was not on a KTM. I started walking back to find the nut but it could have come of a long way back and in heavy Fesh Fesh I would never find it. And then fellow Aussie Troy O’Conner rode up, I told him the problem and amazingly he had a spare! He gave it to me and rode off, I quickly fitted it and awayagain, I lost my rhythm and it took my heart awhile to slow down. I truly thought my race was over because of a $10 part, but this wheel nut Troy O’Conner gave me was worth $120,000 to me!
The day of the greatest effort during the rally:
Came during stage 5. It was meant to be the longest but was cut short due to safety concerns. On this day 30 riders in the moto category went out of the race. It was 47 degrees, and the riding was relentless, across small dunes covered in camel grass which made progress slow and tiring bouncing all over the place. At one point my bike caught fire from a grass build up around the exhaust and high temperatures, I quickly jumped off and threw sand on it and put it out.Others were not so lucky, loosing there the whole bike! The sand was soft in parts, hard in others, it took all my effort and energy on this stage. I was exhausted and on several occasions I had to simply stop for 5 minutes to regain my breath and find some strength in my tired body to continue.It was a tough tough day…
The one photo he would keep from Dakar 2014:
I have a photo of me in some fesh-fesh, it sums up the dust the 2014 Dakar was.A lot of dust!
The first pictures coming into his mind now that he thinks about”Dakar”
My finishes medal, how much it actually takes to earn one of them. Money does not buy it, it takes a lot more.
About the feeling of getting bad news from other competitors (see Belgian rider’s death)
it was a surprise and hard to believe as we were just out there fighting on the same battle ground.It made me realise how tough it really can be.
About the moment he finished the last stage to Valparaiso
The whole stage I took relatively easy as my 39th position was not in danger and it meant a top 40 position. I enjoyed it, the special was short and over before I knew it, all I could think was I just finished the Dakar, a dream was realised, something that very few rookies do and that every rider only gets one chance at and I did it. I felt so proud of myself.
The moment he will keep from the celebrations right after
Riding onto the winners podium to collect my medal. Forever I watched people on TV do this and only imagined the feeling. I was there doing it!
About his state of mind at the finish
The moment I finished I told myself I have to do one more. Five months on and I feel further away from another attempt than ever, entries are yet to open and they close in two months, a time frame that is too short to find the funding. I need to commit for another Dakar, again has become only a dream.
Why attempting it again?
It takes two “Dakars” to get your true position. I started with number 165, it meant I started 165th, for 4-5 days I picked my way through dust before finding my position in the 30’s. If I could go again I would receive a better number because of finishing 39th, it would be in the 40’s. I would train harder, I would get fitter, and with all I know about the Dakar now I believe I can break the top 30 no problems, I have got what it takes. I want to test myself again, I want the challenge that the Dakar is, the ultimate challenge.
Why somebody should live the Dakar experience?
it’s the greatest show on earth. It holds something for everyone, excitement, drama, action, stories of courage, despair, heart ache, heroism, camaraderie and unfortunately tragedy. It’s two weeks of real life entertainment and when you are a part of this Dakar machine you want more. It is the heroin of motorsport. Highly addictive!
What is his overall highlight? “Hard Way Home” or Dakar 2014?
Both are very different but very similar.One took years to do and took in so much more and the other was very short and took in very little. But the common thing is what it took to do both like dedication, courage, commitment, discipline, patience, passion, desire, just to mention a few and therefore the end feeling was the same for both:An amazing sense of achievement and belief in oneself.
The person he dedicates his Dakar achievement to?
My family. My amazing mother and my sister have always supported everything I have done and always immerse themselves in my journey’s.
