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Collin Matiza–Sports Editor 

ASHLEY Thixton hopes his participation at the 2024 Dakar  Rally in Saudi Arabia next month will inspire a number of up and coming bikers, including his younger brother Cameron, to follow in his footsteps. 

Ashley is currently preparing to take part in the 46th edition of the Dakar Rally which is scheduled to run from January 5 to 19, 2024, in the dunes of Saudi Arabia.  He will be among 137 male and female motorbike riders who have entered for the bikes section of the biggest and toughest motor rallying event in the world.

Ashley will be Zimbabwe’s sole representative at this big global event where he is aiming to last the distance after FOURTEEN days of racing in the Saudi desert. 

And the 30-year-old motorbike rider, who cut his teeth as a motocross rider at Donnybrook Park Raceway in Harare under the tutelage of his father, Trevor, said he hopes his participation in the 2024 Dakar Rally will inspire his younger brother, Cameron, and other upcoming motor bike riders in Zimbabwe to emulate him in the future.

Speaking to the Southern Africa Dakar Group, Ashley also said his ultimate dream was to do the Dakar!

The Group in firing up Ashley ahead of the Dakar Rally said: “When your father is a passionate motorbike rider and Dakar Rally enthusiast and your friend Graeme Sharp – My Dakar Safari – (a Dakar competitor back in 2020 who became the first rider from Zimbabwe to finish the event) as your motivation, Dakar 2024 for Zimbabwean Ash Thixton is fuelled by skill and passion!

“For his first Dakar, he will be part of the HT Rally Raid Husqvarna Racing squad. Hoping to simply finish for his first appearance, his goal might then be to come back alongside his younger brother (Cameron).” 

In response Ashley Thixton said: “The ultimate dream was to do the Dakar. I honestly don’t know what to expect. “It’s 100% new and I would just like to get through this one. It certainly excites me. The goal after would be to open the gate for my younger brother, Cameron. The Dakar really is a lifetime dream and it’s taken three years and a massive financial hurdle to cross.”

Ashley is scheduled to leave for Saudi Arabia on New Year’s Day (January 1, 2024), four days ahead of the start of the first major international sporting event of the new year. 

He will be accompanied by his father, Trevor, who said he will only be out to support his son during the 14 days of racing.  “I am going out there as a support team because once he gets there, he will join his team HT Rally Raid Husqvarna Racing, who will be taking care of everything there.

“Am going there with (Botswana’s motorbike) Ross Branch’s father as a support team to both riders…we will be in the support cars and I hope they will be able to do well there,” Trevor Thixton said.

He is one of the most decorated and respected motorcycle riders and administrators in this country who has done well to groom his son, Ashley, to represent Zimbabwe at the 2024 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia. 

In fact, Ashley grew up as one of the top junior motocross riders in this country and he later turned to be one of the country’s champion dirt bike riders, all under the guidance of his father.

And now he is preparing to take part in what is probably the biggest challenge in his his motorbike racing career at next month’s Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia. 

The 46th edition of the world’s most formidable rally attracts 778 participants representing 72 countries from around the globe.

The Rally unfolds across 12 main and one prologue stage, where drivers and vehicles alike will face a challenge of their endurance.

The Dakar Rally 2024 Saudi Arabia is nearing its highly anticipated start, with preparations entering their concluding phase.

The Dakar Rally, recognized as the world’s biggest challenge in motorsports and the most challenging rally on the planet, is slated to begin in less than a week’s time. The Kingdom will serve as the sole host from January 5-19, for the fifth consecutive year.

Audiences eagerly anticipate fierce competition across various categories, as all teams and participants continue their preparations to ignite the flame of competition and prepare to embark on an exciting adventure in the heart of the Saudi desert, challenging its hidden terrains and sand dunes.

This season’s rally unfolds across 12 main and one prologue stage, where drivers and vehicles alike will face a challenge of their endurance, the toughest in the world of motorsport. 

The race pushes participants to their physical and mental limits as they launch into their vehicles and motorbikes, challenging the various terrains of the Kingdom’s desert over a total distance exceeding 7 891 km, including 4 820 km of special stages subject to timing. 

The course traverses some of the most breathtaking natural scenery and historical sites the Kingdom has to offer.

In this year’s edition, competitors will set off with a prologue stage from the AlUla base camp, then proceed on a route that will take them through numerous cities within the Kingdom. 

The path for this year will navigate through destinations including Al-Henakiyah, Al-Duwadimi, Al-Salamiya, Al-Hofuf, Shubaytah, Riyadh, Hail and Yanbu.