From South Africa with Dakar protagonists Darryl Curtis, Riaan Van Niekerk, Brett Cummings and Glenn Grundy to Australia with National hero Ben Grabham, Garry Connel and Garry Whyttly on SSV, from Canada with Patrick Trahan to England with the most successful desert rally teams such as RallyMoto, RallyRaid UK, DesertRoseRacing and Wilderness Wheels, the Merzouga Rally speaks English.
We have met Robert Hughes to know more about his experience at Merzouga Rally and RallyMoto, the new venture by Robert Hughes and Mark Molineux. Responsible for the organisation of the Big Bike Rally Challenge, to be known in future as the All-Terrain Rally Challenge, Hughes and Molineux organise the popular Rally Sprint series, rally training days and the Touratech Centennial Rally & Ride, the first ever British three day event, starting in Carlisle in August with classes for all types of machines.
MR: How was you experience at Merzouga Rally last year?
“Merzouga is a “proper rally”, it is a real step up for our UK rallies and in all areas the Merzouga Rally is a great challenge and very rewarding for a rally rider to compete. The navigation skills need to be in top form as well as the riding skills, so in that respect this is rallying for real. Riding in the dunes was amazing and the terrain in general is awesome”.
MR: RallyMoto Team will be back this year?
“Yes, The RallyMoto Team consists of Mark “Moly” Molinuex and myself. As part of our transport and support package we will have 7 riders in total, Jonny Morris, Phil Page, Rod Moran, Christopher Cork and Andrew Newlands. And we will have our own mechanic to service the bikes at the end of each day”.
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MR: Which is your target?
“This year my target is just to finish with as few errors on navigation and speeding points. Last year I crashed heavily in dust and this took me out of the rally. Also we will be riding 450cc rally bikes this year where as last year we rode 630’s”.
MR: Would you suggest Merzouga to a rally rider?
“Merzouga Rally is a must for any rally rider, with the Dakar being out of reach for most amateur riders the Merzouga Rally gives you chance to compete at the top level in terrain that is challenging, with the top end navigation requirements – I wouldn’t miss it for the world.
MR: Can you tell me something more about RallyMoto and the services you provide?
“For the English riders interested in joining the Merzouga Rally, RallyMoto provides transport for bikes and gear along with a number of support packages. Moreover, I’m very happy to announce that RallyRaid UK and RallyMoto have agreed to work together to provide a comprehensive service for motorcycle rally enthusiasts.
Rally Raid UK is Britain’s biggest, longest established and most successful desert rally team competing in events in Europe, Asia, North Africa, the Middle East and the Dakar Rally in Africa and South America.
The co-operation of RallyMoto with Rally Raid UK brings together asset sharing for European and North African rallies, testing and training sessions. For more info please visit the official websites at [BIGBIKERALLYCHALLENGE.CO.UK ] and [RALLYRAID.CO.UK ].
