On 12 September, The Checkered Flag spoke with Justin Gerlach about his acceptance for the 2025 Dakar Rally, how he got there, and his plans.
The full transcript of the interview is available below. Some text has been altered from the actual dialogue to improve readability.
An article on the interview can be read here.
Transcript
TCF: It’s been about a month and a half since you were accepted for Dakar. Has it sunk in yet that you’re actually going to be there in about three months from now?
JG: No, not really. [laughs]
Actually, yeah, it has sunk in since the day I got the email that I’ve been accepted. When I got the email, I expected it to come one day later. I was in a car together with my father and we were just chatting about some things. I went on my phone, I saw there’s an email, but I didn’t really think about that at this moment, and then it surprised me. I didn’t know what to say. It took me a moment. My dad was talking about whatever, I can’t even remember, and then suddenly I was quiet and he said, “What is it? What is it?” We both realised, “Okay, we are going to Dakar.”
Sure, it has sunk in a bit, but sometimes I’m still surprised. I’m just busy doing my all day work, and at some point I think about, ‘Well, it’s only, let me check… 112 days until Dakar.’
It’s crazy. Sometimes I can’t realise it. Sometimes it gets me right away and I was like, ‘Oh shit, yeah, you’re doing it.’ It’s been part of my day since then, since the acceptance.
When I’m training or when I wake up in the morning and it’s hot, it’s like 6 AM before work to go riding, and you say, “Okay, you’re going to Dakar,” it helps for sure. I think the first time I will really believe that it’s happening will be at the start line of Dakar in January.
TCF: After being rejected last year, did you do anything different this year to ensure you’d be accepted?
JG: I wouldn’t consider it to be different because I believed in myself and I knew that I just had to keep on working in order to prove the ASO this time that I’m worthy of being accepted for Dakar and I can make it. Last year, I thought about this year and made some plans, ‘How can you qualify for Dakar? How can you improve your chances?’ That was the point where I decided to go to Abu Dhabi again.
To be fair, the ASO changed the process a bit for the riders: they introduced the bonus system, so for me as a rider it becomes a bit more transparent which race really brings you how many qualifying points. When you have a look at the FIM World Championship calendar, there’s Abu Dhabi and Morocco, both races bring you twelve points if you finish the race and the other races only bring you like six. It was either Abu Dhabi or Morocco for me to gain some more points on the World Championship calendar, and I decided to go for Abu Dhabi again because it was a great race last year. I was planning to do Morocco this year maybe but it’s not necessary as I got accepted. So yeah, just keep on working.
The ASO also was very helpful for me. Ronan (Valverde), he was the ASO one for the European competitors, and last year I can remember he was really kind. He sent me a message after my rejection and said, “Hey mate, just keep it up, keep working, you will have your chance in the future.” Last year, I didn’t really want to hear it, but after a few months, I came back to him and we were in contact all the time. He helped me during the process and gave me some advice on how I can improve my chances. That’s basically it. I just kept on going and kept on working.
TCF: How was it racing in Abu Dhabi for the second time?
JG: I really can’t say. It’s still a great race. Every race is unique, but Abu Dhabi is still very great in my mind and I really enjoyed it this year. But still, it was different than last year because I was on a new bike. I decided to go on a 450 Rally Replica. I bought it there out in Dubai so I had to prepare it before the race and it was really busy times, but still in the end it was a great race. Especially compared to last year, I saw that I improved a lot, so maybe it’s not too bad that I took a shot for the Dakar this year and not last year—2025, not 2024—because I saw that the level of racing was about the same when it comes to stage length and from the terrain. I was able to deal a lot better with it and I was faster and I felt better, more consistent.
Therefore, Abu Dhabi was a great experience again and to be at the finish line this year really helped me. Last year, I went home and I thought, ‘Ugh, you didn’t do every kilometre because of the issue I had on the third day last year.’ To come back and finish it was awesome.
TCF: There was this one moment in the race, I think in Stage #2, where you flipped your bike while going down a dune. I remember seeing the photos of it going viral and all that. Can you recall what happened?
JG: [laughs] Right. It was actually very funny—well, the moment itself wasn’t funny. I obviously made a mistake. I was riding together with a French rider, I don’t remember his name unfortunately, but he was also… oh, Jean-Philippe Revolte!
He was in front of me. We were going side by side, and we saw the camera guys on top of the dune. I am experienced so I know if there are camera guys, you should be more careful than usual. But in that moment, he gave a little more gas down the dune than normal and sprayed me completely into my face, all the sand and I couldn’t see anything. I was like, ‘Whoa, what’s happening?’ I opened my eyes again and I was jumping over the dune. It was a mistake from my side, obviously I could have been more careful. The front wheel sank in, the bike flipped.
Yeah, there are very popular pictures. It was funny for me in the evening, but obviously I was a bit through the wind. I had to find myself the rhythm again. But in the evening when I came back to the camp, a lot of people showed me the picture and said, “Oh, what was happening?’ They didn’t even know it was me. Some people were chatting in the local racing groups and said, “Oh, that’s not how it’s supposed to be,” and stuff. People showed it to me and then I said, “Yeah, it was crazy. I was very lucky.”
“You were very lucky!?”
I said, “Yeah, that’s me.”
I got the photo package and then I have the whole photo series of it. They’re like twenty pictures where you can make a video out of it, like snapshots. They called it unofficially the picture of the race.
I’m just really lucky to walk away from it. Yeah, all the photographers were there, I was just picking the bike up. [thumbs up gesture] “Yeah, thank you. Thank you,” and just kept going.
It took me like one or two minutes to really stop and take a moment and realise, ‘Well, that was a big one, but nothing was broken.’ I was fine and nothing on the bike was broken. Nothing was broken. The handlebars were straight. I could just continue on and I was so lucky about that.
I hope I learned from that. I took some time to reflect on it, how it happened and how I can prevent it the next time.
TCF: Given you were turned down for Dakar last year, did you feel any sort of pressure to do well at Abu Dhabi?
JG: Before the race, a little bit. I’m sure I had these thoughts of what happens if you don’t finish again because during a five-day rally in Abu Dhabi, as you can see on my crash or from mechanical failures, a lot can happen during the race. A lot can go wrong and I wouldn’t have finished the race.
But during the race, I just tried to make my mind free of that. If you are starting the stage and think about how you can’t make a mistake or if you’re worrying, it can go wrong. You just have to free yourself from that. During the race, I didn’t think of it because I was busy all day riding and also preparing afterwards. After the race, I realised, ‘Yeah, okay, perfect. Pressure is gone. You did it. It was a huge step in the direction of Dakar.’ So everything went well, I’m happy about it.
TCF: After that, how was racing in Rallye Breslau for the seventh time for you, especially as you were on a Sherco for the first time? How was that?
JG: It was great again. I’m not sure if I mentioned it last year during the first interview, but Breslau was my favorite race every year because for me, it’s like coming home. They call it the Breslau Family and for me, it’s also family because I know so many people in the camp and like all the German guys, also international guys I get to meet every year there.
But it was a difficult one this year. For Abu Dhabi, I sold my new bike in Germany to be able to afford the start cost and also the bike there, so about two weeks before the race, I still had no bike to compete but I was registered. I decided to use the KTM 950, the more than 200-kilo bike from my dad, which was like the ‘worst case scenario’ but still for me, ‘Okay, you will be on the start line and you will make some experience,’ but I knew that I wouldn’t be competitive.
Suddenly, there was a chance coming up because I got to know a Sherco dealer here in nearby Berlin, a man from Viking Motors, and he’s also a huge Dakar fan. We were talking about how he would like to support me and then I got the chance to get a brand new 450 Sherco for competing at Rally Breslau and even now still for training purposes. He gave it to me in order to support me and I’m really thankful for that.
During Breslau, the bike was really, really good. Sure, I had to adapt at first. I got it with I think 0.5 hours on the engine. I did a half an hour of training on it and then I brought the suspension to my suspension guy here in nearby Berlin and said, “I need a good rally suspension.” I put it back in and at the start line was really the first time I rode the bike like this.
It’s a great bike. I was really happy with it. I only had some issues on Thursday with the fuel consumption, but I would tend to say that was maybe my mistake because I was giving it a little too much gas, maybe for the stage length.
Other than that, I was really happy with the bike. The end result was not the top ten I expected, maybe because of the time I lost on the first day without fuel but also some waypoints I missed even though I tried to navigate precisely. But still, in the end, it’s a good experience and especially after last year where I broke my wrist at Breslau. For me to come back and finish it this year was important also for my mind and my motivation.
So Breslau was great and I cannot recommend it enough.
TCF: Do you plan on racing the Sherco at Dakar or are you going to go back to a KTM or another bike?
JG: We were talking with Bernd (Zwanzig) from the Sherco dealer. We were talking about any options for a Sherco rally bike and I really would have loved it, but the only Sherco bikes doing Dakar are from the TVS factory team. Even for him as a Sherco dealer, he’s not able to get a bike.
I’m going back with KTM. I bought a KTM 450 Rally Replica from 2020, which had a new engine when I bought it but still, I have some work to do now to rebuild it because at the end of November, it’s going to Barcelona to the port and being shipped. So yeah, it’s being rebuilt.
It’s not that I wouldn’t have trusted Sherco with the task of doing Rally Dakar, but to prepare an enduro bike like this 450 for Dakar is just too much work and too much risk. If you have the option of a KTM Rally Replica, which is well proven on Dakar, that’s just the best shot for me now.
TCF: Now that you’ve been accepted, how do you plan to pay for the trip to Dakar? I remember last year you said you were going to sell your car and close your savings accounts, so would you still be willing to do that now?
JG: [laughs] Yeah, that was in the plan for Dakar last year, but I had to close all my savings accounts for Abu Dhabi this year in order to make it to the race or to qualify. Now that I spent some sleepless nights about that topic, after my rejection last year, I had to make a decision whether to go for Dakar competition next year or to work on my education and my career. At the end of last year, I started my master’s. I’m even working less now, twenty hours a week earning less money, so that’s a big topic. Right now, there’s a semester break during the two semesters where I’m working forty hours a week just to get every cent possible to put it in the Dakar project.
I think now we have the middle of the month and I don’t want to look at my bank accounts, but I think there’s less than a hundred euros right now because everything is going into the Dakar. Other than that, to pay for the entry fee and for the service team, at least the part of the service team, I’m having a credit now which is being paid out next month but it’s 50,000 EUR. My plan was to pay most of it alone. I’m having a payment plan now for the next seven years.
I’m going to pay off my back for next January. Some people here understand my motivation, some people in Germany call me crazy, but it’s just the way I’m doing it. Still, I’m having supporters who made it possible to go to Abu Dhabi. My biggest one is the German ADAC right now, which is like the car motorsport federation, I think you can translate it, and they’re supporting me for Dakar which is really, really helpful.
But other than that, I’m still looking for partners and sponsors who believe in my dream. That’s a lot of work and still working on it, still having trust that I will still find other partners who are supporting me. I’m sure not every solution is found right now for that, but I will be able to keep up with my payment plan for Dakar also with the rally team. I’m sure nothing can stop me right now to make it to the start line.
TCF: I remember last year, you said that one of the things you wanted to do was to bring your dad with you to Dakar if you could afford it. I assume that’s still something that you plan on doing if you can?
JG: It’s not an option if I do it, I will do it for sure. We have planned it already. He will not be my mechanic as he was in Abu Dhabi in the last two years, he will just be my supporter. As a competitor, you have the option to bring family members and sponsors for the whole race. It’s still a lot of money. I think if I remember it right, it’s like 4,000 EUR just to bring a supporter with you, a friend or family or sponsor to spend the whole two weeks.
Mechanical-wise, I joined the DUUST team, the Polish team together with Konrad Dąbrowski and Jean-Loup Lepan. I’m sure I’m with a well team for mechanical support and all the team organisation.
But my dad, I can’t imagine not bringing him. I’m really looking forward to sharing the whole two weeks with him and hopefully to be at the finish podium together with him.
But in the end, we made the agreement that he will have to pay for himself because I can’t put it in my budget. I would love to, but if I find a sponsor, no one says, “Yeah, here’s the money, do it.” I’m afraid that won’t happen.
So yeah, he’s ready to pay for it himself, but I will bring him with me and I can’t imagine another way.
TCF: Besides money, what else goes into preparing for Dakar between then and now? Like what other races do you have planned?
JG: Actually, I have no other rallies or big races planned because I’m trying to minimise the risk of injury. There’s the Carta Baja, which was a nice option for me to compete because it’s a nice offer from the organisation, but I decided not to do it because of the risk of injury. Other than that, I’m trying to take a lot of local enduro races right now, also to improve myself on the technical abilities because I’m sure that Dakar will not only be sand and fast routes. As I saw from this year, there are a lot of technical areas with stones and hill climbs. I think the terrain will be very diverse, so I’m trying to improve my abilities right now with the technical stuff and do kind of riding. Other than that in preparation, it’s all about physical preparation except from riding the bike.
I’m not on the bicycle right now to improve my endurance. I’m running as much as I ever did actually. There’s three cardio sets a week and also going to the gym. I talked to some people who gave me some advice on how to train. When I recall right, I think it was Mackey from Abu Dhabi who told me a few years ago that going to Dakar is only 20 percent being at the race itself and 80 percent being preparation before that. I didn’t really know what he meant, but now I know. It’s a lot of work and it’s a lot of hours every week. Even if it’s still so far in the future, like more than three months, it’s busy times.
TCF: Looking ahead, what are your thoughts on next year’s route and all the new features being added?
JG: I think it’s going to be a very, very interesting edition. I think one of the biggest highlights will be again the 48-hour Chrono Stage they introduced this year. This year, I think it was 450 kilometres about, or 500 kilometres over two days, and for 2025, it’s going to be more than 900 kilometres. We will see how that works out. It’s going to be a hard challenge.
When I look at the route or what I’ve read about it, I’m trying to get every information possible, the terrain for this year’s Dakar will be a bit different. It will be less stony, less gravelly, more sand because I think the cars, they said that they are having problems or issues with tyre punctures. I think that’s good for me because from Abu Dhabi, I’m rather used to riding in the sand, not too much on the stones. I think I wouldn’t have a problem going through the stones, but I won’t be as fast. So for me, maybe the new route is good.
My personal highlight, what I’m really looking forward to is the mass start on the last day they introduced. I think the last time they did it was in the ’80s. I can’t believe how that feeling will be. I’m really looking forward. I don’t know how many bikes are still in on the last day, but let’s say it’s 100 bikes next to each other starting. At this moment where 100 engines are starting, revving up and like giving it full gas direction to the final stage, really to the finish, everything can happen, but that moment, I think that’s going to be magical. I will give so much energy back even though I’m going to be completely exhausted probably on the last day. If I can make it to the mass start to the last day, I’m sure I can make it to the finish.
TCF: As of right now, I think Mike Wiedemann is the youngest German rider to race Dakar because he was 24 when he did it in 2022. You don’t turn 24 until next April after Dakar. How does it feel to have a chance at that record?
JG: I knew about that fact, sure, and it kind of motivated me to do it this year definitely. I would lie if I said something else because that’s a chance I will never have again. Maybe in a couple of years if I do Dakar, it was never a question of doing it, it was rather a question of when I will do it. I wouldn’t be happy if I missed this chance and for me, the chance is there now. Being able to be the youngest German ever at the start line is great and I’m sure in the next month, something can happen, but I hope I will make it. I’m sure that’s great.
But I have to say I have the biggest respect for Mike. We were doing local races here in Germany together and he’s a very kind guy. He’s very helpful. He made it to the finish on his first Dakar as a rookie, as a young guy. That’s my aim. Yeah, I’m the youngest at the start line, but to be the youngest at the finish line is a big challenge and we will see what happens.
I’m sure that Mike, if we both make it to the finish, will give me a handshake and will congratulate me or I will congratulate him for finishing. I’m sure we have a good connection. Big respect for him for making it to the finish line on his first Dakar. I’m sure I will have a lot of work during these two weeks to even achieve that.
TCF: Outside of finishing, is there any other goal that you have for Dakar?
JG: Not really, no. [chuckles]
Yeah, I thought about it, but I’m really trying to get rid of every aspect of trying to achieve a certain position. I will be struggling for sure. You can work as much as possible before and that’s what I’m doing right now, but I’m sure it’s going to be brutal. I’m sure, especially the second week after rest day, it will be a fight every morning even to get up and get on the bike. Also, it’s going to be a mental challenge. For me, it’s really to make it to the finish ramp where my father will be. Hopefully, my mother will fly to Saudi Arabia to meet me there, and also one of my best friends is going to visit me the last three days.
To make it to these last days where my best friend is coming in, my mother’s coming in, my dad will be there, that’s my main goal. To share the moment at the finish line with them, that’s just what I’m looking for. Everything else comes after because if I’m trying to push more than I’m capable of just because I want to reach a certain position, personally it would risk too much.
We will see which position comes in the end, but for me it’s about finishing.
TCF: Once you have Dakar crossed off your list, then what’s next for you?
JG: I have a lot of ideas and I would like to do so many things, but I’m afraid that next year, I will have to step short because I’m paying off a credit for the next seven years at least. I can’t do it like this every year where I’m like taking money from a credit to make it to Dakar. We will see what happens.
I’m sure I will make it possible to come back to Rallye Breslau because for me it’s a very convenient race, but I’m not too sure if someone will see me next year at the World Championship races. Maybe if it’s possible, I would surely do it. But from my personal side financially, it’s going to be very difficult.
But when I look at the future, maybe at the Dakar 2026, I would see myself as a navigator, maybe in a car in a cockpit, because I would really love that. Doing my two competitions at Fenix Rally, I was a navigator in the desert, and I really like it. I think for the future, that would be something that would really, really interest me. And together with my driver at Fenix Rally, Abu Dhabi, Ali Gharib, we were thinking about maybe doing Dakar Classic; just an idea, nothing too serious, but we are driving a Land Rover Defender from 2006 and he competed at the Dakar Rally 2015 with it, I think? Don’t recall on the certain year. I think this year’s Dakar Classic is until 2005 vehicles or something, next year I assume it’s going to be 2006. Maybe it’s an option to do that Dakar Classic or maybe the normal Dakar in the car as navigator. I think that that would really, really interest me and I would really hope that that can work out somehow.
But for now, it’s Dakar 2025 focusing every day to make it possible and to make a good finish.
TCF: On a more general topic, how popular are rally and Dakar in Germany?
JG: Oh, that’s very difficult in Germany. It’s not too popular, I think. I was talking to a lot of people, they’re asking me, “What are you doing now?”, or “What are you trying to achieve? You are racing motorcycles?” I say, “Yeah, I do Rally Dakar.”
Some say, “Oh, I know Rally Dakar from Eurosport, from television.” But mostly, when I go to races and I talk to people of my age, they don’t really know about Rally Dakar. It’s rather the fathers who are interested in Rally Dakar.
I can remember when I was at the first junior motorsport event from the ADAC, there’s a pool of young motocross and enduro racers, kart racers, rally racers with me, and we were training together and doing some stuff together. We were sitting together and then they introduced me because it’s more of the motocross and the enduro youth and they know each other for years, then it was me.
I said, “Yeah, I’m doing rally racing.” All the kids thought I would be in a car, but the fathers and the parents who were sitting next to us, they were like, “Oh yeah!” In the evening when we were eating together, I was with the fathers at the table and then were talking about Rally Dakar and they were all over it. They loved it. They all said, “Yeah, I was following it 20 years ago! Holy shit! Nice! Do it!”
So yeah, maybe in the older generation it’s more popular than the younger, but I’m trying to convince or just bring it back to other people my age. When I was with the rally bike on the local track two weeks ago, there were a few local enduro racers I knew and I said, “Why don’t you have a try on the rally bike?” They said, “This kind of big bike? Can’t be fun.” They all came back with big smiles. Maybe one or two of them I can convince to try rally racing at some point, I would really be happy about it.
But it’s difficult in Germany. Especially if I look at finding sponsors, it’s more difficult I think than in other countries. It’s giving me a hard time right now, but doesn’t matter. I’m working on it.
TCF: When you look at yourself and Mike, do you sort of see yourself as like the “next generation” of German riders in rally?
JG: Mike and myself?
TCF: Yeah, like how does it feel to be the “next generation” of German Dakar riders?
JG: Well, it feels great. I have to say that Mike is a few steps further than me for sure. Even also in local enduro racing, he’s faster than me. But we both are the young guys, young German guys at Dakar. I think it’s very unique because when I look at the next years, I think there will not be many young people from Germany who will make it to Dakar. There are a few around Mike, some friends up here who are also trying to achieve that, and I hope they’ll make it.
But rally racing for young people is getting really difficult because it’s getting more expensive. Even the entry fees are getting more expensive, but also the equipment you need. You need an airbag jacket which costs you 2,500 euros with the cartridges and all that. It’s difficult for young riders in Germany to afford that, especially also because the sport is not too big here and you cannot really train in Germany.
I’m happy that Mike and I are a kind of picture of the young generation maybe, and I hope that we can build on that and that there are other young riders who we can convince. Rally racing in Germany was bigger at some point, I’m sure, and we have very famous German riders and drivers who made it successful at Dakar and why shouldn’t we keep it up?
TCF: Before we wrap this up, is there anything else you’d like to add?
JG: Nothing specific. I just can say that everyone who thinks about doing Dakar should start tomorrow—start today, not tomorrow, because it’s a long way. If someone is interested and wants to know how things are working out, I’m really happy to share my experience. I’m not trying to make it behind a closed door and just try to make it myself. I’m really happy about everyone who would like to ask me about how to make it to Dakar even it’s just like, “I want to do it at some point. How can I do it?”
If you have not even made the first step or something, feel free to ask me because I would be really happy to help everyone doing it. When I look at rally racing, it’s a community. What makes it special is that everyone helps each other. I’m sure that if there’s someone I can bring to rally racing, even if it’s only participation in Breslau, I gain one more friend and I gain someone who would be willing to help me on track and that I would like to help.
So yeah, if someone is interested, let me know. I would be happy to help you to get a foot into this sport.
