Q&A with Charan Moore <\/strong><\/p>\n 1.They said they were going to make this year\u2019s edition tougher, and they have! What are the main elements that you feel have made Dakar 2023 so much harder?<\/p>\n Yes, the organisers have made the Dakar much tougher this year, and the first week was hectic. Compared to the 2022 race, the stages are much longer, and there are also long liaison sections to contend with. <\/em><\/p>\n Last year, most stages were 300km or less in length; this year, we\u2019ve already had five stages that were each over 400km. This means more of every kind of terrain, from sand dunes to camel grass to rocky riverbeds. <\/em><\/p>\n The weather has also been terrible \u2013 cold, rainy and wet \u2013 so the whole event has been more intense and \u201cin your face\u201d. The frequent changes mean you have to be adaptable as otherwise you could easily be thrown out of your rhythm and routine. <\/em><\/p>\n Arriving in cities at the end of some stages and dealing with traffic on a rainy night after a long day in the saddle is just part of what makes this one of the toughest races in the world. <\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2.You come into this as both a competitor as well as a race organiser – what has impressed you so far this year about the organisation of the event? Also, with regards to the calls that have been made, are there areas you would have maybe treated differently?<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been impressed by the number of people involved in organising the Dakar \u2013 ASO has a core team of around 300 staff, plus up to 3\u00a0000 workers. They\u2019ve all been really competent, and the decision-making has involved considering a lot of viewpoints, including our opinions as riders. The riders\u2019 representative has been regularly engaging with us and then sharing our feedback. <\/em><\/p>\n The organisers have made some good calls both for safety reasons, and to maintain the Dakar\u2019s reputation as the ultimate Rally Raid challenge. During last year\u2019s event, there was a perception that the course was too easy \u2013 that\u2019s certainly not the case this year. In fact, even Dakar veterans are saying that this is one of the toughest Rally Raid events in years! <\/em><\/p>\n The greatest logistical challenge has definitely been the weather \u2013 this amount of rain is unusual here in Saudi Arabia, and it quickly pools up in low-lying areas, creating a bit of havoc. The organisers have a great set-up for moving the bivouac to a new location, if necessary, which definitely helps. <\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The easiest way to cope is by having the right mindset. For me, that means always having a smile on my face, being the best possible version of myself and embracing all the difficulties and changes that this year\u2019s Dakar has involved. <\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n I\u2019ve had moments where I\u2019ve felt down and out, but then I just need to remind myself why I\u2019m here. I\u2019m doing this for all the people who can\u2019t be here, and for the army of people back home who are behind me and sharing their regular support. I know I\u2019ve got what it takes to deal with any situation, so bring it on! \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n 4.You\u2019re entered\u2026and are leading\u2026the most difficult class in the race, the Original by Motul category by 15 minutes over Javi Vega going into the rest day, the lead has changed a couple of times this week and it\u2019s turning into a really good dice. Do you spend any time together, either out on the course or afterwards in the bivouac?<\/p>\n Over the first 3 stages I was able to establish a good lead but having a fuel pump issue on Stage 4 meant that I lost a lot of time syphoning fuel. Overall, I\u2019m trying not to push too hard, and I feel that I\u2019ve got a lot left in the tank to gain more time if I need to. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Javi is a cool dude and a real character. We\u2019ve been riding together a lot and hanging out in the refuelling zones. Of course, we\u2019re competing against each other, but the camaraderie in the Original by Motul category makes us all feel like family. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n 5.As part of the rules of the class you are doing your own maintenance and servicing after each stage, are you changing your set-up as well, maybe suspension clicks or riding position or do you stick to one formula for each stage?<\/p>\n I did a lot of testing in advance to work out the best suspension settings and rider position, so I\u2019ve not been changing too much during the actual race. My main priority each day is making sure that the bike works, so it\u2019s more about fixing than tweaking. I already feel really good on the bike, so I\u2019ve been concentrating each evening on making sure that everything is 100% ready for the next day.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n 6.You\u2019re receiving so much support and encouragement from so many quarters; it must make a big difference to your morale particularly on the tough days?<\/p>\n I\u2019m very conscious that while I\u2019m just one person in the race, there are a great many people behind me watching the results, sending me messages of support and following my story. The Dakar Rally has a huge impact on people and helps them escape from the mundanity of everyday life. It\u2019s great to have this level of support and competing in the Dakar is much easier when you know you have a whole country of passionate enthusiasts behind you. <\/em><\/p>\n ——–<\/p>\n The 2023 Dakar Rally resumes on Tuesday, 10 January with Stage 9, and concludes on Sunday, 15 January in the Gulf coast city of Dammam, after crossing the notorious Empty Quarter.<\/p>\n \u201cAlthough there is a lot of riding still to come, we\u2019d like to congratulate Charan Moore on his achievements in the Original by Motul class at this year\u2019s Dakar Rally,\u201d commented Mercia Jansen, Motul Area Manager for Southern and Eastern Africa. \u201cThe Original by Motul class is very much aligned with our core Motul values \u2013 to succeed in this class, you need perseverance, tenacity, passion and camaraderie or brotherliness. We\u2019re particularly proud that a South African and Motul partner, is in the lead at the halfway stage,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n As part of Motul\u2019s commitment to supporting motorsports, the global brand is a main partner of the Dakar Rally. The presence of the Motul Lab offers competitor support and oil analysis to keep them running.<\/p>\n Motul products are also available for all the Original by Motul riders. Motul also sponsors drivers, riders and teams as a way of testing their products in the most demanding circumstances.<\/p>\n Motul South Africa has partnered with the Southern Africa Dakar Group to offer all the enthusiasts and fans a chance to win much sought-after Motul merchandise. To stay up to date and get the inside scoop on all the Southern African participants at this year\u2019s Dakar, follow The Southern African Dakar Group on Facebook<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n You can also follow Charan Moore on Facebook<\/a> and Instagram<\/a> for his personal take on his Dakar Adventure.<\/p>\n Charan Moore is no stranger to challenging terrain and the thrill of extreme Enduro racing. As the founder of Live Lesotho and Race Director of the iconic Roof of Africa event, he has a great deal of experience in putting some of the world\u2019s best riders through their paces. Having temporarily exchanged the Maluti Mountains […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5832,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,23,21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-blogs","category-featured"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/enduroworld.co.za\/2023\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Charan-Moore-from-Live-Lesotho-and-Roof-of-Africa-Race-Director-leading-the-Original-by-Motul-class-of-Dakar-2023-s-002-scaled.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/enduroworld.co.za\/2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5400","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/enduroworld.co.za\/2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/enduroworld.co.za\/2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enduroworld.co.za\/2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enduroworld.co.za\/2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5400"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/enduroworld.co.za\/2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5400\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enduroworld.co.za\/2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5832"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/enduroworld.co.za\/2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enduroworld.co.za\/2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enduroworld.co.za\/2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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