Purevdorj Murun has been racing motorcycles for over a decade, mainly focusing on rallies in his home country of Mongolia and other nations in Asia. In January, he will head to West Asia for his Dakar Rally début.
Murun competes in motocross and rallies across Asia, while also enjoying success back home such that he was named “The Best Moto Rider” of 2023 by the Mongolian Automobile Motorcycle Sports Federation. His father Purevdorj Bayarjargal also does cross-country rally in a side-by-side vehicle.
He had tried to apply for the previous three Dakars but was rejected each time before finally being approved for the 2025 edition.
“Long-distance cross-country racing is my favorite sport,” Murun told Ergelt. “This type of competition lasts at least three days. The Dakar Rally, known as the Olympics for motorsports enthusiasts, lasts fourteen days. It is not easy to use all the strength you have to ride an off-road bike for for fourteen days. But it’s a good challenge and the best chance to represent your country in an international competition.”
In February, he entered his first World Rally-Raid Championship event at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in the United Arab Emirates. Despite the odd snag like getting stuck in the dunes for twenty minutes in Stage #2, he impressed by finishing seventh overall in Rally2 with a best daily performance of seventh in Stage #4.
From there, Murun focused on two of the toughest rally raids in Asia. In June, he finished ninth at the Taklimakan Rally in China; despite an engine problem, he ran top five and in podium range for the final five days. Murun went northwards a month later to race the Silk Way Rally, which began in Russia before ending in Mongolia. He set the fastest time overall but finished second due to time penalties.
He plans to begin training for Dakar in mid-September. Funding for the trip comes from his family and sponsors, and he noted that he does not receive any financial support from the Mongolian government.
“The Dakar Rally was just a childhood dream of mine. I always said that he would race in Dakar one day, but that distant dream is about to come true,” he continued. “I had been submitting and submitting applications for the race for the past three years. 150 riders selected from more than a thousand compete in the competition.”
The 2025 Dakar Rally runs 3–17 January. When he arrives in Saudi Arabia, Murun hopes to be the sixth Mongolian to complete the race.
