Faggotter secures privateer entry for Dakar

The Queensland Yamaha dealer will ride a Yamaha WR450F prepared by the French-based Drag’On Rally team, who will also be assisting Rod on this year’s 12-stage Dakar that will be held entirely in Saudi Arabia.

Yamaha Motor Australia will also be supporting Rod on his sixth Dakar campaign.

Faggotter’s Dakar history includes starts in 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018 and 2019, with a best finish of fourteenth in 2013. It was that result that secured Rod a place on the factory Yamalube Yamaha Rally Team from 2017, as a ‘water carrier’ (ie. support rider) for riders like Adrien van Beveren and Xavier de Soultrait.  

While being on the factory team had its benefits, Faggotter says that, now he’s a privateer again, he’s looking forward to being able to ride his own race.

“This is the first time that I’ll be able to have a red hot go on a bike that is very close to factory spec,” says the 43-year-old Queenslander. 
“Last year was pretty heartbreaking to find myself stranded in the middle of the big dunes. I was doing well, within the top 15. This time it will be different as a privateer, but I’ll be on the same bike that I know well.

“The goal is first of all to finish... but the aim is top ten.”

The two-time Australasian Safari winner and three-time winner of the Condo 750 has been training in Aussie desert conditions to prepare himself for the Saudi sand and heat.

With 5,097km of timed special stages and more than 7,800km in total, this year’s Dakar is predicted to be one of the toughest ever, with the terrain and climate of Saudi Arabia providing an additional challenge and all-new experience for almost every entrant, as the 2020 event marks the first time the Dakar rally has been held in the Middle Eastern country.