Fabien Domas is the newest GasGas rider, having acquired a GasGas RX 450F that he will début at the Rallye du Maroc in October before bringing it to the 2024 Dakar Rally.
Domas made his Dakar début in 2023 on a Yamaha 450 in the Rally2 class, but retired after crashing 400 kilometres into Stage #3. The accident necessitated an airlift to a nearby hospital for evaluation before being flown to Specialized Medical Center Hospital in Riyadh, where he was diagnosed with a concussion and broken hand. He took the next three months off to heal before setting up a plan to return to Dakar in 2024 by entering the Rallye du Maroc.
The Dakar effort came after three years of training. While mainly an enduro and motocross rider, he befriended former Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team boss and current Ténéré Spirit Experience manager Marc Bourgeois who introduced him to rally raid. He clinched his eligibility at the 2021 Rallye du Maroc where he finished forty-second overall in Rally2.
He eventually hopes to race the Dakar Rally in an SSV with his daughter.
Domas’ commitment to GasGas comes on the heels of fellow French Rally2 rider Charlie Herbst doing the same, Herbst moving over from KTM. The Spanish manufacturer is one of the top marques in enduro and trials, while their factory rally team won the Dakar Rally and World Rally-Raid Championship in 2022 with Sam Sunderland followed by the 2023 Sonora Rally with Daniel Sanders. Michael Jacobi and James Hillier raced GasGas bikes in Rally2 at Dakar in January.
The Rallye du Maroc will take place on 13–18 October, while the 2024 Dakar Rally commences on 5 January.
