Toni Mulec: "I am happiest when people find inspiration in my story."
Exactly 9 days from now, Toni Mulec, the Dakar racer with starting number 24 and a proud member of KTM's satellite team, BAS World KTM racing team, will board a chartered flight to Saudi Arabia from Muchna. Carrying a bag full of experiences from his first Dakar and several warm waterproof clothes, he will embark on the toughest edition of the rally since 2007. His main goal remains reaching the Dakar finish line in Yanbu, which is riddled with countless small and large dangers, challenges, and pitfalls, far from the start in Al'Uli. Meanwhile, Toni's great desire is to improve upon his already excellent result from the 2023 Dakar - the 24th position in the overall standings. Will Toni Mulec push the throttle even harder this year? You can count on it.
Toni, surely you have thoroughly studied the route and the peculiarities of this year's edition—what surprises does Dakar 2024 have in store for the competitors?
This edition will undoubtedly be tougher than the previous one, or rather - my first one. For Dakar 2023, it was considered the toughest edition in the last ten years, while Dakar 2024 forecasts it to be the most challenging edition since 2007, the last year the rally crossed the African continent. There are fewer stages, two less, but one of them is a marathon, spanning two days. Such stages are critical, as they conceal so many unknowns that successfully completing them requires some mandatory luck. The organizer has promised a tougher route and more complex navigation—more experienced individuals often say the organizer never exaggerates with these predictions, if anything, they caution. We'll spend an enormous number of hours on the bike, with very long stages and very long transfers scheduled. Long transfers are, of course, exhausting because it means the alarm goes off at one in the morning, and in the desert at night, it's excruciatingly cold, which is a big problem. It's hard to stay focused enough on the bike not to fall asleep, while simultaneously trying to keep the speed close to the limit to shorten the time of the alarm's beeping or sentinel. In the end, you don't know if it's actually beeping or if you've just dreamt it all.
What are the most valuable lessons from your first Dakar that will make your second Dakar at least a little more bearable?
Definitely the things everyone warned me about last year. I can't say I didn't take them seriously, but I didn't even dream they would play such a significant role in the whole story. It might sound a bit funny, but those cold (sometimes even rainy) mornings drain all your energy. Now I know how to dress, where I can undress, and leave clothes behind. Your concentration significantly drops when your body fights the cold. It's not insignificant whether you arrive at the start tired or rested. Put simply: during Dakar 2023, I was too cold most of the time! Even regarding food and energy supplements, everything is crystal clear to me now, although I didn't make as many mistakes the first time around as with clothing, for example. Concern about that is now gone, and stress, as we know, is the main energy consumer. And what's even more important: I understand how the whole system works now, so my mind is settled. Once I understand how things work, I handle them effortlessly. I know how the bivouac works, how a stage works; I could insert a sweaty book into the holder and go.
You achieved an exceptional result on your first Dakar. How do you now view the 24th position in the overall standings, and what do you expect from Dakar this year or next January?
When I get this question, I always smile because I will say the same thing as last year and with even greater ease: the goal is the finish line. At the same time, I am even more aware that this is by no means a small wish. The result? I'll go full throttle, that's clear, I feel I can take more risks this year, but I'll definitely rely on my feeling at all times because my main goal is - the GOAL. As for last year's result: only now do I realize its true value! I knew it would be tough, but definitely not that there would be so much danger practically every kilometer. Every day, when I reached the finish line, I said to myself, 'OK, today I am truly grateful that everything went well. Every day, for all 14 days.
What is it that truly pulls you back to Dakar?
What I keep emphasizing all the time: the support of people and the respect you earn after the battle. Not because I want to be known, or because I finished Dakar and that's heroic in itself; no, I am happiest when people find inspiration in my story. If by my approach to life and by stubbornly living my dreams, I change just one person, then the Dakar rally is already meaningful to me. If someone dares more or does something for themselves because of me, then I've done the most I can.
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