If you haven?t already heard, Fagan and Boothy will be heading to Saudi Arabia in 2022 for the Dakar Rally. And they?re not just going to watch, oh no. They?ve got their entries in to compete at one of the toughest motorsport events on the calendar.

That?s right, we?re going to the Dakar Rally, and the journey?s already begun. And what a journey it?s going to be! We?ve both got a huge amount of work to do to prepare for the event; from sourcing and building a pair of rally bikes, to sharpening up our off-road skills, getting our fitness up to scratch and learning how to navigate through the desert using a rally roadbook ? that?s written in French.

To help us hone the skills and learn the knowledge we need to get to the end of a Dakar Rally, we?ve joined the newly set up Mick Extance Dakar Academy. After eight Dakars, there isn?t much about the rally that Mick doesn?t know. He?ll be with us every step of the way; from the qualifying rally in Andalucía, to the Dakar Rally itself.
Nobody has ever finished an Isle of Man TT race and a Dakar Rally so if we get to the end of the rally in 2022, we?ll both be making history.

What’s it all about"

The Dakar Rally lasts two weeks and isn?t just for bikes, but for cars, buggies, quads and even lorries. In the bike class, competitors use 450cc rally (motocross style) bikes, with huge fuel tanks and tall ?navigation towers?. It?s run over twelve stages, each one can be up to 500 miles, across rocks,...