North Yorkshire Man to Fulfill Childhood Dream in Dakar Rally

A North Yorkshire man is poised to achieve a lifelong ambition by participating in one of the world’s most demanding motoring competitions. Robbie Wallace, from Northallerton, who is employed on Northern Grid power lines, will enter the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia this January. The 27-year-old will be one of 130 drivers, including only one other British competitor, to undertake the 8,000km-long desert race over a period of 13 days. He indicated that his greatest anticipation was “getting to the finish line,” expressing confidence that his KTM 450 bespoke motorbike, engineered for navigating sand dunes, would enable him to complete the event. He stated: “There’s only so much training you can do, especially over in England as there’s not a lot of sand, but I was in Saudi Arabia last week, so that was my last chance in the sand dunes.“I’m looking forward to the actual race as it has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember.“Now we’re within touching distance and it is a big deal.” Mr. Wallace commenced racing at the age of 10, inspired by his father, who previously raced both cars and motorbikes. He further mentioned that his father has consistently offered support, but noted that “my mum is a bit more anxious about the whole thing,” adding that she will remain home while his father travels to observe the race. His daily schedule during the rally will involve departing at 06:00 GMT each day after camping every night, and he will be required to carry three litres of water along with an emergency kit. Should he become disoriented at any point in the desert, his bike is equipped with GPS, and 10 helicopters will also be available to assist any participant in difficulty. Mr. Wallace said: “In terms of how many miles we’re going to cover, some days we will travel the distance of London to Edinburgh in one day, as well as navigating off-road racing.“The mental aspect is more important than the physical aspect as after day three, you’re thinking, I can’t do this, there’s a long way left, but you just get into the swing of things and keep going.”