Conquering the biggest race of her dreams and career- The Dakar Rally, Taye Perry is a petite powerhouse ready to take on big challenges. Taye was one of the first African women to qualify for the Dakar and at just 1.58m tall, she is one of the smallest competitors in Dakar history.
What she lacks in size, she most certainly makes up for in skill and determination.
A heroic eff ort at her first Dakar race saw Taye beat the odds and conquer the toughest rally race in the world. During the second-last stage and the penultimate round, Taye had an electrical issue with her fuel pump on her KTM 450 Rally Replica- leaving her stranded for hours in the desert. Refusing to let her Dakar dream die, she made it back to the bivouac near midnight after pushing her motorcycle over the stage’s finish line. With just an hour’s sleep, she set off for the grueling final stage and made it to the finish! This kind of true grit, passion and determination won the hearts of many fans around the world and is what sets Taye Perry apart.
“I’m used to getting all sorts of stares when I’m on the bike, because my rally bikes often stand almost as tall as me, and can be up to three times my weight. My secret, which isn’t really a secret, comes down to a riding style and technique that has taken me years to perfect and adapt. Races like the Dakar Rally are both mentally and physically demanding, hours and hours on a motorcycle through vast and ever changing terrain where a split-second can make or break a racer. I think it’s one of the best feelings of achievement, getting through up to 14 days of continuous racing.
I love and live for every bit of it; the ups and downs, the pain, the struggle, the hysterical laughs, it’s all worth it.”
Being one of the few professional female athletes in motorsport at this extreme level of racing comes with many amazingly high moments, but also has its low points. Few truly.
understand the sacrifices and costs needed just to enter and make it to the start line. Being a motorcycle racing athlete requires you to focus on the immense training and preparation needed to perform and also rely on sponsors or raising enough funds to get to the races. Despite being a struggling privateer for most of her racing career, Taye has successfully achieved multiple Women’s National and Club championships, podium placings between the men, a Dakar Rally finish on the motorcycle, and 2 more Dakar finishes as a co-pilot in the leading car categories with renowned racers Brian Baragwanath and Cyril Despres.
With the determination and skill she possesses, Taye is making her comeback to motorcycle and rally racing in 2024.
Currently based in Germany, Taye is doing local, European races and events as training for the bigger rallies. An exciting event on this year’s calendar is the Dinaric Rally in September. The Dinaric Rally is a cross country rally in the Balkans made to explore rugged terrains and push your own limits- something Taye knows how to do all too well.
“It’s both exciting and scary attempting to get back into racing rallies on the bike this year, the scary, and limiting, part is always finding the funding and backup as a privateer, the exciting part—getting to experience incredible races and places like the Dinaric Rally which takes place in Croatia, which is one of the beautifully unique races I’ll be taking on later this year. I can’t wait to chase roadbook notes through places not many people get the chance to see, all while building up to take on more competition and more routes from around the world.”
Keeping close to her dreams and goals, Taye has her heart set on racing more international rallies and ultimately getting back to the Dakar! Keep an eye on this pint-sized privateer as we’re sure we will see her heroic riding in the Saudi dunes again. With the potential and dream to win the women’s category at the world’s biggest rally race, I owe it to myself and those who believe in me to try my best to get there.
To support my racing and journey, please visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-taye-return-to-racing
