BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE
MOTORBIKE rally racer Graeme Sharp has stepped up preparations for a historic maiden appearance in the prestigious Dakar Rally after attending a rally camp by motorbike manufacturer KTM, which concluded in Barcelona yesterday.
The training camp comes after Sharp had an impressive showing at the Rallye du Maroc (Rally of Morocco) the previous week as part of the BAS Racing KTM Team.
BAS Racing KTM Team included South Africans Ross Branch, Kirsten Landman and Kenny Gilbert.
The Zimbabwean finished 35th competing in the FIM bike class, in a line-up laden with Dakar bound athletes, including Toby Price who has won the Dakar Rally twice.
And with one of the world’s most prestigious endurance races, the Dakar Rally is set to roar into life on January 5 in Saudi Arabia, there is no respite for the Zimbabwean rally racer.
“I had the opportunity to attend a five-day training camp at the KTM rally headquarters in Barcelona,” Sharp told The Sports Hub from Spain on Thursday.
“The training camp focuses on all aspects of Dakar from road book navigation, GPS use, fitness, nutrition, mechanics, gear and packing tips. It’s run by Jordi Villadoms, a 10-time Dakar finisher and current KTM factory team manager. Over the course of five days we will be in the ‘classroom’ and on the bikes,” he added.
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With the Rally of Morocco being the last major competition of the year, Sharp’s Dakar Rally preparatory itinerary will take him to Namibia and back home in Zimbabwe.
Sharp expressed satisfaction after finishing the race in Morocco.
“It was a tough 2 600 km rally over six days. My goal was to test my fitness, familiarise myself with the Dakar road book and use the rally as a training race to build more bike fitness and endurance. It was also about getting familiar with dunes again,” revealed Sharp.
“I can happily say this was a perfect opportunity for all of the above. Furthermore, I was able to finish up in mid-30s for the FIM bike class. With a Dakar filled list of top riders this was encouraging for me. Being able to climb to second and third spots every day on the general standings also proved I was getting stronger as the race progressed.”
While everything is going according to plan in the tracks, Sharp is racing against time to raise an adequate financial base to achieve his target at Dakar 2020.
Sharp and his team are still US$40 000 short of meeting the budget target.
“I am still about US$40 000 short, which I need to raise by December according to our budget for Dakar. We have had some great sponsors come on board.
And I am very grateful for these guys and their support and belief in this project. I am in discussions with about four more and hope to finalise these when I am back,” he said.
The target for Sharp is to become the first Zimbabwean bike rider to complete the Dakar Rally.
