Well, the Dakar is not going to come to Pyndon, so Pyndon will have to go to the Dakar!

After years of procrastinating because its too expensive or because it seemed out of my reach I have finally decided that whatever it takes, I need to make this happen. I almost bit to bullet two years ago but decided to get a house instead before using everything up on Dakar. Yes its a big commitment and no I cannot afford it, but could I ever and will the time ever be right? I ask myself, do I want to be racing Dakar when Im 60 years old or worse be sat looking back wishing that I had when Im no longer in a position to do it (health or otherwise). It has always been on my mind since I was a kid and I know only too well from my upbringing that if you want something so bad, you have to go out and get it, and work hard for it because things rarely come to you on a plate. For those of you that know me, will know how meticulous I am so this will be a carefully planned and executed attempt at the most arduous & notorious rally on the planet.

I have been into motorcycles all my life and competed at varying levels in many disciplines but for me, the pinnacle is the long distance endurance stuff where man and machine form one to take on the ultimate challenge. Miles and miles of un-ridden terrain of all kinds imaginable with just a road book, machine and ones self. Completing the Baja 1000 in 2007 certainly paved the way somewhat, then there was crossing the Sahara in 2009 which just added fuel to the already burning desire. Finally, racing the Bike Rally Championship in the UK last year just made me realise how much I enjoyed it and how much I had to make the Dakar dream become reality.

My riding ability is where it needs to be, my health and fitness is in good shape although I do have plans to improve it and I have confirmed that I am most comfortable racing a big heavy bike at speed across rough terrain for extended periods of time, I love it. Sure I have other things to worry about, Ive never used a road book for example, but these challenges can be overcome Im sure and again, it's all part of the plan. My goal will be to finish, where I finish is not important but one thing that is important to me is that I bring my supporters and sponsors along with me and I have some pretty big plans to do this in an innovative and beneficial way.

As we all know only too well, Dakar is not something that can be achieved alone so I am in the process of getting a web site set up to help me raise funds and to allow you guys to be a part of it too. If youve followed my threads before, youll know this will be thorough, loads of stuff from the initial planning phases, bike selection, wrenching, engine rebuilds and tune ups, dyno time, suspension testing and set-up, training and a ton of other fun documented stuff to keep you interested in your daily lunch hour.

Sure I plan to make all the usual swag available in the form of t-shirts, hoodies and riding accessories, discount codes and anything else I can lay my hands on for my supporters from around the world. I am working on the packages as I write this but I have so many ideas that I cannot contact people fast enough. Oh, and theres the small fact that I have a full time job to do also!

I have talked to the UK representative / ASO contact and made my intentions clear. I have briefly presented my plan and professional approach to the entire project and I am hopeful that an entry will be made available.

So, that gets everything out in the open for now. There will be a ton of other stuff to follow but first up there is one important thing that I need up front and I think you guys can help with this. Ive been planning this for a while now and after hours of thinking I still dont have the answer - what am I going to call this entire campaign? So, I cast my mind back to 2007 and the Baja 1000. ADV Rider produced a great team name then so why wouldnt it be a great idea to get them involved from the off this time. So get your thinking caps on, your paint brush out and lets get a title and a logo designed. We have until mid-April to get the campaign name bottomed and at this point the web-site can go live and we can really get the ball rolling.

My mind is a wash of so much interesting stuff to share, so if your interested, stay tuned!