The Dakar Rally held in Saudi Arabia was especially interesting to me this year because the former owners of Santa Fe Harley Davidson – KTM, David Pearson and his brother Jim, were competitors. David secured his ticket when he finished third in the Malle Moto class at the Sonora Rally to win the Road to Dakar invitation. Many of you might remember this rally because OCD built a G-Wagen for a team of 2 privateers and went down for the race the first 2 years as support and as spectators.
From left: David Pearson, Jim Pearson Photo Credits By: Adrenaline Designs
Both brother’s competed in the Original by Motul Class and further segmented into a team of 5 Americans called American Rally Originals. This YouTube video is amazing. This class is an assistance-free class. Read the rules of the Original by Motul Class on the Dakar Rally site.
The money to participate on the Dakar in Saudi Arabia is significant and well tops $100K. The Road to Dakar ticket was no chump change and covers all the basic expenses. Jim raised the money through a GoFundMe page. David Pearson’s profile on the Dakar Rally site https://www.dakar.com/en/competitor/103 Jim Pearson’s profile in the Dakar Rally site https://www.dakar.com/en/competitor/104
How did they do? This except is taken from an AdventureRider article 01/16/2023 Unsung Dakar Heroes For 2023:
Before this year’s Dakar Rally, no American had ever completed the race in the Original by Motul class. This is often seen as the hardest class at Dakar, because riders do all (or almost all) their own wrenching, with no van of mechanics to support them. Kyle McCoy, Paul Neff, David Pearson, Jim Pearson and Mo Hart all entered to run this class in 2023 as the American Rally Originals team. And they proved how difficult this race is; with many years of racing experience between them, all but Mo Hart ended up leaving the race due to mechanical issues or crashes. But Mo Hart did finish the race—props to him, and all his hard work! And of course, to the rest of the team, because they made this happen together this year. Credit Zac / @kawazacky
Jim says, “Bike troubles kept me from crossing the finish line at stage 11 from near the end at 14. I will be back in 2024!”. Stay tuned!
Jim Pearson Stage 1 Dakar Rally 2023 – Photo Credit: Debby Bishop Pearson
