JOSEF MACHÁČEK

FIVE-TIME WINNER OF THE DAKAR RALLY IN QUADS CATEGORY

His career began in motocross back in 1974 in AMK Heřmanův Městec, where he achieved the 1 st Performance Level. After that, he moved to off-road motorcycle racing. In 1982, he won the Six Days Enduro race in Považská Bystrica in the 175 cc category. Then in 1983, he finished 2 nd in the International Six Days Enduro Trophy in England. He also became the Czech champion in off-road motorcycle endurance competitions in 1984, when he won the 125 cc category. Between 1986 and 1992 he raced for an Italian team TOTIP in the Italian championship. After that, from 1994 to 1996, he also competed in the Czech national championship in Autocross.

After watching the Mexican Rally Baja 500 miles, he decided to become one of the pioneers of the quad bike category. In 1999, after 3 years of preparations, he entered his first ever Paris Dakar Rally race with a goal to become the first Czech rider to finish the event on a quad bike.

Until 2009, he managed to become a five-time winner of the Dakar Rally in the quad bike category. He is historically the most successful quad bike rider in the Experimental category in cross-country rallying and four of his five wins came without a single penalty. Since 2011, he switched his focus on his own buggy MD Rally Sport Optimus. He is going to race in Dakar Rallye in 2020 once again as he entered the Side by Side category. He will be racing behind the wheel of a brand new racing special called Can-Am Buggyra MK50 XRS.