N° 019 - TEAM YAMAHA EUROPE TEAM

MACEK Martin CZE 12/09/1968

Vehicle

MODEL	MAKE
WRF 450	YAMAHA

Martin Macek: « A result or nothing »

For those nay sayers, for who the Dakar is no longer the adventure it once was, the story of Martin Macek will serve as a perfect counter-example. The Czech giant (1.98 metres, 100kilograms), incarnates, all by himself, the Dakar philosophy. Hear ye, hear ye, his story.

In 2007, he started his first Dakar on a standard 450 Yamaha. By an unfortunate combination of circumstances his belongings remained stuck in Spain. To set off on the most intense rally “with two T-shirts”, without assistance but with an iron will, he had to do whatever he could to repair his bike with what he had with him and the help of several teams. At the end of the adventure, the enduro rider, who “has won every competition possible” in his home country, finished 15th after dropping twelve kilograms in the dunes. Could it get any better than that?

With Martin, we thus have a rider to be reckoned with. He’s back on the Dakar better equipped than in 2007: the logistics of the Yamaha Europe team, a new 450 Yamaha prepared for the desert and a place among the top ten on the horizon. In order for the success to be complete, he would also like to take “several stage wins”. “For most of the competitors, the objective is to arrive at Dakar, no matter where they finish”. But for Martin, “to finish 100th or drop out is the same”, he wants “to put in a strong showing”.

And to make sure he has everything going for him, this monster of a man rides is bike nearly 100kms per day and cross country skis in the winter in the Czech Republic to work on his fitness. Good luck to others.

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