10 Minutes With: Sam Sunderland

This entry is part 44 of 24 in the series Adventure Rider Issue #3

Sam Sunderland Honda Factory rally pilot

five-man team for the 2014 Rally Raids included a young Brit ex-motocrosser who took out the Merzouga Rally Raid in Morocco as a warm up in October. As we go to print Dakar is just setting up, and Sam Sunderland must be considered a contender.

AdvR: How did you get into riding bikes?
SS: I was always playing on my BMX when I was really young, and my next-door neighbour used to have bikes. He invited me along one day and it all started from there. I was lucky because my grandparents had a dairy farm which made it easier for me to practice.

AdvR: How did you find yourself in the Factory Honda Rally Team?
SS: In 2011 my rally career started with the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. I raced okay on a stock 450EXC and had some good results, then did the Australasian Safari with some stage wins. Then I was offered a ride on the Honda Europe team for Dakar 2012. I finished seventh on the first day, but had some bike problems and was out of the race on day two. Midway through 2012 HRC stepped in with a full factory effort and I was lucky enough to be chosen as part of the team.

At 24, British ex-motocrosser Sam Sunderland is spearheading the Honda attack on Rally Raid.

AdvR: In past years you’ve demonstrated you can run with the guys at the front: Marc, Cyril, Ruben and the rest. But overall wins have eluded you. With your win at the Merzouga Rally do you feel all the hard work and training is starting to pay off?
SS: Absolutely. Winning a few stages is one thing, but to put it together over the course of the whole race is another story. I raced three times in 2013 and I won in Abu Dhabi. Then I got a 10-minute penalty for going the wrong side of a flag in the sand outside of the race, and another team protested. I accept it’s my mistake, and a costly one at that. It dropped me to third.
I finished fifth in the Oilibya Rally with a few technical issues, and I won in Merzouga.
I’m pretty young in the rally world and I’m working my arse off to try and fast-forward my learning process with the navigation by making my own roadbooks and things like that, and I have a great team behind me, with good teammates, which helps hugely.

The support of a strong professional team has given Sam a big boost.

AdvR: Looking back at the Rally of Moroccco and the dominance of the Honda team, what do you feel is achievable at this year’s Dakar Rally?
SS: It’s HRC. It’s a huge name in motorsport and their goal is to win. It’s quite clear to see with the development of the new bike.
I feel there’s a strong chance a Honda will win, but it’s the Dakar and anything can happen. Morocco is a good test and has all the top riders and teams present and it’s a good indicator, but we need to work together as a team and limit the mistakes. I think this will be the deciding factor in the overall result.

AdvR: You have a new Factory rally bike. How is it different to last year’s bike?
SS: It’s completely different. The only things the same are the wheels. The new bike is great and works so well. It really makes our job a lot easier.

The 2014 bike has little in common with its predecessor.

AdvR: Will Honda release a “customer version” of the bike?
SS: I’m not sure if this is the plan, but I believe it’s quite possible.

AdvR: By the time we go to print Dakar will be over for 2014. How would you like the headlines to read? In other words, what are your hopes for the 2014 Dakar for you personally?
SS: My first goal is to finish. I’m confident in my speed and happy with my navigation. I believe if I can do that then I will be more than happy with my result.

AdvR: What else do you do besides riding bikes?
SS: I do a lot of fitness training. I compete in triathlons, road cycle a lot, and run. As far as sports go I enjoy free diving. It’s super relaxing and good training. I like rock climbing and tennis, too. I have a trials bike that I play about on, but I’m not so good at it (laughs). Most of the sports and things I do are cross-training for racing the rally bike.

Stage Three of the Merzouga Rally Raid in Morocco. Sam on his way to an outright victory.

AdvR: Who are your heroes in rallying and why?
SS: Of course the top guys that have been winning year after year: Marc, Cyril and Stephan Peterhansel. When you see what goes on behind the scenes, and how much sacrifice is made, it makes you respect the guys a lot. My teammate Helder Rodrigues is great. I have so much respect for him. He was competitive with the factory guys for years on a ride he put together himself with his sponsors and family and friends. This is insane when you think of the logistics it takes for an amateur guy to even arrive at the start.

AdvR: What advice would you offer to the average person who wants to get into this sport?
SS: It’s kind of hard to give advice, but I would say read the roadbook, which is what I was told and helped me hugely. I also found it hard to make myself do that when there are tracks or dust upfront. It’s so much easier to just chase that, but when you do you take huge risks and don’t learn anything. I see guys now with good results, but they arrive at the finish and the roadbook is 60km behind on the route.

AdvR: At the 2011 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge you were struggling to read the roadbook, but you still won a stage. You’ve come a long way in a short time. What has changed from then to now?
SS: The 2011 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge was my first rally and I had no idea what the roadbook was. I received my race bike the night before the prologue and ran it in on the roads around the shop. I won two stages in 2011. I won Stage Two by five minutes and 10 seconds, and Stage Four by nearly 20 minutes. That’s a huge margin in rally, but I was starting from behind and following tracks a lot.
That’s what I just advised not to do as you don’t learn anything – ha ha!

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