In an ideal scenario, January 2024 would have seen Ashley Thixton and his younger brother Cameron Thixton race at the Dakar Rally for the first time. Unfortunately for Cameron, he will have to shelve those plans for now as a result of struggles to acquire the financial backing for the effort. In the meantime, Ashley will press on with his goals by competing at the Sonora Rally on 23–28 April.
“Not the news we want to be bringing you right now but due to lack of funding it’s a pause from me for now,” said Cameron. “I have decided to put my goal of Dakar on hold to make place for my brother Ash to attack this dream now.”
The brothers hail from Harare, Zimbabwe, and hoped to race at Dakar in 2023 before pushing their plans to 2024. The run comes under the “Dakar 263” banner, a project consisting of the two and Graeme Sharp, the latter becoming the first Zimbabwean to race at the Dakar Rally when he finished seventy-fourth in 2020. In 2022, the Thixtons began training at Viladoms Rally Station in Igualada, Spain.
Ash, who is three years older than his brother, and Cam grew up in motocross before launching Dakar 263. With Cam out of the picture, Ash will tackle the Sonora Rally followed by the Rallye du Maroc in October with the hope of qualifying for the 2024 Dakar Rally through the Road to Dakar programme.
He will race with support from Freedom Rally Racing.
“It is an honor to be a part of this legendary event and I am excited for the journey ahead as I push past my limits and embark on new adventures,” Ashley commented. “Grateful for the generous sponsorship and unwavering support that helped make this event a reality. Unfortunate that my Boet Cam can’t join me this time but future is still looking bright.”
The Road to Dakar, which consists of all World Rally-Raid Championship rounds save for the obvious Dakar Rally and the TGRSA 1000 Desert Race, grants free admission to said rally for the best riders with no prior experience there.
Multiple riders have thrown their hats into the Road to Dakar ring for Sonora including, but certainly not limited to, Étienne Gélinas, Jatin Jain, and Sebastián Olarte.
