The new Aussie combo taking on Dakar

Rookie Glenn Brinkman and two-event veteran Dale Moscatt will be the only Australians taking on the 2024 Dakar Rally on four wheels in a challenge that will be the “pinnacle” of their careers.

The duo will be driving a PH-SPORT Zephyr in the T3 category and hope to complete the daring near 8000km journey from Alula to Yanbu.

The duo may be making their Dakar debut as a combination but have taken on events such as the 2022 Morocco Rally and 2023 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, plus participated in Australian Off Road Championships in both seasons.

For Brinkman it will be his first taste of Dakar and he admitted the butterflies are impossible to avoid.

“Pretty nervous. It’s been a lot of talk in preparation, but it’s starting to get real now and it’s like ‘I’ve got to commit to this’,” he told SBS Sport.

“I’ve been one of those people that always watch Dakar every January, and I had friends like Dale and Bruce Garland do it. 

“For me, it would be the pinnacle of my motorsport career to go and do Dakar, so I spoke to Dale and formulated a plan.

“I’d only done Rally, so it was recommended that I get into Australian off-road, which I’ve done for two years now, and it’s grown from there.”

The car will be driving ready for action at Dakar.

Although Brinkman is a Dakar virgin, his co-driver Moscatt does know what it takes to survive the endurance test.

His debut arrived in 2016 when he paired up with Peter Jerie to finish 32nd.

He then returned in an all Aussie pairing with Molly Taylor to secure a 14th place in the T4 category.

Moscatt explained how the event is not for the faint hearted and believes they have prepared for the challenges ahead.

“I think anyone is mad to go to Dakar,” said Moscatt.

“Dakar’s a funny beast because the level of learning you can do in these events is massive. 

“In Morocco and Abu Dhabi, we had punctures and mechanicals, and also the good things, like when world champion guys like Austin Jones came past us and we hung onto the back of him for 220 kilometres through the dunes.

“There is always the cat-and-mouse thing of going as fast as you can but also protecting the car, as no car will last two weeks going flat out and no crew will either. 

“The preparation we’ve done going in will see us keep the nerves under wraps.”

Brinkman revealed that their victory will be simply reaching the finish after two weeks and almost 8000km of driving through the sand.

“First and foremost, we need to finish. That’s the ultimate goal,” he said.

“It’s motorsport, of course we’re competitive, we’d love a top 10, but the finisher’s medal is the goal and to bring home a straight car.”

The 2024 Dakar Rally will be broadcast by SBS with highlights each morning.

Image by SBS Sport

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 On the latest podcast, Bruce, PG and Andrew talk about their three motor racing highlights of 2023, and to balance it out… The three lowlights as well, not lowlifes Bruce!