​In Conversation With Sam Sunderland, The First British Winner of the Dakar Rally

There are few sporting events that provide the kind of challenges that lie in wait on the Dakar Rally. A gruelling 12-day trial that takes competitors from Asuncion in Paraguay to the Argentine capital Buenos Aries via the altitude of Bolivia, it mixes off-road racing with extreme endurance and bravery. In some ways a very modern event – the technology found on the vehicles is cutting-edge – it is also something of a throwback, a pursuit for adventurers, free spirits, and a few wealthy eccentrics. This is a sporting event on which death remains a semi-regular occurrence and one where poor preparation can lead to catastrophic results. But, for those that get it right, this is the pinnacle of off-road racing.

Just over a week ago, Sam Sunderland became the first British competitor in the event's 38-year history to win the Dakar. Riding for the Red Bull KTM team, Dubai-based Sunderland conquered the bike category; given the unique set of difficulties that come with piloting a motorcycle across a seemingly endless desert, this is arguably the toughest class on offer.

There should be little doubt that the Dakar ranks among the greatest physical challenges in all of sport. As Sam succinctly explains it: "It's heavy, dude – really heavy." Perhaps the gravity in his voice as he speaks these words is needed to get a true sense of just what competitors go through out there in the dunes. Hearing him speak of 3am alarm calls followed by 1,000km of riding, the toll the rally takes becomes clear.

But, perhaps more than this, the Dakar Rally is a unique psychological challenge that pushes the mind even further than it does the body. On his way to victory, Sam had to overcome this considerable hurdle, too.

27-year-old Sunderland was born in Poole, on England's south coast, and began racing motocross bikes as a kid. "My mum and dad funded that," he explains, "then I left school at 16 and did a lift engineering apprenticeship for three years."

This may not seem like an obvious step on the path towards greatness, but Sam had not given up on riding and, in 2009, an opportunity presented itself: "I went on holiday to Dubai and got the offer to come and work in the KTM dealership here, so I grabbed it with both hands and ran with it as far as I could."

By 2012, he'd turned that opportunity into a maiden start at the Dakar, eventually exiting with an electrical problem. Injury forced him out of the 2013 event – he'd broken both wrists in a testing accident – but he bounced back in 2014 by becoming the first British rider in almost 20 years to win a stage of the rally, before an engine problem forced him out again.

2015 was a similar story: he won the opening stage, but got lost on the second before later injuring his shoulder and collarbone in a crash. A third Dakar retirement followed.

It was clear from these showings that Sunderland possessed considerable ability, though it was yet to be fully realised. There was further frustration in 2016, when Sam was forced out with another injury. A broken femur, sustained on the Merzouga Rally, scuppered any hope of participating in an event that was eventually won by his Red Bull KTM teammate, Toby Price.

This year, however, Sunderland put everything together perfectly to score a historic win. But it was not simply a case of resolving to cut out the mistakes and hoping the bike held together – as Sam makes abundantly clear, a lot of work goes into simply surviving the Dakar.

"It's always quite difficult to explain how physically fit you need to be. Everyone says, 'You've got an engine, c'mon!' But I promise you, it's one of the toughest sports you can do.

"I spend a lot of time on the bicycle, in the gym, and I spend a lot of time getting ready for racing at altitude," he explains. "We went from 45 degrees and really humid in Paraguay, to 2 degrees at 4,000 metres in Bolivia for six days, and then back to Argentina, which was 45 degrees again. When you're out for 12 to 15 hours a day it takes its toll on you for sure. The lack of oxygen means you lose a lot of power."

Sam took his preparation for the unique challenge of riding up to and back down from altitude extremely seriously. Even when he was asleep, the work was going in to ensure that 2017 was his year.

"I had the help of the guys from Red Bull UK and Red Bull Austria to make me a good plan, and I bought a hypoxic tent and a generator to sleep in at home. I was sleeping in that for the last months before the race to simulate altitude on my body, to try make it a bit less difficult, but it was still heavy."

Not everyone coped. According to Sam: "Some of the guys ended up in hospital – it's pretty tough."

Indeed, the whole event could be described as 'pretty tough' going. The days are long, the body takes a severe beating, and the mind must switch between intense focus and periods of relative inactivity. Sam explains: "Normally we'll wake up at 3am, pour some cold pasta in, try to eat for the day, then leave around first light at 4am. We'll have a road section – known as the 'liaison' – which can be 200-300km to the start of the special stage, which is the beginning of the race. That can be up to 600km for seven or eight hours, and we're really pushing to the limit.

"We'll finish that and then have another 200-300km of road section to get to the bivouac, where they service the bike. When we arrive we're given the road book for the next day and we highlight things that are important to us for navigation; normally that will take three or four hours. By the time you've prepared your jacket and cleaned your stuff for the next day it can be 10pm and the alarm's set for 3am again.

"I can't explain how rough it is physically," he continues. "I'm really fortunate that I get to spend all year preparing for this race and it's still really heavy. Each day you end up completely exhausted and empty and you try recover as best you can for the next day.

"The longest day we did was 1,200km, which is a long way! It's strange, if you needed to ride 100km on the road or flat gravel track, it's not that physical. But 15km through sand, stones and riverbeds is much harder. The kilometres don't really mean so much – it's more how the riding is. This year the riding was really, really technical, so it was pretty physical. When you mix that with the temperatures and the altitude, it has a heavy effect.

"I'm really lucky to race for Red Bull KTM – they have a camp for us to sleep in, they have a masseuse who helps us get ready each day. But some guys have it rougher. The amateur guys especially, they're just doing the best they can each day to make it through. It's like two different races in one: at the front it's fierce competition and pushing to the maximum; and then you get the guys for whom it's a life-long dream to do the Dakar, just trying to survive."

As with any long-distance event, the Dakar really is about survival. Sam can vouch for this from his past record: he'd won stages, but if you don't make the finish they count for nothing. It's a rally that can claim big scalps, too: last year's winner Toby Price crashed out of the event during the fourth stage, suffering a broken femur in the process.

Sunderland was among the top contenders throughout. With the exception of the first stage he was always in the top three, and he hit the front on day five. It was at this point, he says, that the mental challenge went up a notch.

"When you're leading the race all kinds of things get into your mind and it's pretty heavy for the head," he explains. "You've got to stay positive and focussed and not let bad thoughts creep in; it's a long time on your own.

"I knew there'd be pressure, and I wanted it so badly after my ups and downs. I led from day five of 12, so those seven days were really heavy for the mind. When you make a small navigation mistake you quickly become stressed and start panicking about how much time you might be losing.

"When you're in the bivouac you've got your team and your friends there, and they can help you, they can reassure you. But when you're on your own 15 hours a day, all kinds of things go through your head. Your mind is a powerful thing; to try and keep it on the right thoughts and focussed isn't easy sometimes."

Finally taking the victory – and ending Britain's long search for a Dakar winner – lifted the burden from Sam's shoulders.

"It was a dream come true for me," says Sunderland. "It's something that I've worked so hard at through a lot of disappointment, to get myself fit again after the injury.

"At the same time, I think it's human nature that you want more. In all aspects of life, you want more. When you're young you want to buy a car, then when you do you want a better one! It's no different for me. First I wanted to win a normal rally stage; then I wanted to win a rally; then I wanted to win a Dakar stage; now to think that I've won the Dakar is mad."

Though comparatively little-known in Britain, the Dakar is considered a major event elsewhere, particularly in Spain, where motorcycle racing borders on a national obsession. Sam is now hoping for a boost in popularity back home, too.

"I live in Dubai but I'm a patriotic Brit and I hope it's going to raise the profile [of the Dakar]," he says. "The sport's big in Holland, in Spain there's a huge following, and in South America and Italy. I think the message that the Dakar sends is huge: it's about determination, never giving up, going through problems and always keeping fighting. I think that's a really cool message. So to be the first British guy to win it, I think it should bring more awareness and hopefully a bigger following for next year – and hopefully I can get it done again."

This is not the first time he has mentioned next year – already, Sunderland has one eye on defending his Dakar win in 2018. As he said himself, "it's human nature that you just want more." Motivation, it seems, is not a problem.

"I'm sure lining up next year with number one on the bike will bring expectation and pressure," he says. "But, as long as you want it, it's all good."