Sam Sunderland

In 2022 Sam Sunderland, then 33, repeated his epic feat by once again winning the motorcycle class on the legendarily tough Dakar Rally. Of his 10 entries on the event he’s either come first (twice), third (also twice) or else not finished at all (six times) due to a mixed bag of injuries or mechanical failures, which included a back injury in 2018 where he had to be airlifted to hospital by helicopter. Sam seems to relish taking everything the rally raid classic can throw at him as he crests the sand dunes of the route, and accords some of his success to knowing his ‘optimal zone of functioning’. Born in Poole in 1989, Sam is now based in Dubai. He started aged seven as a motocross rider but made a name for himself by winning the 2010 UAE National Baja Championship in 2010, which led to factory rides for first Honda, then KTM and now GasGas on the Dakar.