Forty years and 100,000km of cross-country rallying hasn’t cured Davidson’s craving for extreme challenges
You were in your 20s when you entered the Wynn’s Sydney to Darwin Safari. What provided the motivation?
I was riding B Grade trials at the time and I watched the start of the Wynn’s at Sydney Showgrounds. It was huge. The notion of attempting to ride across a continent was so inspirational I just had to give it a go.
Facing a nine-day rally, knowing the chance of finishing was as remote as the country you intended crossing, how did you prepare?
The yardstick was the Honda XR600; although we needed a fuel range of 450km. Peter Goddard made me a beautiful 40-litre alloy tank – but the height above the engine pushed the riding position back to where it felt like riding a chopper.
Safari stages would often start – and invariably finish – in the dark, so good lighting was essential. The standard XR set-up was useless and a couple of 24 Hour Trial veterans rewound the stator to set me up with twin Honda XL 100 watt halogens. Perfect. Or so I thought.
What do you recall about the experience?
We all thought we knew what to expect but it was such an incredible learning curve. There were about 70 riders – mostly rookies – riding bikes designed for a day on the fire trails, not hammering full gas across the desert for more than a week.
Way west of Bourke I came to a grinding stop and, after rooting around for a long time, I discovered there was no spark. Turns out the rewound stator had cooked itself. It was a long, cold, lonely wait for the recovery truck.
Yet this did nothing to curb your enthusiasm.
We were traversing the remote regions – often on private cattle stations – country you would never otherwise see. Many times, our fuel was delivered by a tanker that had taken a week to get to the refuel location. On reflection, this was my favourite era in cross-country racing. No mobile phones, no GPS, rarely being certain you were on course and knowing the organisers had no idea where you were. A truly exhilarating experience
In 1994 I rode a Honda XR400 in the malle moto (unassisted) division and, with no mechanical problems, finished a creditable 15th – undoubtedly my most satisfying Australian Safari.
Much of Australia is desert but nothing compared to Arabia. Your first Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in 2012 must have been an eye opener?
Nothing can really prepare you for the Empty Quarter. The dunes are as high as the Sydney Harbour Bridge. They go on and on and on, mountain after mountain all day long. A single day of racing will take competitors over 1000 dunes. It’s hot and tricky to navigate and the only thing you see is sand, camels and gazelle. I was rapt just to finish mid-field.
In the all-Aussie GHR Honda Team at the 2011 Dakar, held in Argentina and Chile, you blacked-out at over 5000m and came to with the locals feeding you coca leaves.
Dakar was a bridge too far for me I’m afraid. Three attempts, three fails and no excuses. Dakar is the most extreme hard-enduro; designed to break the likes of Mark Coma, Cyril Despres and Toby Price. In South America the altitude beat me every time. The lack of oxygen makes even the most mundane task a challenge.
A bloke such as yourself might have once been referred to as a ‘gentleman racer’. Proficient enough, and having the wherewithal to participate in the premier class.
I’ve been self-employed since I was 30 so never have to ask the boss for time off. And I have a very understanding wife. There’s no other sport on this planet where the likes of me can participate in the same event, on the same course, using the same equipment as the world’s best. No handicap system, no course cutting, you’ve got to ride the same route to the same instructions and do the same miles as the pro guys. It just takes me a little longer now that I’m closer to 70 than 60.
Now, some 40 years after your initiation to Rally Raid, you’re about to take on the 2025 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.
As long as the FIM keep issuing me with an International Licence I’ll keep riding, as I’m as keen as ever just to receive a Finisher’s Medallion. Even though we are a group of misfits, Rally Raid is a close-knit community. The desert doesn’t distinguish between rookies and pros, so we all realise any one of us will need assistance at some point.
