Haradh (Saudi Arabia) (AFP)

They are former soldiers, mechanical engineers or dental technicians. They race the Dakar alongside the pros and arouse the admiration of Fernando Alonso. The "trunk-motorcycles" are often recognized as the true adventurers of the Dakar.

The "motorcycle trunks" is an official category of the race, bringing together bikers with small budgets. The principle is simple: no assistance and minimum baggage! A simple 80 liter metal trunk where competitors pile up everything: tools, spare parts, boots and jumpsuit. And they meet in the evening at the bivouac to do the repairs on their motorbikes themselves.

This year, there were 41 at the start of the rally, January 5 in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Among them, 17 different nationalities, 40 men for one woman. Thursday, the day before arrival at Qiddiya, there were only 28.

"In a motorbike trunk, we ride all day and in the evening we do the mechanics", sums up Patrice Carillon, 55, a hotel and restaurant owner with 12 Dakars behind him.

- Solidarity -

"When I go back to the bivouac, I pitch my tent, I change, I will take a shower if the water is hot. If I have no boo boo, no need to go to the physiotherapist, and then I prepare my motorcycle, "he explains.

Barely a few hours of sleep later, he sets off again to roam the dunes and canyons of the desert, alongside the motorcycles of Toby Price or Laia Sanz and the cars of Peterhansel, Al-Attiyah, Sainz and company.

In his trunk, he transported from France a few cans of oil, filters, spare parts ... Not a small photo of his relatives? "No, I'm tough and tough. Me, the Dakar, my children have shared it with me so many times, they have traveled so much through what I do that now, I no longer need all that, they are big, "he explains. "The real sharing is in the race between pilots."

Because racing without assistance does not mean racing alone. Among the "trunk-motorcycles", mutual aid reigns.

"There is a solidarity that cannot be found anywhere else," said Patrice Carillon. "If you are with an assistance, you remain in your assistance, you have no contact with others. There we can share."

- The Dakar differently -

Sara Garcia is the only woman in the category this year. This 31-year-old Spanish woman who works in mechanical engineering caught the Dakar virus thanks to her father, a mechanic on the famous rally in the 1980s, when the event was taking place in Africa.

"I love this race, all the drivers dream of this race," she said with a broad smile. Throughout the race, she piloted alongside her companion Javier Vega Puerta, whom she met in the dunes of Morocco.

"We had problems every day but we were able to solve them so we are happy. It's difficult because we don't sleep much, but I think it's the real adventure," she said.

"All (his) life" is in his trunk, she explains. "We have tools, parts and notes on what to do. Because when we come in here, we are tired, and sometimes the brain does not work as usual."

Bikers who embark on this galley often do so because they do not have the financial means to surround themselves with a team, but also sometimes to offer themselves an additional challenge.

After participating in the Dakar as a mechanic and then as an assisted pilot, Benjamin Melot decided to get started in motorcycle trunks. "I want to experience the Dakar differently. I went from mechanic to pilot, and this year I am a pilot who takes care of its mechanics," he said.

What arouse the compliments of the pros. "I have a lot of admiration for motorcycle trunks. I had the opportunity to meet them. They are very brave and have a real adventure," said Fernando Alonso.

© 2020 AFP