New year, new bike, same hunger to win

Since his debut in 2013, when the race took place in his beloved Chile, as well as Argentina, Bolivia and Peru, he has experienced it all. Success and failures, great human achievements, and unbelievable physical pain.  

The 2024 will be Pablo’s 12th participation in the hardest off road competition on the planet. New year, new bike, same hunger to win. Pablo rode a solid 2023 Dakar, finishing just off the podium in P4, and he was the best finisher in the Monster Energy Honda Rally Team, but it was not the result he had in mind. It’s time for another shot.  

How do you see the 2024 route? 
“David Castera, the Dakar Rally Director, anticipated that it would be the toughest edition since we compete in Saudi Arabia. The introduction of the 48h chrono brings extra spice. It looks good on the paper and it will be new for everyone”. 

Last year you competed for the victory for the entire rally. Looking back, is there something that you could have done differently?
“Dakar is like this: many ups and downs with so many factors that you cannot control like rain, stage canceled … you make plans but then you have to be fast to adapt to the unexpected”.  

New year, new bike, how is the new Honda CRF450 Rally?
“It’s a big step forward. It’s lighter and faster, smoother and easier to ride. I have much more confidence in riding and this gives me speed and more clarity to make good decisions.”. 

Two FIM World Championship titles, runner-up spot in the 2020 and 2022 Dakar Rally and third place in 2016. You were the best Monster Energy  Honda finisher last year, so what keeps you motivated? 
“The Dakar Rally is more than a race, it’s a way of life. It’s an inner fire: you want to go for more, you want to go further, faster. If somebody wants to race the Dakar, he has to do it with 100 percent commitment and be absolute sure because it will push you out your comfort zone every single km. I like this feeling that I have to take actions in so many un-predicable situations, that I have to prove myself and that I am capable of achieving my goals”.  

How can you ride at almost 150 km/h and still read the roadbook?  
“It’s something I also ask myself! The race pace is faster every year: the bikes are evolving towards Motocross bikes because the stages are flat out, but you cannot jump an MX bike and read a roadbook. 

 “You need to train for a whole year to open the throttle and read the notes, but also to develop a quick mind to absorbe the information, read the desert, and take the right decisions”.  

Do you have time to enjoy the landscape?
“Yes, and the desert in Saudi is amazing, you go through places that look from another planet”. 

The Dakar brings you out of your comfort zone, right? Starting with the clock alarm in the middle of the night… 
“You need the mindset of a warrior to face the long cold liaisons when it is still dark. The first bikes take the starts around 4:00 am, sometimes even at 3:30 am. In the first days your motivation is still very high, but the second week it feels like you slept only 15 minutes. It’s tough”.  

What is your daily routine to center yourself and embody the warrior mindset?
“I prepare everything the night before: same order, same place. In the morning I dress following the same sequence: first the socks, then the knee protectors, the pants, the jacket… I drink a glass of water to activate the body, coffee, breakfast and then I play music. On the Dakar I listen to some electronic, melodic music that helps me to be centered, to connect my heart to my goals.  Drums, melodic vocals that play with the emotions”.   

  
Your first thought when you jump on the bike. 
“It’s something you are really waiting for!  I jump on the bike with the confidence that I did all the work: now it’s time to put all together and enjoy the ride!”
    

How difficult is it to stay always at the top?
“To succeed you need to fail many times. Success is a low percentage of your career, but the difficult moments take the best of you, they teach you to have courage, and to evolve.  Five years ago in Peru, while I was fighting for the win, I injured my ankles so badly that I am still suffering from that. There was a moment when I thought that maybe my career was over, but I never gave up. I had to train this weakness, to adapt my riding style. Something made a switch inside of me and I returned stronger and since then I had two second places and I’m here for another shot, fighting for the victory fully motivated”.    

What do you miss more when you are on the Dakar? 
“The sunny days at the beach with my family and friends because it’s summer in Chile in this time of the year ”.  

What is your main strength?
“My experience, and also my mindset. I feel I am able to take strategic decisions under stress and to make the switch when you need to do the maximum”.  

What is special about the Monster Energy Honda Team?
“The relations with the riders and crew members makes this team unique: we have a lot of respect for each other, we recognize each person’s strengths, we spend a lot of time together inside the races and outside”. 

Hard worker, confident and passionate about life. Where does it come from in your family?
“I respect a lot my dad Arturo. He is a hard worker. He started from nothing and built something big and important. He is a simple person and I like to spend time with him, he loves his family and I admire him a lot”. 

Finally, no one returns the same from a Dakar rally; you leave as a boy and return a man.  
“it’s true. I learned a lot as a rider and as a person. You understand that you need to work very hard if you want something in your life, you need to be true to yourself. Follow your dreams and if something goes bad, if doesn’t last forever. You need to trust others, because you don’t achieve everything alone, believe in your goals and enjoy the process”.